Our Life Unbound

Summer Fun and Sadness

2011-07-30T13:14:00.006-05:00

July has been a full month for us! We've done a lot of running around, playing outside, and meeting with friends, new and old. Monkey has a new friend named "J" who loves P**emon as much as he does and they've been having a great time getting to know each other!

Mango and Monkey had been asked to be "practice kids" to help train new play therapists, so we spent every day last week running to the therapy clinic for their sessions. In between, we hung out at Caribou and the Mall of America. We have a membership so once again visited "Sealife", the walk through aquarium.

This is Mango's favorite fish. His name is Bubba. He is a Goliath Gorami and is much, MUCH larger than what he appears to be in this picture. I'm pretty sure he weighs as much as she does!
Legoland has completely changed it's look! This picture is for all of the students we've hosted, so they can see a bit of what it looks like now!

During our busy days last week, it became obvious that our oldest dog Chloe was entering the last days of her life. We'd been told the month before that she had cancer and knew our time with her was running short. When she would not get up and would not eat last Monday morning, we knew it was time. The sad and difficult good-bye was said. She was nearly 14 1/2 years old and had lived all but one year of her life with us. Four of the five kids never remember life without her. Our house seemed pretty quiet without her.

Even with two cats and Cooper...

We had talked many times in the past month about what everyone wanted to do when Chloe died - did we want to get another dog, did we want to do it right away or wait? Even shortly after Chloe's death, most were in agreement that it was okay to start looking. The one who was hesitant agreed when pictures were shown of the dogs we wanted to look at and a promise that we would not come home with a dog unless everyone agreed and felt ready.

So we headed off to the Humane Society and came home with.....

Bella. Bella is a two year old beagle/rat terrior mix and is about 30 pounds. She was originally from Oklahoma and we believe she is one of the "storm dogs" lost or abandoned after all of the tornadoes there. We also believe she has been mistreated. There are a lot of valuable lessons this little dog will help us teach - that it's not your fault when you've been abandoned; that when you've been hurt, it can take time to trust a new home is safe and forever; and that love, attention, and gentle discipline can help something heal, but ultimately she is the one who must decide to trust. She has a very gentle, loving, calm temperament and can't seem to get quite enough petting. She does not seem to know how to play or to be very familiar with treats, but we are determined to teach her and to help her have a good doggy life (even if she never leaves the cats alone)!

Catching Up

2011-07-07T09:58:00.002-05:00

We've had a very busy past few weeks as a family.
Seely had a 9 day mission's trip with the youth group to Miami, FL where they served in a Haitian church clearing the fields and running a VBS program for kids. Most people who went said it was one of the most difficult missions trips they'd ever been on, but lives were changed and the youth rose well to the occassion, doing what needed to be done with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts.
Before he arrived back home, we took Mango to camp. Her cabin was the very last cabin I counseled in when I worked there, so that was kind of cool! I love that she loves camp! She's already counting down the years until she can work there!

Little Monkey also spent a couple of days at camp. He had such a great time and his counselors were fantastic! I think we may also have a budding future staff member in him!

The day after we picked both of them up from camp, we had a graduation open house for Seely. I can well remember his first day of kindergarten, as well as the first day of home-schooling him. The bus went by and he turned to me and said, "So what do we do, now?" As a first-time home-educator, I asked myself that same thing, but that was really the first and last time I've questioned our decision to keep our kids at home. I'm so proud of the person he has become and wonder how he did that in spite of us! Next year, he'll be finishing his 2 year degree in Computer Science.

The next week, we had VBS at church. Lily and I worked in the nursery caring for several toddlers while their mothers helped with VBS. Random and Mango helped with the pre-schoolers. Seely helped with the elementary crews and Monkey was a student. I love VBS week - it's crazy and exhausting, but also a lot of fun!

That Friday night (I told you it was a busy month), we got a call from my parents that the storm had taken off their roof and water was running in everywhere. We loaded up buckets and boys, and headed out to help them get the roof covered before more rain arrived. Seely and Random happily climbed up onto the roof to pound nails and staple gun tarps down, working along side their grandfather and many other relatives and neighbors to get the job done. This is a picture of the roof on the ground. It was pretty much down to plywood up there.

This week, we've celebrated the 4th of July, attended a picnic, made new friends, and tomorrow a good friend of Random's arrives to spend 5 days with us. This has been the summer of the revolving door, but I don't think we'd have it any other way!

Pond Therapy

2011-05-09T19:06:00.002-05:00

It's one of my favorite places....a quiet little corner of our backyard, separated off by a large pine tree.

My little fish pond
.
Last week, we filled it with water and after a couple of days, put in our water lillies. For Mother's Day, I asked for the decorative rock to surround it (so my kids are taking great pleasure in telling people they gave me rocks for Mother's Day), and those also went up.

Last night, we added the one remaining feeder goldfish from our first "pond year", and today we added two small koi. We'll see how long they stay small, but for right now all of the fish are about the same size. The koi are named Avery and Ava, while Mango named the goldfish Purple. Monkey is requesting a black fish, so he can name it Batman. We'll see.

There's nothing like ending a busy day, curled up with my Kindle on one of those chairs, DH in the other, listening to the sound of running water, watching the fish happily swim around, and hearing the kids playing happily on the other side of the tree. It is pure therapy.

An Unexpected Trip

2011-04-30T22:33:00.007-05:00

Last Friday morning, my niece's 35 year old husband passed away very suddenly following surgery. Thirty-five. He left behind not only our niece and her 3 daughters, but 5 children from previous marriages. He was a part of a large, blended family and many people are grieving this very sudden loss. Many people's lives will never be the same.
Life is short, people. Love hard.

We left for Wyoming early Tuesday morning, stopping for one night. Wyoming is beautiful. It makes you feel small and I think we all need to feel small once in awhile. It helps keep things in perspective.
We also did some of this... Uncle D and Aunty C's church had a "Big Toys" night for their AWANA kids, so our three youngest had a chance to run off all of the energy they'd stored up traveling that far in 2 days. Here is Lily with her second- cousin E. Monkey ran straight for 2 hours on all of the inflatables, only stopping to eat when we made him!The funeral was held on Thursday. I was so proud of my niece and how she was able to not only remain standing, but support her children and all of her step-children through such a heart-breaking loss. The grief was tough to watch, but her family and his family are circling the wagons, and she will have plenty of help and support in the days ahead. Please pray for them whenever they come to mind.

Friday morning, we spent a couple of hours with family there and then headed back over the Big Horn mountains. It was a beautiful winter wonderland...even for someone who is pretty sick of winter!

We got snowed on for quite some time on our way back over. On our first trip, it had gone from rain to hail to snow to blue, sunny skies in literally five minutes. It was pretty amazing. I think the Big Horns are quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the world.

Minnesota Sealife Visit

2011-04-06T13:03:00.004-05:00

Today we spent the morning at Minnesota Sealife(formerly Underwater Adventures). For those of you who have been here before, not a whole lot has changed with the name, except you now go through "backwards" and of course they have you walk through the very expensive gift shop at the end. This picture was taken in one of the tunnels. This is part of the Jellyfish Kingdom. I think Mango and Monkey could've stood there quite happily for a very long time watching the jellyfish swim.

This stingray pond is now at the beginning. It has a couple of underwater viewing windows that the kids enjoyed.

This was at the end of one of the tunnels. We went through twice and this shark was sitting in that same spot both times.

Monkey Turns Seven!

2011-04-06T12:53:00.005-05:00

Monkey's 7th birthday was last week. He was very excited, of course. As the time drew closer for Dad to get home from work, it got harder and harder to wait. He curled up with big brother Random and learned how to text while he was waiting! Here were a couple of our less successful attempts to get pictures with his birthday gifts.

By the time we got the nicer one, I think the back end of every animal in the house had made it into one photo or another. Never a dull moment here!

Monkey's Haircut!

2011-03-28T15:41:00.002-05:00

This is Monkey's new haircut. He's now almost 7 years old. He doesn't really care much about his hair - it was actually quite long and shaggy before today - he only cares about the lollipop he gets after the haircut is over. Today, however, he did request spikey hair and that is what he got! He looks so much older now!

The End of Winter?

2011-03-15T19:31:00.008-05:00

It has been a looonnnngggg winter for us in more ways than one. Being I've been such a horrible blogger through it, I decided I'd try to catch you all up. So here we go!

December was a busy month and covered just about every emotion. Our 9 year old great niece lost her very heroic battle with cancer. Random turned 15 and Lily had another surgery.
A very special box from Japan arrived for the kids with the instructions that they had to wait until Christmas to open it! Inside was a gift for each of them from our exchange student Tianyu. Here, the girls model their gifts!

Anyone who lives in Minnesota can tell you that this has been the winter of snow. There was so much of it and it was so heavy that the Metrodome deflated. It looks quite sad whenever we drive by!

January brought a celebration of our great niece's life and a fundraiser for her family. As you can see, the kids had a wonderful time!

February brought Mango's 10th birthday. She is getting so tall, but has retained all of the joy, friendless, and silliness that she came to us with. (Ignore the laundry baskets in the background - they are clean!)

This is Cooper. He doesn't normally sit still. You know that saying about "it would be like herding cats"? Well, this dog does herd cats - especially when they manage to escape outside. The cats do not appreciate it at all, but the humans find in hysterical every single time!

March brought Lily's 13th birthday, so we are now a three teenager household. All prayers are appreciated.

We are hoping March will also bring the end of the snow. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 50's this week. Mango and Monkey spent some time outside this evening building what (we hope) are the last snowmen of the year.

As you know, March also brought news of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The morning we woke to the news, we talked with Tianyu on Facebook. She was home alone, riding out the frequent aftershocks, and waiting for her father to return. I wanted so badly to be able to give her a hug and make it better. (Actually what I wanted was to somehow magically just transport her back here.) By the next morning, we had heard from each of our recent students to know that they and their families are okay, but feeling very devastated. Please do not grow weary of praying for these people and their country. It is not just a far-away place, it is a place full of very real and very hurting people.

Too Funny to Not Share

2011-03-02T21:34:00.004-06:00

Tonight was crazy hair night at AWANA. The kids all put several different colored gels in their hair, meaning they had to have showers once we got home. Monkey had a very quick bath and came out announcing that he was wearing his long underwear.

With as straight of a face as I could manage, I answered "You sure are, Monkey. You sure are."

I Pray in the Bathroom

2011-02-24T20:24:00.004-06:00

So the secret is out....I pray when I'm in the bathroom. I'm not really sure how the habit got its start, but I know that it has to do with the fact that the bathroom is one of the few places in my life where I get to be alone. It's hard to quiet my mind and heart to listen to God in the middle of teaching Mango the finer points of long division, listening to Monkey read about Snuff the Snail, or helping Lily deal with her ever flucuating emotions. As goofy as it sounds, the bathroom is one of the few places where I am still and quiet long enough to really pray from the heart and to listen to what God wants to say to me. There are prayers for my husband, my children, the children and villages around the world that we sponsor, and for 2 young pregnant women in Haiti that I have the privilege of being a "prayer doula" for. There are prayers for a friend with cancer, for a niece who lost her daughter to cancer, and for a young pregnant mom at our church whose husband was recently deployed. There likely have been prayers spoken in that room for each of you at one time or another. I know it seems like a crazy place to pray, but I'm sure God simply overlooks my location and meets with me there.

The BAHA

2010-09-07T10:44:00.003-05:00

Today, we had an unexpected blessing. Eleven days ago, Lily had the second of two surgeries for her BAHA sound processing system and for a last surgical attempt to get a prosthetic ear that works for her. We saw her surgeon this morning for her post-op check and he gave the go ahead for her to get the BAHA fitted today. We went to the audiologist's room and the BAHA was immediately put on Lily's head, allowing her to hear from both sides of her head. Up until now, the only time she's ever been able to do that is during a bone-conduction hearing test. Below, the audiologist is running a few hearing tests through the BAHA to adjust it for Lily's needs and preferences. She thinks things are kind of loud now, but the audiologist assured her that she would get used to it - that her brain needs to learn how to hear on that side. They said the hearing part of her brain will actually re-structure itself over the next few weeks to adjust to the change.
Afterwards, we were given instructions on how to use it and care for it at home. On the way home, we listened as she talked to her aunt and cousin on the phone; hearing her say "I can hear things I've never heard before!" brought tears to my eyes. We take so much for granted!

This is a picture of what the BAHA actually looks like on her head.

It's very, very tiny and will completely hide beneath her hair. The other two posts that you see will be used for a prosthetic ear.

Another cool thing is that the BAHA comes with a special "Share the experience" plastic post. We connect her BAHA to this post, plug our ears, hold the post to our head, and we can hear through it just like she can! It's meant to help the parents be able to trouble-shoot any problems, but it also gave her a chance to share her experience with her family.

Tianyu

2010-08-20T09:55:00.006-05:00

These past 2 1/2 weeksweeks we have had an exchange student staying with us. Each summer a group of about 60 students comes from a Japanese University to take classes in ESL and American Culture. They all live in host families.

This year, we were lucky enough to have Tianyu stay with us! She is actually Chinese, but lives in Japan with her family. She can speak 3 languages!

We started e-mailing each other near the end of June and I immediately knew she was someone special. We have done a lot, shared a lot, and laughed A LOT these past weeks together, and the thought that she will soon need to return home is making all of us very sad. Please enjoy these few "snapshots" of her stay with us.

Waiting for the student to arrive:

Meeting a real horse for the very first time:
Playing croquet at my dad's 70th birthday party:
The Rainforest Cafe:

Meeting SpongeBob and Patrick (very important day!!)

Visiting a Native American museum:

She told us she wanted to do some work, so DH taught her how to mow the grass! Unfortunately, we all discovered she has an allergy to grass....

After months of preperation and traveling half way around the world to live with strangers for 3 weeks, she gets her program diploma at graduation last night.

Celebrating at Dairy Queen after the Graduation Ceremony.

We are all really, really going to miss her. She has fit into our family like she belongs here and it is going to be hard to say good-bye on Monday. We are trying hard to remember the saying by Dr. Suess, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

Tianyu- THANK YOU for coming! We've had such a good time with you and hope this is just the start of a lifelong friendship!

Cooper's been "tutored"

2010-07-07T19:05:00.002-05:00

Cooper went to the vet today to have his "little boy dog" surgery. All went well and he is happy to be home, but is feeling rather sorry for himself.

He has been given his "cone of shame" to prevent licking and doesn't really like it much at all. Thankfully, Mango has a great deal of empathy for him and decided to join him. I'm sure it helps him feel better. (He looks at her rather funny anyways!)

Another funny story from the day...the vet gave Cooper a certificate of bravery. I handed it to Monkey when we got home and told him the vet said we should put it on the refridgerator. When DH got home about an hour or so later, we told him he had to see the certificate, but when he went to look, it was no where to be found. We finally asked Monkey where he put it, and he walks over to the fridge, opens it and pulls the certificate off one of the shelves! Never a dull moment here!

Vacation 2010 Day 6: The National Museum of American History and the National Archives

2010-06-19T11:59:00.005-05:00

After eating breakfast at our hotel, we once again boarded the Metro for the trip into Washington D.C. The train was more crowded this morning, but where else can you sit next to a senator's aide or someone who works at the Pentagon, and come up out of the subway to views like this?
We were the very first family through the doors at the National Museum of American History that morning. It's one of the many Smithsonian Museums and there's far more to see and look at in there than you could ever hope to see in the few hours that we had, but we gave it our best shot!

We saw Dorothy's ruby slippers, Kermit the Frog (who is much smaller than he appears), Fonzie's coat, Archie Bunker's chair, and many, many exhibits on the American presidents, transportation, science, and wars.

Monkey sees how he measures up to one of the greatest American presidents...

Lily gets ready to give Ronald Reagan's speech with the famous line, "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down that wall".

And of course, no American History museum would be complete if it didn't have some reference to the Star Wars movies that are such a part of our culture.

In the early afternoon, we made our way over to the National Archives. It started to rain lightly on our walk over there and continued to rain as we stood in line. There's security at the entrance to just about every building, so nothing moves very quickly. Once inside, we were again lined up and eventually allowed into the Rotunda where the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are on exhibit. The Declaration is getting very faded and thin, and as we stood there looking at it, I asked each of my kids to take a "brain picture" (the only kind allowed in there) to remember it with, as it may not last long enough to be seen by their children or grandchildren. However, the part of this building that impressed our younger set the most was the Declaration that was engraved in the doors of the elevator!

Vacation 2010 Day 4 & 5: Driving, Arlington, the Memorials, the White House and the Holocaust Museum

2010-06-11T10:08:00.009-05:00

On Saturday (May 15th), we spent most of the day in the van, driving from Ohio to our hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. We were in a total of 5 states that day: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virgina and Virginia. Maryland won the award for being the prettiest state and we discovered that the Appalachian Mountains really are just hills compared to the Rockies!

Sunday morning, we took the Metro and started our day at Arlington Cemetary. It was such a beautiful day out and the cemetary is both wonderful and somber at the the same time. There is no real way to go past all of those graves and fully take it in.

I wasn't really sure if the kids would enjoy it much, but they all seemed too. Watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was one of everyone's favorite memories on the trip. The soldier walks 21 steps, stops, faces the graves for 21 seconds, and then turns and walks back 21 steps. The graves are guarded 24/7, rain or shine, and the ceremony takes place even when no one is there to watch it. The picture below shows the new guard coming on duty and having a full army inspection by his sargeant before assuming his assigned duty.

We also visited the Kennedy graves, and the memorials for the Challenger, Columbia, and for those who lost their lives attempting to free the Iranian hostages.

After leaving Arlington, we had lunch outside near the Lincoln Memorial, and then began what we called the "Memorial Loop".

Our first stop was the Korean War Memorial. It is not quite as well known as some of the others, but ended up being our favorite and perhaps the most moving. Nineteen, slightly larger than life, soldiers are crossing a field on patrol. The ground is made to look like it would have in Korea. Their faces are so real, and each one is completely different.

On one side of these soldiers is a beautiful reflecting wall with images of those who died in the war etched in. They are of many different sizes, and there is no real order to the etchings, but somehow that made it only more touching. At night, when the wall is lit up, the 19 soldiers reflect onto this wall, giving an appearence of 38. It represents the 38th parallel, which was the line between North and South Korea. From there, it was just a short walk over to visit Abraham Lincoln. Our younger set was quite impressed by this memorial, and Monkey even knew it was the one on the penny! We all agreed that the memorial building itself was much larger than we expected, but Abe was smaller than expected.

We then walked over to the Vietnam Memorial. It is a bit staggering if you let yourself take a moment to ponder just how many names are etched into this wall.

By this point, it was getting late in the afternoon, so we hopped back on our trolley and headed out to see the White House. The guide told us that if we ever got tired of paying the high prices in Washington D.C, we could get free room and board on the city if we simply tried climbing one of these fences.

We did some of our first shopping at a little street kiosk just down the road from here. Monkey purchased yet another stuffed monkey. Even with all we had seen that day, he declared his new monkey his favorite thing of the day!

Vacation 2010 Day 3: The Creation Museum Part 2

2010-05-29T12:38:00.005-05:00

The following morning we headed back for a few more hours at the Creation Museum. There were a few shows we hadn't gotten to see the day before, and we all wanted to walk through the main part of the museum one more time.

Here, Random takes on a dinosaur eating it's prey.
Methuselah ended up being one of our favorite animitronics in the museum. We aren't sure why, other than the fact the boys thought he sounded like Yoda and they found that hilarious.

It was a gorgeous day! We took the time to walk through their beautiful botanical gardens. Ponds, waterfalls, and lots of green and sunshine - it doesn't get much better than that after days of rain before leaving home!

The T-Rex topiary.

A visit to their petting zoo rounded out our day. We got to pet a zonkey (zebra/donkey cross) a zorse (zebra/horse cross), camels, goats, sheep, ducks, and a few other things as well. Monkey was VERY determined to pet one of the very cute Malaysian chickens (who knew chickens could be cute?) and finally managed to corner one long enough to give it a few pats.

We all left the Creation Museum feeling like if that was all we did for our vacation that we would've been happy. Everyone loved it and it was definitely one of the big highlights of our trip.
Pictures and stories can't do it justice....You have to go see it for yourself!

Vacation 2010 Day 2: The Creation Museum

2010-05-24T10:07:00.004-05:00

On Thursday, we drove the remaining 5-6 hours to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. We arrived in time to spend a couple of hours there and even got to meet Ken Ham, the founder of the museum and Answers in Genesis!

The museum is beautifully done and really has something for everyone. This picture is of Adam naming all of the animals. Notice the penguin that was in the Garden of Eden!
Monkey had to have his picture taken by the monkey.
Here is their depiction of Noah as the ark is being built. They have a 1/100 scale section of what the ark is believed to have looked like. The size is truly incredible and this was one of our favorite rooms!

Update and Vacation 2010 - Day 1

2010-05-24T09:29:00.005-05:00

I have been a terrible blogger!

Lily's surgery in March went well, but was not entirely successful. They had hoped to be able to "clean up" and thin out the skin around her top ear post implant, but were not able to do so. The bones in her skull have not grown evenly, so the post now tips forward and is too near her jaw joint. There was simply nothing more they could do to prevent infections in that area, so we have had the top post portion removed (the part in the bone is not removable). She will have surgery again in August for the Stage 2 part of her BAHA and they will open her reserve implant then for a final try at getting her a prosthetic ear that works. Her surgeon told us that this will be the first time a reserve post has ever needed to be used.

May 12th, the day after getting surgery scheduled, we left on vacation. We were rather proud of our packing job!

We didn't make it any farther than the Wisconsin border before Monkey had to buy a new stuffed friend!

We traveled several hours and spent our first night in Hoffman Estates, IL.

The days quotes from the backseat crowd: "Is this Washington D.C.?" (asked as we pulled into a Subway minutes from home), "Another cheese shop?", "He's in my space, Mom.", the theme song from Pinky and the Brain, "We are now emerging from behind the Cheddar Curtain", "Why do we have to pay to use these roads?", and of course, "Are we there yet?"

Lily's Big Week

2010-03-09T11:30:00.005-06:00

This is a big week for our Lily.

On Monday, she turned 12 years old. We celebrated with a lunch out with friends on Sunday, lunch out with relatives on Monday, and with gifts and cupcakes Monday evening.

Tuesday morning we headed off for haircuts.

Lily will be having surgery on Friday. They will be doing a revision of her ear-post area so she can eventually wear her prosthetic ear again, and they will be placing a fourth post farther back on her head for a BAHA hearing aid. She is excited about this as it will allow her to hear on both sides of her head. She will need a second surgery in 4 months to finish this procedure.

To place the BAHA post, the doctor will need to shave a small part of her head, slightly above and behind where her ear would be. To make this easier for him (and because he's guy and not a beautician), we talked with Lily about getting her hair shortened before the procedure.

She chose to go much shorter than she would've needed to and to donate her hair. It was a very unselfish thing to do and I'm very proud of her.

Her beautiful thick, black hair will be sent to Locks of Love and used to make a wig for a child who needs one.

Here she is after getting her new style! Doesn't she look great?

Mango Turns Nine!!!

2010-02-25T12:43:00.005-06:00

Nine years ago today, my daughter was one day old. I did not know her then. She was born into a place very different than the one she now lives in. There were hardships that brought her out of that place and into another, but I do know that she was always precious, always loved, and always wanted.
I only have to look at her now to know she was a beautiful baby. I imagine that she was a content, calm, and happy infant, and that she smiled early and easily, because that's how she is today. Her amazing ability to love others tells me that someone lovingly cared for her then.
And today I find myself feeling grateful. Grateful for all of the people who loved and cared for her before I even knew her name. She is who she is today because of what each of her families, and each of her caretakers have given her...and who she is today is one very amazing girl. She's funny, kind, responsible, compassionate, unselfish, loving, patient, and just enjoyable. I couldn't love her more than I do and it's a privilege to be her mom!

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-26T10:52:00.007-06:00

We hope you all had a wonderful, safe and blessed Christmas, remembering the real reason that we celebrate.
We awoke to more, wet, heavy snow on Christmas morning, but all was warm inside. We spent the morning at home as a family, opening gifts and giving the kids some time to play with their new treasures.

Seely's siblings gave him several boxes of his beloved Mike N Ikes in addition to some Chuck Norris' Texas Rangers on DVD.

Monkey received Batman's cave and a Batman computer, amoung other things.

The three oldest kids all got Ipod touches from Mom and Dad. It was rather quiet the next hour as they all "hooked up" to their machines and played happily!

Mango got an MP3 player and a bunch of other stuff, but the thing that really made her eyes light up were the pair of glasses that she'd been wanting ever since trying some on at her last eye exam. She really doesn't need glasses, just thinks they are a fun fashion statement, so these glasses have no correction in them.

Later that afternoon we made our way through the slushy snow back to my parent's house for more food, gifts and time with family. It was a wonderful Christmas for us this year. Thank you God for sending your precious Son to a fallen world just to be able to save it.

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-26T10:45:00.004-06:00

The day of Christmas Eve was spent dealing with and digging out from several inches of snow. Later that afternoon, we headed to my parents for good food, conversation, and gift-opening.

Seely and Random both received cash locked inside of a puzzle box that they had to figure out before they could get their hands on the money.

Mango got her long-awaited Wowee Lion Cub that she has named Baby...when she wasn't wearing the box.

It was a great evening!

Dear Cashier

2009-12-18T16:22:00.004-06:00

Dear Grocery Store Cashier,

Please know that you do not have to feel sorry for my five year old son when he tells you that he (gasp!) earned the money for the candy bar he is currently (and quite happily) purchasing from you. You asked him where he got the dollar, and he told you. He earned it himself by folding laundry. No, I do not make him do this chore; he does it by choice. Yes, he folds the whole load, and yes, I have to refold much of what he's folded, but he didn't realize that until you said it in front of him. Thank you for pointing that out to a little boy who has taken much pride in his work.

While you were busy giving me the evil eye for "making" this young child earn his candy money, you completely missed the look of absolute pride on his little face as he bought this favorite treat with his very own money. Instead of commending him for his work, you gave him the impression that there was something wrong with working for his money. And he stood there, still smiling at you; still just happy to be buying his candy bar.

What you don't realize is that at five years old, he already knows that you have to work for what you want, and that you can't spend what you don't have. He also knows that it feels really good to help out the family. I think those are some pretty important lessons. And as he will someday be the one paying your social security, I bet you think they're important lessons for him to learn too.

And just so you know...he enjoyed every bite of that candy bar. I bet it tasted extra sweet to him knowing he'd earned it himself. And when he was done, he asked me if he could fold another basket of laundry....already planning ahead for our next trip to the grocery store. I hope you can find it in your heart to greet him with a smile and a word or two of praise the next time he ends up in your check-out line.

Monkey's Mommy

Simple Woman's Daybook for 12/14/09

2009-12-14T12:16:00.006-06:00

If you wish to see daybooks from around the world, please click HERE

For today, December 14th, 2009

Outside my window...the deck is covered in a fresh layer of snow with several varying sized footprints across it from taking the new puppy out. It is cold here today...about 6 F currently, and windy.

I am thinking... about my great-niece Malia who is battling cancer at 8 years old, and who is perhaps one of the bravest people I know

I am thankful for...my new puppy Cooper, for 14 years with Random (who recently had a birthday), and a husband who didn't mind turning 40 (he also recently had a birthday!)

From the learning rooms...Our last week of school before Christmas. Monkey is reading a story about a big pig and working with the numbers 15 and 16. The girls are studying clouds in science and the beginning of World War I in history. Random is also reading about World War I. Seely is at his last day of college classes for the semester.

From the kitchen...pork ribs in the crockpot...to be covered in Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce later today and served over rice. Simple, but one of my favorites.

I am wearing...a striped sweater, old jeans, and striped socks

I am creating...a week of good memories and laughs

I am going... to go pick up Seely in about an hour. While out, we'll gas up the SUV and buy a couple of toys for our older dog Chloe who is jealous of the puppy's toys and keeps stealing them. Tonight is our last night of BSF before Christmas break.

I am reading...Hostage by Don Brown. It is second in his Navy Justice series and I got the whole series FREE on Kindle. (Sorry, I just checked - it's no longer free!)

I am hearing...Random singing along quietly to his MP3 player, pages turning, pencils scratching, and someone sniffling their nose.

Around the house...Two dogs are sleeping, lunch dishes need to be cleaned up, and a rather bedraggled Christmas tree is heavy laden with ornaments.

One of my favorite things...as usual, curling up with my Kindle and a passionfruit-greentea smoothie from Caribou.

A few plans for the rest of the week...a solid week of school, continuing to housebreak the new puppy

Here is a picture thought I am sharing: Dream big!!!

Mini Cooper

2009-12-08T20:54:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday, we came home with a mini Cooper....not a car, but an 8 week old miniature Australian Shepherd who we've named Cooper Christmas. He is all that a puppy should be - cute, clumsy, playful, a little rocket of energy, a professional "outputter", and a whole lot of work! After a very rough first night, he is settling in well and enjoying all of the attention that living in a larger family can bring.
This afternoon, he took on the Christmas tree skirt and lost.Shortly after that, we noticed our cat Squeakers lounging in the branches of our Christmas tree.
There is very rarely a dull moment at our house. And we like it that way!

Decorating the Tree!

2009-11-28T19:30:00.006-06:00

Normally, we decorate the tree on the day after Thanksgiving, but DH had to work that day this year, so it fell to today.

Our tree is far more heavy laden than it was just a few years ago. My mom buys each of the kids an ornament every Christmas to commemorate a special event of that year. With 5 kids in the family and with Seely now experiencing his 17th Christmas, that adds up to alot of ornaments and alot of memories. They enjoy pulling their ornaments out of their box and remembering when they got each one.

It is also a tradition to chose a unique tree topper each year. Past years have included items from trips we have taken, a momento of a special family event, etc. It always makes for an interesting family discussion as we talk about our past year and decide what is "worthy" of topping the tree. This year the decision of what tops our tree is not so much a momento of the past, but rather one of hope for the future....

It is our family's hope and prayer that when we look back on this picture in the future that it will be a reminder of God's faithfulness in adversity and of a victory over cancer.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T10:08:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of good food and family. We spent the day at my parents' home where the football games were on, there was a round of Playstation golf, and the younger cousins played for hours.

Today, we are meeting friends for lunch, and are for the most part avoiding the Black Friday rush at the stores (though we have managed to get some GREAT deals through on-line shopping!).

Seely is working hard to wrap up his first semester at college. He'll be done in 2 1/2 weeks and between now and then needs to polish and turn in his 8-10 page research paper, complete an oral presentation on it, put together a portfolio of all of the completed work for that class, and give a 10-20 minute presentation in his health class.

Random is looking forward to his upcoming 14th birthday (which is the day after his dad turns 40, but who's telling?!?!).

Lily has been enjoying the program for 5th and 6th graders at our church on Sunday mornings. She's also going to be in the Christmas dance again this year.

Mango is doing GREAT with her braces. She really enjoyed our trip up to Lake Superior a couple of weeks ago, and loved being down at the shores of the lake tossing in rocks and watching waves as big as she was roll in.

Monkey is very into reading. He gets so excited with each new book and feels so pleased when he is able to read it. He gave us a good scare about 2 1/2 weeks ago when he had a bad asthma attack in the middle of the night, but after several nebs, some steroids, a trip to the ER, and a few days worth of time, he was back to his usual self.

That's about it for our family! We do ask that you continue to pray for our great-niece Malia. She will be having surgery December 1st to have her tumor and kidney removed. This will be followed by some very intense chemotherapy and radiation. They are hoping she will be able to go home for Christmas.

Beautiful Bracelets!

2009-11-05T13:55:00.002-06:00

The prayer reminder bracelets are in!!! If you are interested in getting one, let me know. They are $2 each, ($3 if we need to mail them too you - but contact me for a final price). There are both children's and adult sizes available.

Please Pray

2009-10-20T22:55:00.002-05:00

Please pray for my niece's 8 year old daughter who is being admitted to the hospital with a large mass on her kidney that appears to have spread to her lungs.

Mango's Journey to Braces - Part???

2009-10-16T11:02:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning, we brought Mango to the orthodontist to have her braces put on. She chose gold brackets, and purple and yellow bands...and surprisingly, they are not as noticable or flashy as it sounds. Her mouth has been a little bit sore, but she is still smiling quite a bit, and was very surprised to get up this morning and realize that her teeth were already noticably straightening.

Simple Woman's Daybook for 10/05/09

2009-10-05T10:27:00.008-05:00

To see more daybooks, check out the Simple Woman's Daybook site.

For today....October 5th, 2009

Outside my window...The sky is gray and overcast. Most of the leaves on our trees are still green, but a few have already fallen to the ground. The fish pond is now empty.

I am thinking...about where the time has gone. Fall weather seemed to be non-existent this year!

I am thankful for...So many things. Kids who are healthy, cars that run, that my husband has a job, good friends, and a God who loves me.

From the learning rooms... We are in our ninth week of school. American history includes the period of rebuilding after the Civil War and reading about some great inventors. Monkey continues to love school and is excitedly waiting for me to get ready to start each morning.

From the kitchen...Most likely meatloaf tonight. The weather is cool and it's time to start using the oven more. Meatloaf is not something I thought my kids would ever like, but they all do!

I am wearing... blue jeans, my purple Vikings jersey and gold colored socks for the BIG game tonight against the Packers (even though I won't be home to see most of it).

I am creating...children who have a good sense of humor

I am going....out to lunch with my parents and kids. BSF tonight.

I am reading...the last in a series of books by Robyn Carr

I am hoping...for a few more days of fall like weather before the winter gloom closes in

I am hearing...the dog snoring, pages turning, children moving in their chairs as they do their school work

Around the house...the usual laundry to be folded (made only worse by the fact that the glass light cover fell in Seely's room yesterday, necessitating a complete change of bedding and a washing of any clothing within glass-flying distance), lots of school items, and kids' drawings laying around.

One of my favorite things...seeing Monkey thrilled to be getting a spelling test (huh????)

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...hopefully a good week of school, our usual activities, Co-op on Friday. Maybe a trip out to meet the horse that my niece won in an essay contest!

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing...

This Morning...

2009-09-27T15:47:00.006-05:00

It was a special morning because one of the two red roses at the front of the sanctuary was for Monkey. Last week, on his way home from AWANA, he asked Jesus into his heart. Our church honors each person who makes that decision with a red rose. After this picture was taken, the prayer team which was already up front, took a moment to pray for our young son - that he will continue to grow in his faith and will serve God for the rest of his life.

Our Week

2009-09-20T14:16:00.005-05:00

Our new fall schedule is now upon us. We're starting our seventh week of school and all of our activities have now started up. I love fall and have to admit that I am looking forward to "sweatshirt" weather. The only problem is that fall never last very long around here and the icky, white stuff will be flying before we know it! Here's a brief look at our fall so far:

Sunday mornings we attend church together. Last week all of the kids moved up to their new classes. This morning was particularly exciting because about half way through our Sunday School class the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate the building. I do have to say that the church's evacuation plan worked very well, and everyone (even the kids) got out in a quick and orderly fashion. Our pastor stood on a bench outside and delivered his sermon while the fire department checked the building. After about half an hour, we were allowed back inside. I was on nursery "duty" during the second service and got to hang out with some of my favorite little people. Later this evening, we will be back at church for the girls' dance practice and to pick up the boys from a youth event.

On Mondays, Seely has two college classes that take up most of his day. Last Monday evening was the first BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) of the year for Lily, Mango, and I. This year we are studying the book of John.

Tuesday evenings we take Lily to therapy. Many children who suffered through traumatic and neglectful beginnings need help dealing with those issues and the underlying anxiety they leave in their wake. It is becoming more clear to us and her therapist that Lily will likely continue to face some processing and developmental issues into her teen years, and possibly even adulthood. Early neglect and trauma are very damaging to the brain in ways no one expects or understands until you live with someone who has been through it.

Wednesday's, we have a standing lunch "date" with friends we've known for about 11 years. In the evenings, the boys head off to church. Seely leads a group of AWANA Cubbies (3&4 year olds). Random has his 8th grade boys small group. They both attend a youth "hang out" time after those activities are over. Monkey is in his first year of AWANA Sparks. Last Wednesday evening, on his way home from church, he asked Jesus to be his Saviour in the drive-thru of a local coffee shop!

On Thursday evenings, Seely has his youth group small group, and for the next 6 weeks, I am taking a class at church that concentrates on teaching Christians how to effectively help others through difficult times and crisis' in their lives. We're studying human personality, crisis and grief, trauma, and a variety of other topics all from a Christian perspective. It is different than what I thought it would be, but I am still enjoying it.

Fridays are co-op day. Rather than doing our regular school work at home (like we do Monday - Thursday), we join up with several other families at our church for classes. The younger half are doing some lapbooking and learning about great Christian heroes throughout history. I have the older half and we are traipsing our way through the Friendly Chemistry course. After class, we serve the church (who lets us use the building for free) by restocking the little holders on the backs of the chairs in the sanctuary - making sure they have envelopes, attendence and prayer request forms, and that the pencils are there and sharp. When all is in order, anyone available has lunch together. It is a great way to end the school week.

Our Saturdays are like most people's, I suppose - catch up on sleep and housework, run errands, visits to see DH's mom who is in an assisted living facility, youth activities, an occassional dance practice, etc. etc. etc.

It all makes for a busy week, but we do enjoy what we get to do!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-08-24T17:17:00.004-05:00

For today....August 24th, 2009

Outside my window... the sun is shining in a beautiful blue sky, but I can already tell the days are getting shorter.

I am thinking...about what I want to do this evening - how much housework vs. how much reading

I am thankful...for the good day of school we had and for a daughter who can laugh at herself

From the learning rooms...We are starting our third week of school, and they are learning about the beginning of the Civil War.

From the kitchen...we had stroganoff tonight with rotini noodles...and the swirly noodles (instead of the normal egg noodles) caused quite the discussion at the dinner table!

I am wearing...a t-shirt, denim shorts, and no socks

I am creating...I actually have something to fill in this blank this time!!! I am cross-stitching a killer whale scene...but who knows how long it will actually take me.

I am going...No where tonight, but tomorrow will be checking on the house of a friend of ours who is out of town. We had lunch with my parents, sister, and niece earlier today.

I am reading... I John Chapter 5....and just finished a book on my Kindle, so need to see what else I have waiting on there for me :-) (I love that machine!)

I am hoping...for an uneventful evening

I am hearing... the dishwasher running with our supper dishes inside, Dr. Quinn playing on the TV, and two boys quietly talking as they build card houses

Around the house...the usual full laundry basket with clothes waiting to be folded, chairs askew at the table from a family dinner, a few school books still laying around

One of my favorite things...a quiet evening at home

A few plans for the rest of the week...lunch out with friends, school, Seely has college orientation on Friday

I've just changed computers, so don't have any photos on this one yet....maybe next time!

Monkey's First Day of School

2009-08-10T12:41:00.003-05:00

Today, Monkey began his official schooling as a kindergartner! He was quite diligent about completing his work for the day.

He began with math, which he declared "easy" as it simply involved sorting by shape and color.

Math was followed by some phonics games where he had to match his upper and lower case letters, and practice writing the letter Aa. We are trying out a new phonics program this year. I loved the one I've used in the past, but after having taught through it three times I was very ready for something different.

He worked hard right up until the end, but once the books were away, he started telling me that it was hot in here, and he laid down on a pillow on the floor and stayed there. Those of you who know him in real life know that laying around is NOT something this child does when he is healthy. So the poor little guy has spent the afternoon sitting in the bowl chair and generally looking and feeling miserable. His older brothers have decided that he must be sick of school already.

A Very Special Day

2009-08-09T17:24:00.011-05:00

Today was our church picnic and baptismal service. About three weeks ago, both Seely and Random came to us individually and each of them told us they would like to be baptized. This past week, they met with their youth pastors to share their testimony and to talk more in-depthly about what it meant to be baptized. They each decided they were ready to take this step of publicly stating their faith and their desire to truly follow Christ. It was a bit of an emotional day to see them both publicly claiming the faith that we have taught them as their own.

Ten people were baptized today, including two of our sons, and three family friends.
Seely's youth pastor took several moments to speak quiet words of blessing and to pray for him. And then down he went.

Followed by a hug to a man who has meant alot to him.Then it was Random's turn.
His youth pastor also took a few moments for a prayer and some quiet words of blessing.
And then down he went. And back up with a smile.

Just a few minutes later, Seely was accepted into the membership at our church.

History Camp 2009

2009-08-09T17:06:00.006-05:00

This last week Mango and Lily attended History Camp at our church. This is definately NOT the way any of us were taught history! All week they studied the life of Abraham Lincoln. They built log cabins out of large pretzel sticks, and gargled as they "sunk" down to help them remember that Abe was born in the town of Sinking Springs. One day, they split "logs" (watermelon) as that apparently was one of Abe's early jobs. On Thursday, they even had a visit from the man himself, who told stories about his life.

And on Friday, at the end of class, they all sat in Ford's theater watching a play as Lincoln was assassinated.

And those students who "misbehaved" in class were given the old-school consequence. (Only Random would actually think this was cool and ask to bring the hat home!) Actually, both Random and Seely served as teacher's assistants to the class, as they are both History Camp veterans and absolutely LOVED it.

Vacation 2009 - Part 9 Yellowstone National Park

2009-07-22T19:09:00.009-05:00

The next morning, we got up early, loaded our stuff (which is no small feat with seven people) and drove to Yellowstone Park. Right before we got to the gates, we saw a moose and her calf just off to the side of the road.

One thing we really noticed on this trip is just how many kinds of beautiful there are. The mountains and lakes are beautiful.The hot springs are beautiful...

Even though they don't smell beautiful.Old Faithful is beautiful.
Even the bison who strolled right past us was beautiful in his own way.The river and canyon are beautiful.It's just beautiful there...no matter what you happen to be looking at.

Vacation 2009 - Part 8

2009-07-22T18:55:00.007-05:00

On our last day together, we headed to town for a swim in the city pool, and then went back to do some more shooting. Each of the kids was given a chance to shoot the gun, and they are all still talking about that today! Just look at the concentration in their faces!

Okay, maybe Mango wasn't concentrating to much...it's just so hard for her to stop SMILING!

And then there were the last pictures with a favorite second cousin. Everyone took their turn sitting on her lap to pose for a photo...I'm sure this is not exactly what she had in mind.

Boy, do I miss waking up to this view!

Vacation 2009 - Part 7 Exploring

2009-07-17T18:26:00.006-05:00

After a very busy and fun week of VBS, I am now determined to finish blogging our vacation adventures (blessings to those of you who are actually still reading!).

After finishing our fossil hunting, we headed further up into the Big Horn mountains. Pictures can in no way do the beauty of the place justice, but I am always determined to try! We got to look at scenes like this all afternoon!

We stopped part of the way up the mountain to try to find a cave to do some spelunking. When we lost the trail, my brother-in-law went off to try to find it again. We waited in a clearing for him to come back. A few minutes into our wait, Random inquired what we would do if a bear came along. We told him that being he'd won the shooting contest that the rest of us were turning to run back to our vehicle and he was to stay there and shoot the bear. :-) He was not amused (okay, only slightly). Luckily, no bear came along (though tracks were spotted), and unfortunately the fire had destroyed the trail enough that we weren't able to go to the cave.

This picture is taken from the clearing where we were standing.

On our way back down from the mountain, we stopped at Shell Falls. The picture can in no way show the tremendous amount of water that was falling. My brother-in-law said he'd never seen the water level that high.

And Aunt C? This pic is for you! :-)

Vacation 2009 Part 6 - Fossil Hunting

2009-07-09T10:15:00.006-05:00

Monday afternoon, we headed up onto the mountain. Below is a fossilized dinosaur track! There were enough of the tracks that we could follow where they walked!

We also did some actual fossil hunting (on land where it was legal to take the fossils!). The kids found some "devil's toe nails" (sea-shells) and some teeny-tiny fossils called cloynoids (sp?) which are actually tiny coral. I wish you could've been there to watch Mango's eyes get big when she realized exactly where and when those fossils came from. I asked her how she thought sea-shell and coral fossils might end up on top of a mountain. She answered "water", and I asked her to imagine just how much water it would take to cover this big old mountain we were on, and asked her if she knew when that happened. Random helped her out by answering Noah's flood, and I told her that was right - that what she was holding in her hands were most-likely fossils made during the time of Noah's flood. It was a pretty amazing idea to me too!

(By the way, we are well aware that the picture at the top says to stay away from this dangerous cliff and our daughter is standing right there....Have no worry. It was not really dangerous and was taken as a "gift" for one of her cousins!)

Vacation 2009 - Part 5 Shooting

2009-07-09T09:54:00.007-05:00

Last Monday morning in Wyoming, Seely and Random got to do something they absolutely LOVE doing - shooting guns with Uncle D. He is a former police officer and really has a gift for being able to teach people how to safely enjoy this sport.

Because he's an avid hunter, he owns a wide variety of guns from small to big, and they get to try pretty much all of them!
And I am sure that Random would like you to know that he won some sort of shooting contest that they held - beating out both his big brother and his uncle (though I am quite sure the details on that are a bit fuzzy!).

Four-wheeling and target shooting....a vacation doesn't get much better than that for teenaged boys!

Vacation 2009 - Part 4: 4-wheeling and recovery

2009-07-07T10:12:00.006-05:00

After horseback riding, Uncle D took us all out for some 4-wheeling in the Wyoming badlands. It was absolutely gorgeous out there, and the kids all loved it! We found out we have several thrill-addicts in our family!!!Sunday morning we awoke slightly stiff (okay, the adults were anyway!) from the previous day's adventures and headed off to church. We attend a larger-sized church at home, but there is something very special about a small church where everyone knows everyone. The people were very warm and have a genuine passion for making a difference in their community. It was a good reminder to be praying for the smaller churches, their pastors, and the impact they are making in lives, even without a big budget.

Sunday afternoon, we took our sore muscles and headed off to Thermopolis for a long soak in the Hot Springs. We jumped, soaked, and played together for a couple of hours. (That's Random in mid-air!)This is my niece's daughter "A" with Lily and Mango. She and her two sisters spent three of our four Wyoming days with their grandparents and us, and we all really enjoyed our time together. I think I would've brought them home with us, if we only had had room in our vehicle!

2009 Vacation - Part 3: Horseback Riding

2009-07-06T11:00:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, after discovering we'd somehow lost one of Mango's tennis shoes (which we have since found at home!), we headed off to some of the neighbors to do a little bit of horseback riding. Lily and Mango were so excited and had been looking forward to this for a very long time! We were joined by my niece's daughters, who had an extra pair of riding boots for Mango, and just had a wonderful afternoon together.

Here, Lily and Mango wait by Major while Uncle D went to catch Molly, who apparently had decided she didn't want to be ridden that day, and went to the very back of the pasture!

Once the three horses were saddled up, the kids got on and we set off for a little stroll. Monkey is on Nickel and was soon joined by Lily.

Mango and her second cousin E rode on Molly; while Random rode on Major. I don't think Mango stopped smiling the entire ride!
And of course there were darling farm kittens to play with. And though we had only gone to the neighbors to ride, cold lemonade, delicious brownies, and very enjoyable conversation were waiting at the picnic table when we all returned. It was a great afternoon!

Vacation 2009- Part 2 The Big Horns

2009-07-05T16:21:00.010-05:00

After spending the night in Wall, we loaded up and drove to see Mt. Rushmore . It is always an incredible sight, and I wish we had more time to just sit and gaze (but kids who are anxious to see their aunt and uncle don't sit and gaze so well!).

In case you are wondering what they are doing, they are posing like the 4 heads on Mt. Rushmore. Yes, we had spent too much time in the hot vehicle by this point!

Later, we went inside the Visitor's Center and met one of the men who had actually helped carve Mt. Rushmore. He was a rather crotchety old man, but it was really a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he did agree to a picture (even though he's not looking at the camera!).

Afterwards, we left the Black Hills area and headed into Wyoming, and over the Big Horn Mountains. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive, and perhaps has become one of my favorite places. It was quite cloudy as we ascended that day, but I think that made it only more beautiful.

There was still a little bit of snow at the top, and the temperature was a cool 42 degrees Fahrenheit...a very pleasant change from the 95+ degrees down below. We descended into Ten Sleep, Wyoming, a small town at the base of the Big Horns, where they still ride their horses in the street (and talk on their cell phones at the same time).We arrived in the town of Basin, around 5:30 Friday evening, and were warmly welcomed by two of the most genuinely hospitable people anyone could ever be lucky enough to know. We spent the evening getting settled, and catching up, and I believe there was some gun-shooting and 4- wheeler riding going on as well!

Wyoming is really a beautiful place. I love seeing the antelope eating on the sides of the road as we drive around (we have yet to see them actually "play" inspite of what the famous song says!).

Vacation 2009 - Part 1

2009-07-04T21:48:00.009-05:00

I will probably bore most of you with the posts I plan to write over these next few days, but being the blog is meant to be a record of our family life, as well as a way for distant friends and family to stay in touch, you will have to bear with me. :-)

We left for Wyoming Wednesday afternoon and drove several hours, spending the night in Mitchell, South Dakota...Yes...the home of the world-famous (ha) Corn Palace.

The next morning, the children were so excited to see it again that they could barely corntain themselves! Did you know that the earchitecture is so amaizing that if Corn Palace burned down, it would be a complete corntastrophe? Yes, we know the jokes are corny, and after hearing them several times we were downright earitated with the kids. We even threatened to send them to the corner :-).

Seriously, Seely and Random have a routine of corn jokes that will make even the most sour person smile eventually (and then plead for them to be quiet!). While the Corn Palace is not really all that exciting, it is located across from some of the first western souvenir shops where the kids had the opportunity to spend some of their money from Grandma! Monkey picked out a toy gun and a plastic snake and was quite pleased with his purchases!

Later that day, we visited the Badlands National Park. Last year, all five of the kids chose the visit to this park as one of their favorite things, so it was one of the things we said we'd do again on our way out to Basin.

It truly is a place of incredible beauty, and if you ever get out to the Black Hills area, I strongly encourage you to take the time to drive through. Pictures can not do it justice!

We spent Thursday night in Wall, South Dakota....again, giving the kids a chance to spend some of their souvenir money. Being we visited Wall last year, we knew the best spot to shop for souvenirs in there, and were in and out within half an hour, which has to be some sort of record for a family of seven!

The animal above, for the un-initiated, is a jackalope. It can only be hunted on February 30th and 31st. Yep, you read that right. Licenses can be purchased in Wall Drug. :-)

Hunt and Find in Real Life

2009-06-12T16:28:00.005-05:00

Who needs "Where's Waldo?" when you have a fish pond with teeny tiny fish swimming around? Despite their bright orange coloring and a small number of hiding places, our tiny fish have managed to all but disappear into our little pond.
We brought 7 comets (feeder goldfish, but "comets" sounds a little fancier, doesn't it?) home from the pet store earlier this afternoon, and after allowing them some time to acclimate to the cooler temperatures of an outdoor pond, we released them.

The little things probably feel like they have a whole ocean after living in a crowded tank, and quickly disappeared to the bottom of the pond.

The kids are hoping they'll grow fast so they'll be a little bit easier to see! In the mean time, the afternoon has been spent in many games involving who can spot the first or the most fish.

Pond Plants

2009-06-11T19:09:00.008-05:00

Today, we shopped for plants. Water lettuce, some "parrot feathers" and a water hyacinth now call our little pond "home". We also hooked up the pump and tried out a few different head shapes.

And after quite a bit of splashing around, decided on this one. It makes just the right amount of water noise and still has a fun "play factor" when they stick their fingers in.

This is our view from the deck.

The Fish Pond

2009-06-10T20:42:00.009-05:00

A couple of days ago, Lily and I drove past the local pet store and noticed they had their pre-formed fish ponds on clearance. Unable to resist the bargain, we went in to check out the price and came out the very happy owners of a small 72 gallon fish pond!
Tonight was the night we put it in the ground. First, we had to decide exactly where we wanted it. We put it on the side of the house, away from the area where the kids run and play so no-one accidently or on-purposefully runs into it.

Then, the digging began.

And the exciting job of getting the hole to fit the pool and making it level.

Once it was in, there was some back filling to do.

And the younger kids helped by getting the excess dirt out.

And the part they'd been waiting for most....FILLING. Who knew a hose could be such fun?

And even though it was cool here today, we told them they could get in just this once....But they didn't get in too far!

This is how the pool looked at the end of the day! We hope to soon get the pump ready, buy a few aquatic plants, and then bring home some new little inhabitants!

Monkey's New Do

2009-06-03T14:50:00.006-05:00

Here is Monkey sporting his new "do". He is quite proud of it, but says his hair is crunchy and that it's hard for him to scratch his head. He showed his famous grin as the stylist started adding gel, and it about split right off his face when she added the green!

Mango's Journey To Braces Part 2

2009-05-18T16:30:00.004-05:00

This morning Mango had another visit to the orthodontist, where they placed her sutural expander. It is glued to her back teeth, and I will need to "crank" it once a day, using a special little tool, to slowly expand the width of her mouth. If you look very closely at the picture below, you will see the tiny hole between the arrows where the little tool goes. We did the first turn today at the orthodontist so they made sure I knew how, and Mango said she felt some pushing on her teeth. They assured her that this was normal, shouldn't actually ever hurt, and should only last about 15 minutes each day. She said the glue tasted horrible, but is very happy they will let her eat fruit snacks again! (She couldn't when the spacers were in before.)
Lunch was an adventure as food gets caught between the expander and the roof of her mouth, making this already very slow eater even slower, as she'd try to clear it out between every bite.
But our happy little darling is adjusting to her new mouthware, and is still as smiley and giggley as ever....which is just how we like her!

An Outdoor Saturday

2009-05-09T21:24:00.005-05:00

It was cool here today, but we still spent much of the day enjoying the outdoors. I love the high 60's/low 70's sort of days!

This morning, we began planting a few vegetables in a mini-garden. (Yes, we know it's late to start seeds, but everything we planted is of the quick growing variety.) Now, if we can just keep the bunnies away, maybe we'll have some fresh veggies in a couple of months. We're also going to attempt some watermelon's and musk melons, but those will need to go outback where there is more space.

Monkey also officially "graduated" from his tricycle to a bicycle with training wheels. He told me "The first time on the new bike was AHHHH very scary, but the second time on the new bike was FUN!" And for those of you who are concerned about such things, we did later find Seely and Random's very first bicycle, so Monkey no longer is resigned to using the pink one.

This evening, DH took a couple of the boys to the home improvement store and returned with my Mother's Day present....a patio swing. It is supposed to be a secret, so you can't tell until tomorrow (though I've already tried it out and have given it a two thumb's up)! Now, I can sit outside and read and swing contentedly while the kids run around and play, and my vegetables do their best to grow inspite of (and despite of) my best gardening efforts.

Aren't Digital Cameras Great??? Or Mango's Journey to Braces, Part 1

2009-05-04T22:01:00.005-05:00

Over the past few months, when Lily has had issues with her ear post area, we've started taking a digital photograph of it, so that she can easily see exactly what we are talking about. It's important that she learn what the area looks like when it is healthy and when it's not healthy, as someday she will be out on her own and need to make a decision for herself on when to see the doctor.
Today, Mango had some orthodontic spacers put in around a couple of molars, so that they will have room to place some metal bands there in a couple of weeks for her "sutural expander". She was curious about what these blue bands looked like in her mouth, so I offered to take a picture. In typical Mango fashion, she thought it was hysterically funny to do this, and happily gave me permission to post the picture of her mouth on my blog!
You can see a couple of her permanent teeth are coming in well behind her baby teeth. This has happened with every single permanent tooth she has gotten to this point. Her mouth, quite simply, is much too small for her permanent teeth (and those of you who know just how much she can talk can quit laughing about her having a small mouth now!) They will place the expander in about two weeks, and I will have to use a small tool to "expand" her palate every morning for about 6-8 weeks. (This supposedly doesn't hurt. But it doesn't exactly sound very pain free, does it?) Once her mouth has expanded to a more proper size, she will have braces put on the top teeth for a few months to try to pull everything into a better alignment, and to hopefully allow the other permanent teeth to come in in their proper places.
She is a trooper though and did great at the orthodontist today (and they did great with her, which is even more important!).
Maybe we'll have to make this process a blog series!!!!

Simple Woman's Daybook for 5/4/09

2009-05-04T10:24:00.006-05:00

FOR TODAY, May 5th, 2009
Outside my window...The sun is shining; there are only a few big, fluffy clouds in the blue skies, and it is supposed to get up to 71 degrees here today.
I am thinking... about the fun we had this past weekend.
I am thankful for...the money CSC was able to raise and for all of the wonderful people (especially two of my children) that have been brought into my life because of that organization
From the learning rooms... Mango is completely done with her school year, and the others are working towards the end. They know what they need to accomplish to be "done", now they just need to do it.
From the kitchen... Maybe spaghetti. It always takes me awhile to adjust our menu to a new season. We don't like having to turn the oven on once it gets warm outside, so I have to start remembering all of my "stove top" type meals.
I am wearing... a maroon Eeyore shirt, blue jeans, and striped socks
I am creating... no current projects are in the works
I am going... to BSF this evening.
I am reading... a series by an author named Cheryl Wyatt. I've never heard of her before, but she's actually quite good!
I am hoping...Mango's mouth won't get too sore today. She started her orthodontic work this morning, and they put in some spacers to create room between the teeth for the bands she will need for her expander. She is already telling me her mouth hurts and looking sad. And no one can look genuinely sad quite like she can.
I am hearing... pages turning, computer keys tapping, and the soft scratch of pencils as three kids do their school work; and the not so quiet voices of two kids playing and crashing matchbox cars
Around the house... Laundry to fold after our weekend away, but truthfully, I don't plan on spending alot of time indoors today!
One of my favorite things... Time with families and friends, and an orthodontic staff that is caring and nuturing with their young patients
A few plans for the rest of the week: School work, and time outside

If you would like to see more Daybooks (and some of them really are fun!), please check out this link.

Life at the Hotel Part 2

2009-05-03T21:22:00.005-05:00

We are back home from a busy, but absolutely wonderful weekend.

Saturday morning, several of the adoptive families gathered at a local park for a picnic. The kids enjoyed the beautiful weather and running around together.Monkey was reunited with his best friend at the orphanage, "Thing 2". It took them a little while to warm up to each other again, but they sure make a cute pair! Can you imagine the mischief these two got into together when they lived in the same room?????

Saturday evening, about 800 people gathered to celebrate 30 years of the ministry of CSC. My favorite part of the evening was hearing a recently adopted 16 year old young woman speak about how she was now living her dream of having a new family.
It was a wonderful time of connecting with friends old and new, and of celebrating a ministry that has blessed so many.

Life at the Hotel

2009-05-01T22:04:00.003-05:00

This weekend we are at a hotel for the CSC adoptive families weekend. It's a great time for our kids to connect with other kids they knew and lived with before they came to us, and for the families to connect and share stories.
Our rooms are wonderful, and we share a courtyard area with several other CSC families, so kids were running across the grass in and out of each other's rooms. Later, we had dinner with a couple of the other families.

After dinner, all of the families got together and watched a silly video made by CSC staff, had some snacks, played a game, and then most of the kids hit the pool.Is it any wonder that no-one but the adoptive families came anywhere near the pool area with this many people????? Really, the kids were all very well-behaved and had a great time together (though not many of the adults, even the ones who didn't intend to get wet, actually managed to stay dry!)
It's a hopping place here tonight, with lots of smiles and good times being shared. And the party only continues tomorrow!

Stay Off the Sidewalks

2009-04-20T13:58:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, Seely passed his driver's test on the first try and is now a licencsed driver....so if you live nearby, you'd do well to be on the look out for our vehicles and steer clear!!!! On the serious side, he is as responsible and careful as any new driver could be, but we would still appreciate any prayers for safety and protection as he begins to head out on his own. (And for this mommy heart that now has to watch her "baby" drive away. ) We love you, Seely and are so proud of the person you have become!

You Have GOT TO Hear This

2009-04-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

Perhaps many of you have already seen this youtube video. I never visit youtube. Never. But so many people were talking and blogging about Susan Boyle's singing debut that I caved and decided to go see what all of the hoopla was about, expecting to be extremely underwhelmed.
It is a clip from Britain's Got Talent. You will see a rather frumpy 47 year old, unemployed woman step out on stage and claim she'd like to be a famous singer. The judges cast rude and doubtful glances amoungst themselves. The audience members roll their eyes as the music begins to play. And then this woman opens her mouth and begins to sing...and within seconds everyone in the room realizes they are in the presence of true greatness. You really do have to see and hear this to believe it. But you might want to grab a kleenix before you do, because it literally brought tears to my eyes. Wow.

Simple Woman's Daybook for 4/13/09

2009-04-13T17:32:00.006-05:00

FOR TODAY ...April 13, 2009

Outside my window...The sky is slightly cloudy and it's nice enough to be out without a coat. Monkey is blowing bubbles on the deck and the girls are playing "club" in the backyard.

I am thinking...about the appointments we have the rest of this week

I am thankful for...the suprise short visit we had with my aunt.

From the learning rooms...Still finishing up our school year. Today, Lily dropped a book in the water she was soaking her injured toe in, and Random set his paper in a water puddle.

From the kitchen... We just finished a dinner of macho nachos (with hidden veggies). My kids love them, and they are quick and easy after a busy day of school, lunch out, and playing outside.

I am wearing...my usual - blue jeans and a purple long sleeve t-shirt. I guess my wardrobe is quite boring.

I am creating...a home for five children and one wonderful man, and that is enough.

I am going...to BSF in about half an hour. We are nearing the end of the study, and I know I will miss having this regular accountability in my spiritual life over the summer.

I am reading...Let's see.....I often read a couple of books a week, so it is hard to remember which one I am on at the moment. I think I'm finishing up a Love Inspired Historical romance, and will soon be starting a re-reading of the Lori Wick book Pretense. On the Kindle, of course.

I am hoping...the weather stays nice and we are able to spend more and more time outside. My kids love it, and even my older boys are getting better about leaving the video games behind to go out and play in the yard. The current favorite is playing "Over" where they hit whiffle balls over the garage roof to each other with tennis rackets.

I am hearing...Happy children's voices as they run and play outside, the clack of the dog's nails on the deck, and the clothes dryer running downstairs.

Around the house...As usual, there is laundry to be folded and the kitchen could use some sweeping, but otherwise the house is rather picked up and clean!

One of my favorite things...reading (or trying to read) outside while my children play nearby

A few plans for the rest of the week: Appointments of all sorts.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... My sister-in-law calls these "butt pictures".

If you'd like to see more daybooks, please click here.

When Your Oldest Turns 16

2009-04-10T10:41:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday of this week, Seely turned 16. It's hard to believe that the tiny baby I held so many years ago is now capable of picking me up.

We had lunch out with friends, and Chinese for dinner to celebrate. He opened gifts and then spent the evening at church leading his AWANA Cubbies group, like the responsible young man that he is. Tonight, we will have the bigger family dinner out at the restaurant of his choice.

When Seely was an infant, during all of those late night feedings, I made a habit of praying for the young man he would someday become - that he would grow into a man of character and who followed God with his whole heart. God has truly answered our prayers, for our son has become a wonderful young man who we are very proud of and love more than we can say.

And so begins the last two years of letting him go.

Monkey's Day

2009-03-31T19:26:00.006-05:00

Here's a few memories from Monkey's day!
I started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, and he stopped me just a few words into the song. "No, Mom. Sing it the 'I live with the monkeys' way, because I like monkeys." So I sang it the "monkey way" with him bopping happily along. "Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you smell like a monkey, and you act like one too."

Enjoy the pictures!!!!

Grandma bought him this scooter toy, where you sort of wiggle back and forth and the scooter moves forward. You should've heard him giggle when he realized he got to drive "for real".

Obviously, big brother has not yet perfected the motion.

The smile (even in a blurry picture) says it all.

He has a toy gun and tin can shooting "alley". Need I say more?

To My Son's Birthmother, on His Birthday

2009-03-31T08:57:00.008-05:00

Dear Monkey's birthmom,

I am thinking of you today. Five years ago, sometime while we slept, completely unaware of the way our life was changing, you gave birth to a squalling, scrawny baby boy in a third world hospital on the other side of the world. Twenty one months later, I would stand outside that very hospital room and wonder what it was like for you to give birth in those conditions - beds shared with other laboring mothers, and in most cases, without sheets or blankets. I wonder who attended you, who saw our son enter into the world and take his first breath, and if those people realized what a very precious gift they were holding in their hands.

I know there were many different choices you could have made for him and for your life. No matter what else you have done right or wrong, I am so incredibly thankful that you made the choices you did - that you chose life when you wouldn't have had too, and that you chose to hand over his care to a wonderful, loving, and safe organization that would eventually deliver him into my arms.

I wonder what that day was like, when he was taken from the hospital to CSC. Were there tears in your eyes as you held him for that last time? Did you think of him as your body ached and healed from the effort of giving him birth? I wonder what he thought as he saw his very first Caucasian faces, as they picked him up, held him gently, fed him, and consoled him on the ride that would eventually lead him to me.

I think about all of the people at CSC who cared for him during the months that followed - that saw his first smile, comforted him after his surgery, saw him take his first steps, and celebrated his very first birthday....all before I was even aware that I had another son.

And I think of the day I finally held him in my arms. He didn't really like me much at first - I was a stranger, and he was quite happy with his familiar caregivers at CSC. His life was taking another huge turn, and he was too young to understand the significance.

And now, he can't imagine having ever lived without us. And we can't imagine life without him.

So, dear birthmother, I think of you today. And I thank you. It is our son's fifth birthday.

Simple Woman's Daybook for 3/30/09

2009-03-30T11:02:00.009-05:00

FOR TODAY...March 30th, 2009

Outside my window...The sun is trying to peak out from behind the clouds. The snow is completely gone from our yard, and the temperatures are beginning to get warm enough for spending more time outside.

I am thinking...about how frustrating it is to see other adoptive families that we are close to being judged so harshly by others regarding their children's behaviors. Why is it so difficult for people to understand that children who have damaged brains from early neglect and trauma, or from early drug exposures are not likely to behave like "normal" kids? And how in the world are those things the fault of their adoptive parents (who have spent alot of time, money, patience, and hours of prayer trying to help that child heal from wounds that others caused)?

I am thankful for...my little Monkey. He turns five tomorrow, on a day that is sure to be bittersweet for me. My last baby is no longer a baby.

From the learning rooms...We are really on the homestretch of our school year now. Standardized tests results are back and my kids all continue to perform well above their grade levels. Curriculum catalogs are arriving in the mail, and I am already beginning to think about next year.

From the kitchen...Absolutely no idea! Maybe spaghetti?

I am wearing...a light purple shirt with purple socks, and jeans

I am creating...I am coming to the conclusion that I am not a very creative person as far as crafty type things go.

I am going...to lunch with my children and my parents.

I am reading...a Lori Wick book (on my Kindle, of course. If only Dee Henderson would release hers in that format!)

I am hoping...that we get good news at Lily's doctor appointment tomorrow, and that he'll say she doesn't need surgery in the near future.

I am hearing...the dishwasher running, Mango playing with her Pixel Chix toy, Monkey listening to "A Frog Went A Courting" on his CD player (who wrote such a dorky song anyway?), and the rustle of pages as the other three work on their school.

Around the house...there is laundry to fold, of course; lots of books on the table, and the animals are snoozing

One of my favorite things...my friends - I've got some really great ones!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Lily's doctor appointment, Monkey's 5th birthday, no co-op classes this Friday

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Talking to Grandma!

If you'd like to see other women's daybooks please check out the Simple Woman's Daybook blog.

Goodbye, Sae

2009-03-17T14:25:00.004-05:00

Early this afternoon, we said good-bye to Sae. She and her 28 classmates are headed back to Japan after 3 1/2 busy weeks in America. It always amazes me just how quiet a house can seem when only 7 people now live in it (even when that 8th person didn't make a lot of noise!). Please pray for safety as she travels home.

Many people ask us why we continue to host when we already have such a busy and full, house and life. There are so many reasons we do - six of which are the wonderful young people who have come from around the world to be a part of our lives. Getting to know each of them has always been worth the pain of saying good-bye. Hosting allows us to share our faith and our lives with some of the brightest students at the top universities in Japan. Our Asian children are given some wonderful role models to look up too and spend time with, and we all are reminded again of just how small our world really is. Adding one person to our family actually often increases our family time, as we are more deliberate in spending time together and going on fun outings as we show our student around Minnesota. We are reminded that even the "small things", like sitting down to dinner together or playing outside in the snow, are moments to be treasured and enjoyed. And this program is so well run that we can trust that any big issues that could possibly come up would immediately be taken care of.

Good-bye, Sae - Thanks for being brave enough to get on that airplane 3 1/2 weeks ago to come and live with a bunch of strangers. We are all going to miss you!

A Simple Woman's Daybook for 3/9/09

2009-03-09T09:12:00.007-05:00

FOR TODAY...March 9, 2009

Outside my window...The sun is shining. The sky is blue and cloudless. There is beautiful layer of frost covering our deck. And snow is in the forecast for tomorrow.

I am thinking...about everything that needs to be accomplished in the next couple of weeks, and wondering what surprises are still in store for us (Funny how we like to plan for those surprises!)

I am thankful for...Lily. She turned eleven yesterday.

From the learning rooms...We are in the final stretch of our school year. A couple of the kids have already finished up with some of their books, and so their school days will be getting shorter and shorter, allowing for more time to play outside once spring decides to actually stick around.

From the kitchen...Not sure yet. Maybe soup with homemade breadsticks for supper.

I am wearing...Even though it's nine-twenty, I am still in my pajamas! I keep trying to make it to the shower, but someone always seems to need something!

I am creating...a day of memories for my five kids

I am going...to the doctor this afternoon in order to get my medications refilled. We will go to BSF tonight, and I am looking forward to going.

I am reading...The book of Numbers for BSF, and want to read Ecclesiastes for our Sunday School class. I am also reading a Christian romance novel on my Kindle.

I am hoping...that Lily will not need surgery again, but at this point, things aren't looking too promising

I am hearing...Super Why on the TV, the dog snoring, Lily coughing while she reads a book, pages turning from school books, a package crinkling as Monkey has a snack, and his voice asking me if I "Want one?"

Around the house...shelves filled with books waiting to be read, origami boxes and creations from the kids' time with Sae

One of my favorite things...as always, curling up with my Kindle to read!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Hopefully, getting a good solid week of school in.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...This is what happens when you give a four year old free reign over dressing himself, and when he just LOVES the cowboy shirt Grandma bought him! Doesn't he look proud?

If you would like to see other daybooks, please visit the http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Lily Update

2009-03-03T09:39:00.003-06:00

Thank you for your prayers, everyone!
We are back from the surgeon's office, and will return in 4 weeks for a final determination as to whether or not Lily will need further surgery. In the mean time, he has doubled her antibiotic dose and wants her on it for 3-4 weeks, and I am supposed to push the little skin flap off of the post a couple of times a day to help keep the skin elastic. We do get the impression that surgery will be likely. If he does operate, he will not only remove the little flap of skin, he will also re-thin all of the tissue between the skin and the bone, to decrease the chance of infections in the future, and to help with her ear fit.
We'd appreciate any continued prayers. Lily is really quite a tough cookie when it comes to her surgeries, but obviously would rather not have another one. And going without her prosthetic wears on her and her self-esteem. (But boy is she able to charm her doctors!)

A Crazy Week and Crazier Day

2009-03-02T12:35:00.010-06:00

It was a busy week.
On Tuesday, we celebrated Mango's 8th birthday. We always go out to eat at a restaurant of the birthday child's choice, and Mango chose Space Aliens - a space themed restaurant. The kids all got a few free game tokens, and Seely was even kind enough to give his to the birthday girl! She was given this "lovely" headband to wear and a free birthday sundae.

On Wednesday morning, I was the guest speaker for the group of Japanese students. I spoke about one of my great passions - adoption. Adoption is extremly uncommon in Japan, so they are always very good listeners; and for the second time in a row, I have made a good number of these young people cry simply by sharing our stories and travel videos. It's truly a privilege to be able to talk with them, and to see their hearts so moved.

On Saturday, we headed off to the Mall of America with Sae for some shopping and sight-seeing. And even though it's expensive, we always love to eat at the RainForest Cafe (which Monkey affectionately calls "The Monkey Restaurant" because of the robotic monkeys singing and swinging in the trees).

Yesterday, the girls had their family birthday party with their cousin. The three girls have birthdays within about 2 1/2 weeks of each other, so we have a party together every year. This year, I actually missed their party, because Monkey is having some pretty major asthma trouble and needed to take a trip to urgent care.

And the biggest excitement of this past week is not neccessarily a good one. Lily took off her prosthetic ear on Saturday night, and her post area was grossly infected and draining all sorts of really not lovely "stuff". We cleaned it up (I'll spare you the details), put on her strong, prescription antibiotic ointment, and sent her off to bed. By Sunday morning, the area was not at all improved, and was so red and swollen that the skin had started to cover over her top ear post. We immediately placed a call to her surgeon, who ordered more antibiotics, and we are to see them Tuesday morning for an evaluation. If the skin that's currently over the post does not recede, she will need surgery to re-expose the top post before she will be able to wear her prosthetic again. The surgeon's best guess is a 50/50 chance of needing further surgery or not. Please pray that this will clear up without it.

As this is on the side of her head, we've started taking pictures of what we are seeing, so Lily can actually get a look at it herself, rather than just listen to us talk about it. This picture was taken just this morning. Much of the redness and swelling is gone, but the posts are still draining quite a bit. The bottom post is what the posts are supposed to look like coming through her skin; you can see the top one is covered about half way with skin.

People ask us if it hurts her, but Lily really does not complain very much about it. I think after having several surgeries in the area, that most of the nerves are gone or damaged and she just really feels very little there. They have also found that children who experienced a lot of early neglect simply do not feel and process pain like the rest of us do...and she has an extremely high pain tolerance....which leads us to the next problem. We had her well-check visit this morning with our pediatrician (God bless him, he never freaks out over her ear post infections which are rare enough that most docs never even see one!), and discover that she has an ear infection in her hearing ear. She had told me there was some "popping" in that ear over the weekend, but said there was no pain/discomfort. I had told her to let me know right away if it hurt at all, and I'd get her in to a doctor, and she never said that it hurt. Whether she really didn't feel pain, or whether it just didn't "connect" in her brain, I don't really know. Anyways, her antibiotic was changed to one that will cover both skin and ear infections, and her ENT surgeon will take a look at that too tomorrow when we are there.

We'd certainly appreciate any and all prayers that she will heal up on her own (with God's help, of course) and without any further surgery. We'll keep you posted.

The Welcome Party

2009-02-23T08:21:00.007-06:00

On Sunday morning, Sae bravely helped me in the toddler nursery at our church. Toddler English is obviously a little bit hard to decipher (sometimes even for us native speakers), but she dove right in, and seemed to enjoy herself. (At least, she says she's willing to go back next week!)
That evening, all of the host families got together for a welcome party and introduced all of our students to the idea of the American "potluck" meal. After eating, the students put on a Japanese culture fair. They bring origami, traditional calligraphy, and games to be able to share a part of their culture with their American families. Below, Monkey waits in line at the calligraphy station. When it was his turn, they patiently showed him how to write his name in katakana - one of the Japanese written languages (there are three, just in case you were wondering!). When they were through, he promptly took the paint brush and proudly painted his name on the paper...in English....making just about every young woman at the table giggle. Below, Random plays the Japanese version of Rock, Paper, Scissors with Sensei Odani, the professor who accompanies the students to America. He comes every year, and as we have hosted before, we (and many other families) really enjoy getting to see him again. He and Random struck up a friendship last year, and have picked up right where they left off. In this version of Rock, Paper, Scissors, if you are the "loser" you must try to put on a hat as quickly as you can, before the "winner" bops you on the head with the inflatable hammer.

She's Here!

2009-02-21T19:19:00.007-06:00

Our exchange student arrived today from Japan. She will be with us for 3 1/2 weeks, attending college classes during the day, and returning home to us at night. Here are a few pictures of our first day together:

Waiting at the airport, in the exact spot Mango and Monkey first met their grandparents, just over three years ago!

Twenty-nine host families begin to gather to welcome this year's students to Minnesota!

Is she ever going to get through customs???

Finally, the first students from the group arrive to smiles and cheering from their waiting host families.Our first picture together:

Simple Woman's Daybook for 2/16/09

2009-02-16T09:41:00.014-06:00

My friend, Liz, has already beat me to this this morning!

FOR TODAY... February 16, 2009

Outside my window... Most of the snow is gone. All that remains is the dirty, gray stuff. The grass is brown, and it all makes me anxious to see some signs of spring.

I am thinking...about a cyber-friend of mine, who is leaving for the Philippines today to go pick up her new son
I am thankful for...my children, even with the difficult issues that arise

From the learning rooms...We are taking the day off as it is President's Day

From the kitchen...Cereal for breakfast, probably sandwiches, chips, and fruit for lunch

I am wearing...jeans, a yellow shirt, and striped socks

I am creating...a knit mitten/hat/scarf set with my oldest daughter, Lily

I am going...to meet some friends from high school, who were youth leaders that I spent alot of time with back then. It's been about 13 years since I last saw them.

I am reading...a series called The Island of Heavenly Daze on my Kindle. I am not sure if I like it yet, but I can't seem to put it down!

I am hoping...that our exchange student arrives safely on Saturday, and that we are ready for her

I am hearing...Clifford on the television and Monkey playing a game on his Leapster

Around the house...Toys and pillows are scattered on the floor; a nebulizer is still sitting out as my husband has not yet fully recovered from his nasty cold

One of my favorite things...Quiet times with God - even if it's only a few stolen moments while I'm in the bathroom

A few plans for the rest of the week: Getting our house ready for Sae, who arrives on Saturday

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

To read others' daybooks, check out the Simple Woman's Daybook blogsite

Mango's Tooth

2009-02-12T18:41:00.005-06:00

Mango is not typically what you would call a "tough girl". She is usually very feminine and quite sensitive. But when it comes to loose teeth the girl is one very brave young lady. For the last couple of days, one of her front baby teeth has been sticking out at a bit of an odd angle, even though it wasn't really all that loose. She bumped it while playing tonight, it bled quite a bit, and she decided she wanted it out. She spent quite a bit of time standing in the bathroom working at it, and came out smiling with her tooth still in her mouth, and completely turned sideways. Not sure if that's an improvement from sticking out or not!

Our Week

2009-02-08T18:03:00.005-06:00

This past week has been a really long one at our house. Just about everyone in the house, except for me, has gotten sick. Bad winter colds and a houseful of asthmatics just don't mix well.
Monkey's asthma flared up last weekend, which means giving nebs every 4-6 hours around the clock, day after day after day. He later started running a fever and was started on antibiotics. He's feeling better now, but spent much of the week doing this:
On Tuesday, both Random and Seely also started not feeling great. I had to go pick up Seely early from a co-op class he takes, but other than that one day, they have both, so far, seemed to be okay.
Lily started coughing around Wednesday, but managed to stop long enough to help me roll out some cinnamon rolls (that didn't get done until about midnight because I forgot they had to raise 2 hours before baking!)

Wednesday night, DH started getting sick, with the same cough and fever that Monkey had. He's been off of work since then, and even though he's on medicine, he is making a very slow recovery.

Mango has only a slight cough and no fever, so she and I went out for lunch on Saturday, and spent her last Christmas gift card. She purchased some Pixo's, and has been having fun making horse designs. The TV's been on so much this week, with people not feeling well, that even the cat has taken up watching it. (He's watching a MacGyver rerun in the photo.) Ignore the laundry in the background - it's clean, just waiting to be folded!)

And since we've been spending so much time at home, Lily and I are loom knitting a hat, scarf, mitten set for our exchange student who arrives in two weeks. Lily's working on the scarf.

Please say a prayer that everyone will get and stay healthy!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-02-02T14:01:00.007-06:00

Several of my blogging friends participate in this. I've always enjoyed reading what they wrote and getting a little glimpse into their lives, so am going to try one of my own.

FOR TODAY: February 2nd, 2009

Outside my window...the sun is shining, the deck is covered with snow, and it's too cold to play outside

I am thinking...about going Denny's tomorrow, because they are supposedly giving every American a free Grand Slam.

I am thankful for...the fact we have enough.

From the learning rooms...all of the usual things. Two of the kids are done for the day. Random is finishing up his math, and Mango is catching up on some reading.

From the kitchen...Leftovers for lunch, and turkey breast with potatoes for supper.

I am wearing...a soft, hooded sweater and old jeans

I am creating... a blog entry (Ha!)

I am going...to BSF tonight.

I am reading...Unshaken by Francine Rivers. It is a fictionalized story of the book of Ruth from the Bible.

I am hoping...to watch the Bachelor after I get home tonight

I am hearing...The quiet voices of 4 kids playing (a neighbor boy is over), the tap of computer keys as Random does his math, and the dishwasher running from the kitchen

Around the house...are blankets and toys on the floor. (I won't mention the dust bunnies.)

One of my favorite things...is curling up with my Kindle and a soft blanket.

A few plans for the rest of the week: school, lunch out with friends

Here is picture thought I am sharing: If you want to see other daybooks, please check out the Simple Woman's Daybook blog.

Ah, the joys...

2009-01-30T17:24:00.005-06:00

I was in the mood for chocolate this evening, and wondered outloud about having a bowl of Phish Food (Ben and Jerry's chocolate/marshmallow/fudge mix). Lily, Mango, and Monkey immediately started making faces and "oh yuck" noises, thinking I was going to be happily eating a pile of fish flakes. So I made them a deal, that if I ate a big spoonful of "fish food", that they would have to sing Mary Had A Little Lamb while walking in a circle. They waited with much anticipation while I went out to the freezer to get the container, and then groaned when they realized what I was actually going to eat was a big spoonful of yummy chocolate ice cream, and not icky, smelly flakes. Above is a picture of them fulfilling their end of the bet!

Twenty Five Random Things About Me

2009-01-29T10:03:00.007-06:00

This is going around on Facebook, and I thought it looked like a fun thing to add to the blogging world as well. If I know you, and you have a blog, consider yourself tagged!

Twenty Five Random Things About Me

1)Other than my faith, the most important thing my parents taught me was that you go when someone you love needs help - even if it costs you.
2)I love Disney World, China, and the Philippines, but my favorite place is really right here at home.
3)My Kindle is my favorite device, and I would easily give up any other piece of electronic equipment in our house before parting with it.
4)As a child, I dreamed of having a large family - even larger than the one I have.
5) I have absolutely no interest in traveling to Europe, but would love to return to both China and the Philippines someday.
6)Other than being a mom, my all time favorite job was counseling at Camp Shamineau. I made some great friends there.
7) We are getting ready to host our 6th exchange student from Japan. Yoshimi, Natsumi, Yuji, Sachika, Nobuyuki, and now Sae. We love and miss them all!
8)My grandma has been gone for over three years and I still miss her very, very much.
9)When I was in the sixth grade, I wanted to grow up to train the killer whales at Sea World.
10) I'd love to write and publish a novel someday.
11) The only reason I really like the Vikings is because they are from Minnesota and wear purple.
12)My favorite author is Dee Henderson, and I own at least one copy of every book she wrote.
13) I believe that with God, all things are truly possible.
14)Just over seventeen years ago, I married my best friend and the love of my life.
15)I've had 4 dogs in my my life, only remember three, but Tippy was my favorite.
16)I have never even met some of my dearest friends. I know them only through e-mail and likely wouldn't recognize most of them if I passed them on the street.
17) I am discovering that even the book of Leviticus can be interesting if you have a good teacher.
18) Nothing is better than hearing one of my kids truly laugh from their belly.
19) I love to watch The Bachelor, and tell the contestants how stupid they are being.
20) The three people in history I'd most like to meet are Noah, Moses, and Abraham Lincoln.
21) Some of my favorite things to eat are the chicken alfredo at Olive Garden, the passionfruit/green tea smoothie from Caribou Coffee, and the chicken wild rice soup from the Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors, but I would never eat them together.
22) I am very blessed to have the parents that I did, and that as a child, I never once had to worry about them not staying together.
23) In high school, my favorite subject was math. My least favorite subject was history/social studies, but now I wished I had paid more attention.
24) My husband and I were in the church nursery together as babies.
25) I've skinny-dipped exactly once - with my girl cousins, when I was sixteen.

Meeting Marilyn

2009-01-24T19:23:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday, we had a guest speaker named Marilyn Laszlo. She is a 75 year old dynamo, who was a missionary to Papua-New Guinea with Wycliffe Bible Translators. You have to love lifetime missionaries because they've learned what's really important in life, and have absolutely no qualms about speaking the truth. However, I don't know that I've ever heard one quite as delightful to listen to as Marilyn. She shared many humorous, serious, and inspiring stories about her life with the Sepik Iwam tribe, and how she had the privilege of learning their previously unwritten language, and eventually translated the entire New Testament into this language. Her story is truly incredible. She is one of those people who when you meet them, you feel like you are standing on holy ground, because of how God has chosen to use this one willing life. I encourage you to take some time and listen to her messages from that morning. There is some overlap of stories between the first and second services, (and neither is short!), but I can promise you will not be sorry you spent the time listening.

Good-bye Salt and Pepper

2009-01-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

No, this isn't about bidding farewell to the common spices sitting on your kitchen table. It's about Random's pet gerbils.
Every mom is familiar with how their kids call them...and all kids have a way of saying "Mom", that means "Come right now, I need you." Just after lunch, I heard that type of call from Random. Salt, one of his beloved gerbils, was obviously very, very ill and huddled in the bottom of her cage. We talked for a few moments about what he thought would be the best and kindest thing to do, and he choose to have both of the gerbils put to sleep today. Salt was obviously not going to live much longer, and none of us had the heart to watch her suffer or to put her out of her misery ourselves. Gerbils do not like to live alone and do not accept new cagemates, so we decided that it was kindest for the elderly Pepper to be put to sleep today as well. So it is a bit of a sad day here for Random.

Living a Little Cheaper

2009-01-16T11:26:00.013-06:00

It's been so cold out these past few days, we've been spending alot of time at home. That means we've all had more time to curl up with a book, use the Wii Fit, watch movies (Thank you, Netflix!), and surf the web. With the new year now here, we've also had some time (and incentive) to once again look at our budget, and try to see where we can save some money in this uncertain economy. One of the websites we've discovered is called Ebates. Ebates, in a nutshell, is an on-line shopping and rebate center. You create and log into your account, click on the on-line store you wish to shop at (and there are thousands), and simply shop. A few times a year, Ebates will issue you a rebate check or even credit your paypal account, if you'd prefer. The amount of rebate varies from store to store, but they are able to give this money back to you by simply splitting the commission they recieve from the store you shopped at. It's free (you can even get a $10 gift card for joining), and has been endorsed by Consumer Reports, so if you are a frequent on-line shopper, be sure to check it out.

Monkey's Picture

2009-01-12T19:42:00.005-06:00

Monkey has worked so hard on this picture this afternoon. This is what he says about it, "Random is on the top of it (on the top bunk), me and Ooh-ooh (the monkey he is holding), and there's you and Dad right there. And a star and moon." Very cute. He is so proud!

Winter Weather Woes

2009-01-12T16:38:00.003-06:00

There are winter weather advisories all over the place tonight, and our evening activities have all been cancelled. Snow is falling, the wind is blowing, and the temperatures are dropping....but you have to admit that it does look beautiful out there!

Friday Co-op Fun!

2009-01-09T17:31:00.004-06:00

Today was our first day back to "Friday Classes" - the homeschool co-op group at our church. It is a great group of families, and in addition to the classes, we do alot of chatting, laughing, and encouraging each week.

The older students are currently learning about film-making, and are in a literature group that is currently reading Redwall. Don't they look like they are having fun???? They are playing an improv game called "Party Quirks" (right? One of you correct me if I'm wrong!) to get them loosened up for their film-making class.

The younger students are studying Minnesota history, and have their own literature group working it's way through the Little House on the Prairie series. Here they are learning to play Mexican train while waiting for the older kids to finish up.
Each week we also do a service project for the church by going through the holders on all of the chairbacks, making sure the pencils are sharp, and that they have all of the items they are supposed too. With so many kids, it doesn't take us very long at all.

And when we're through, we head off to everyone's favorite part of the day - lunch! Sometimes we order pizza in, and other days we go out, but we always have a wonderful time together. And I'm pretty sure that between the six of us moms, we could solve just about any family life problem that there is!

Nails and Ears

2009-01-08T19:02:00.007-06:00

Tonight was a momentous night for the young ladies in our family. Grandma joined us, and we all went for a special "Girl's Night Out". Lily had an appointment for a manicure at the local cosmetology school. Her hands are now softer and lovelier than ever, and she picked out a beautiful bright pink nail polish that she was able to bring home when they were through.

Lily sat very patiently while her nails were being done, and learned all sorts of things about being in cosmetology school.

Mango got her ears pierced. She picked out shiny, "faux diamond" earrings, and waited excitedly in the piercing chair...

Still excited......

If you look closely, you can see her new, little earring. If you look even closer, you can see a few tears in her eyes. She held Mom's hand, and bravely sat for the second ear to be done. After a hug, and a few more moments, her lovely smile returned, and she is very proud of her newly decorated ears.

Afterwards, we went out to eat at one of the girl's favorite places, and now are all safely back home for the night.

The Ups of Social Networking

2009-01-06T14:55:00.012-06:00

We have never allowed our kids to have a Myspace or Facebook page. We've always felt that these social networking sites weren't super safe and certainly not necessary. Then yesterday, I listened to a podcast on my new purple Ipod by a well-known parenting expert who gave us plenty to think about. He said that it is our job to train our children in every aspect of their life...and that these networking sites are a definite part of the teenaged world. It is their gathering place, much like the malls used to be for those a generation or so back. If we do not teach our teens how to use them to navigate this part of their world, who will? It was this expert's recommendation, that you allow your teen access to these sites around the same age that you would allow them to start dating, and that you sit down together and each of you create an account. Have your teen "invite" you to be their friend, and you will be able to see their site, and have a special and new glimpse into their world.

So then I got started thinking -how often do I wish for a networking site? Not one of the regular, just-to-meet-new-people ones -I have plenty of friends - but sometimes wouldn't it be nice just to be able to "talk" with someone who actually owns the product you're thinking of buying? Especially when it's something expensive or something that you'll have for awhile, and want to know if it's worth it. Or what about when DH's new cell phone touch screen cracked even when it was treated gently and carried in a custom case? It was hard to find out if this was a common occurence, and even harder to warn other people to think twice before buying this model. There is a new website out there that is attempting to do these things and more. Acobay is still in it's beta-stages, but there is already plenty of information there. Simply go to the website, type in what product you are interested in, and read what actual owners have to say about it. You can create an account and write up your own reviews on the gadgets you own, and if you are into social networking, Acobay will even connect you with people who own some of the same things that you do. This seems like a great way to get find out about many different gadgets, and to get your questions answered.

Mango's Story

2009-01-06T13:51:00.003-06:00

One of Mango's assignments today was to write a story. What she wrote is too precious to not be recorded and published somewhere, so here it is (edited only for psuedonyms).
"Once there was 2 children who needed a family. There names were Mango and Monkey. They were waiting to be adopted by a wonderful family. The family was waiting to get two wonderful children. When Mango and Monkey found out they were geting a family one of our brothers let Monkey play with the camra. When Mia found out I was geting a family she took my lion."
The rather amusing sidenote to this story is that Mia (and her sister), who once shared a room with Mango when she lived at CSC, were later adopted by a great family who have become good friends of ours, and the girls are all still able to see each other and spend time together (though Mia does not steal her lion anymore!) Isn't it cool how God works things out?????

Back to Real Life

2009-01-05T10:55:00.008-06:00

After a wonderful two week Christmas break, we are getting back into our normal routine. The kids are back to their school work, and our usual flurry of activities also restarts this week. Here are a few pictures of our morning.

Random pondering George Washington's World. Don't you wish you got to go to school like this?
Lily and Mango pondering the wonderful life of plants. Random, what are you doing in this picture??????

Monkey working hard on a special drawing - notice the monkeys in his arm. Random, aren't you supposed to be working????

Oh wait....what is going on here? Seely, was learning about poetry meters really that boring?

Ah, that's slightly better. Random...really...did you have to get in every picture?????

Aren't my children ham's?

Goin' to the Playoffs

2008-12-28T18:11:00.005-06:00

The Vikings are NFC North champions!!!!! They are goin' to the playoffs!!!!!

My uncle was kind enough to give DH and I his tickets for today's big game, and we were able to witness the Vikings win their game over the New York Giants and (honorably) secure their spot in the playoffs.

It was a very up and d0wn game. The Vikes started out ahead, but the Giants soon gained on us. In addition to our own game, the fans in the stands were trying to keep track of the score for the Houston/Chicago game, because a loss for the Bears would also have given us a play-off spot. The Viking's coaches had asked for that score to not be posted, so every so often someone in the stands would get a text with the score and yell it out to anyone within hearing distance (which if you've been to a Vikings game, you know is not really all that far - we have the reputation for being some of the loudest fans in the NFL!). It looked like the Bears were going to lose, but they too inched close at times.

Finally, in a very exciting last 5 seconds of the game, #8 (my hero) Ryan Longwell did as his name suggests and kicked the ball long and well for a 50 yard field goal, putting the Vikes ahead 20-19! It was a exciting game, and Seely has been invited to the playoff game next week!

A Tribute to My Husband, and the Men who are Like Him

2008-12-28T17:40:00.005-06:00

Someone passed just passed this on to me yesterday, and it is certainly worth the read.

The Men Who Brought the Children Safely Home - A Christmas tribute to adoptive fathers
Author Unknown

"My son Christian was searching the bookshelves yesterday, apparently frustrated by the dearth he saw there. Since we have well over 1,000 titles at his disposal, I wondered what was missing.

"There's hardly anything on Joseph here! I understand why we need so many Mary books, but nobody says much about Joseph, you know? And he was a hero … " he trailed off.

A hero indeed. Though I hadn't spoken it, I had been meditating lately about the heroic good of Joseph and the Nativity. Commonly, we look at the story of Christmas as a birth story: We have a round- bellied Madonna riding on a donkey until she gets to a cave where animals joyfully welcome a lovely baby. As a mother who has been nine months pregnant during Advent and a mother with a newborn on Christmas Day, it is easy for me to identify with the birth story.

But the Nativity story is also a story of adoption. A strong man heard the call of a God to take into his heart and home a baby that was not his biological child. Against the raised eyebrows of those around him, but because he dearly loved his wife and the God they served, he traveled a great distance. He wasn't sure what he'd find there; to say that the accommodations were less than what he was used to is to understate the case. And then, almost immediately, it was his job to rescue the baby, to save him from grave danger.

Once they were safely at home, he raised the child as his own. He shared the faith of his fathers; he taught him the family trade. Certainly, there were challenges in this family that related to the adoption. This child, at 12, left his adoptive father for three days to return to the home of his Father. How many children of adoption have experienced that same restlessness and caused the parents who have rescued them the grief that Mary and Joseph felt while they searched for their child?

Joseph was faithful. Perhaps he recognized that we are all children of adoption. We are all broken, disenfranchised, wounded and in grave danger. Our Savior makes us brothers and sisters, heirs to His throne. We become one family of faith, like that little family in Nazareth so many years ago.

When I look at the fathers in adoptive families, I am struck by their courage. Adoptive moms assure me that adoption is rarely ever a man's idea. And it is almost always an idea born in a woman's heart. The longing heart of a mother meets the sorrowful heart of a child and together they begin a new life. But how do they get to "together?" They become a family through the courageous actions of a man who sees the heart of his wife and listens to her as she tells him about the pain of the child. Rarely, do these women beg and plead. Rather, like Mary, they trust God. They pour out their hearts in prayer and God convicts their husbands. The program director for a Catholic adoption agency assures me that this is not the case of weak, badgered men who cave to whining women. Rather, they are tender, brave men who recognize the need and hear a distinct call.

The father who adopts is strong and faithful. He travels to places like Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Guatemala and even hostile Africa. He saves the baby — often from abject poverty, illness or death. He is the Joseph of our times.

There are literally millions of children in this world who need rescuing. We are called in James 1:27 to care for the widows and the orphans. What does that mean exactly? Do we toss a few coins in the poor box or wrap an extra gift at Christmastime or do we take a risk? Are there brave men out there with the heart of Joseph who will travel great distances to difficult places to rescue a baby and give it a home all because it's the will of God? It is the will of God. These are the weakest of us, the poorest, the most defenseless. In this country, we cannot fathom children who scurry along the murky puddles in Haiti scavenging for a few slender fish, only to come up without anything. These children are so malnourished that their hair turns orange and falls out in clumps. There are "dying rooms" in China where children who have cerebral palsy or missing hands or missing ears are left in the dark to starve to death.

And what will become of the children who grow up orphans if we do not have men like Joseph in our midst? According to Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation begun by Christian music legend Steven Curtis Chapman, who has adopted three daughters, "Statistics regarding the future prospects for children who emancipate from orphanages, the foster care system, or who grow up as street children are profoundly bleak … . Theft, prostitution, homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration and suicide affect the lives of the vast majority of those children who grow up as orphans and never find permanent, loving homes. In short, orphans by definition are children who for whatever reason have found themselves in need of permanent, safe, and loving families. And for such children, being taken in by a family through the "spirit of adoption" is their greatest need"(http://www.howtoadopt.org/).

They were going to stone the mother of God. Joseph knew the baby was not conceived by him. He didn't understand it. How could this baby be his to raise? How could he be asked to overcome the opinions of his community, the misgivings of his own mind, and listen to the call upon his soul? Where would he find the courage? How could he possibly provide for the childhood of the child of God Himself? Why couldn't this be simple? Why couldn't he marry Mary and just conceive a baby? Instead, he must set off on a two-year odyssey to distant and hostile lands to bring home a baby that didn't even look like him. And what of the future? This was an extraordinary way to build a family; how could he know what the future held, particularly with a beginning like this?

A hero? He was a hero. He was a strong, courageous, man of faith. And there are men like him today. They are Paul, and Joe, and Mark, and Chuck, and Scott, and Kevin, and Ed. They are ordinary men who are called to extraordinary measures for a humble, helpless child and the love of the woman who becomes the child's mother. They are the men of the Christmas story. God bless them!"

Christmas Morning 2008

2008-12-25T10:21:00.010-06:00

Merry Christmas! If you want a beautiful reminder of what today is really all about, click here for an awesome video clip. It's about 4 minutes long, but is definately worth seeing.
Here are a few more pictures from our gift opening this morning. We will soon be leaving here again to spend the rest of the day with family.

Monkey before and after opening the Space Chimps DVD...

Mango reading that she can now get her ears pierced....

Random with his new stash of reading, viewing, and listening materials...

Lily opening her Crammer, which has, amoung other things, the MP3 player she has been REALLY wanting.

Seely got a jersey with his name on it (Funny how we paid money to have it put on, only to have to edit it out for the blog photo!).

Christmas Eve Photos

2008-12-24T22:40:00.004-06:00

We headed out to my parents house for dinner and to exchange gifts. We had an extra special surprise as two of my cousins who we hadn't seen in awhile were able to join us, including a new baby boy born to one of them just under a month ago. It was a great evening! Here are a few glimpses into our time together:

A Merry Christmas Homecoming

2008-12-24T12:35:00.003-06:00

Three years ago today, we arrived home with Mango and Monkey, just in time for Christmas Eve. All of us being together that day was the best Christmas present I've ever received, and we are truly grateful for the two little lives that joined our family that year.

May all of you have a very blessed, and merry Christmas this year. Wherever you end up celebrating and whoever you celebrate with, may you take a moment to focus on the true reason for Christmas - Jesus.

Of All the Stupid Things

2008-12-22T10:19:00.003-06:00

Last Wednesday night, I managed to tear a ligament at the base of my left thumb. The "how" is so incredibly stupid and unbelievable that I asked the people at the clinic if they wouldn't prefer to hear some exciting story like how I saved all five of my children single-handed, rather than the boring truth - that I was simply pulling up the many blankets on our bed when I felt the "pop" and knew that it probably wasn't good. So I will be splinted for the next four weeks while it heals, and it is already annoying. My kids are now calling me "Hitchhiker".

A Visit to Santa

2008-12-17T16:46:00.004-06:00

So it finally occured to me today that we hadn't yet made our annual trek to the local mall to see Santa. When Seely and Random were very small, we would go to the mall on Santa's very first day, and watch him arrive on a fire truck, complete with sirens and lights. As we've added more children, and as they've gotten older, we've kind of abandoned (ie. forgotten) that tradition, and make our Santa visit when the crowds are smaller. The kids all finished up their school work quickly today, so shortly after lunch, all but Seely loaded up and headed off to the mall.
Santa was "napping" when we arrived, so we did some window shopping in the pet store, and then went to get in line. Finally, we caught a glimpse of the jolly old man himself walking down the hallway, and were able to take our turn. All of the kids actually seemed very underwhelmed with the whole experience, and it made me wonder just how many more trips to see Santa we will be taking before they all lose interest.

You'll notice that Santa is not even looking at the camera. In fact, Santa very deliberately did NOT look at my camera. Apparently, he is not allowed to do so unless you are purchasing the (very expensive) photographs that they sell there. And I thought getting four kids to look the same direction at the same time was difficult!?!?!??!!

It's Cold Here

2008-12-16T16:07:00.002-06:00

It's about this time every year when we start to wonder once again why we live here. It's COLD out! For those of you who have not ever experienced it, stepping outside at -9 degrees F actually hurts. The dog has to be forced off the deck to take care of her "needs", because she doesn't want to be outside a moment longer than she has too (and apparently running down the steps to take care of business takes too long). Last night, she wouldn't even scratch at the door to be let in, because she was too busy picking up one paw and then the other from the cold deck surface! But it's also the time of year where we get an unexpected chance to toss in a favorite old movie, or to curl up under a blanket with a good book because activities were cancelled due to the weather. Or to savor the smell of dinner in the crockpot all day, because it's just too cold to go out unless we have too. So we will take and try to enjoy the days where winter forces us to slow down. We're warm, safe, have plenty to eat, and plenty of loved ones to spend the time with, and those are all wonderful reasons to remain at home on the really chilly days that are always a part of winter in Minnesota.

A Coleman Christmas Party

2008-12-13T16:53:00.009-06:00

Just over three years ago, we made a desperate call to Senator Norm Coleman's office when our immigration paperwork for Mango and Monkey hit a big snag. The embassy in Manila had misplaced some of the kids' paperwork, we were concerned about Mango's skull condition, and we desperately wanted our children home for Christmas. His office was wonderful to us, and after a fax or two on our behalf, the kids' visa paperwork was processed quickly, and we were able to travel just in time for Christmas.

Every year since, we have been invited to the "Home for the Holidays" party that Senator Coleman throws just before Christmas. All of the adoptive families his office has helped in the past are invited to come. It's a wonderful chance for him and his staff to see, in person, the children they have helped, and we enjoy the chance to thank them, with the hope that seeing the beautiful faces of our kids will give them the desire to continue to do this important work. He truly is a kind and caring man, and we are very grateful for what he and his office did for our family.

Enjoy the pictures of the party!

Snacking on some treats while waiting for the senator...

Senator Coleman, and the entire group sing "Happy Birthday", to Random.

Story time with the Senator.....

Monkey got an especially close view!These family pictures are hung in his office.

Duel Birthdays and Super Barks

2008-12-13T16:16:00.004-06:00

This has been a weekend of celebrations. Yesterday was DH's birthday. (I will leave you to guess how old he is!) We went out to one of his favorite Chinese buffets for dinner, and then the big boys watched the movie The Pink Panther after the youngest three kids were in bed. I couldn't tell you a thing about the movie, other than the fact all three of them were laughing and out-right guffawing through much of it.

Today is Random's 13th (and golden) birthday. It is hard to believe that that tiny baby, who struggled so much to grow and stay healthy as an infant, is now a teenager! He opened one of his presents this morning, and then we all headed off to a very special Christmas party (more on that later). We had lunch out at the restaurant of his choice, then picked up a friend of his, before heading out to see the movie Bolt. We are back at home now, and the boys (ours and a couple of neighbor kids who are here about as often as they are at home) are downstairs playing Lego Batman on the Wii. It has been declared one of the best games ever by more than one of our gaming aficionados.

I honestly did not expect to enjoy the movie Bolt, but it really did have it's funny parts, and even a moment near the end where I caught myself wiping my eye just a bit. There were a couple of wonderful messages in it too - Bolt discovers that it is not super powers that makes him special and important, but his being loved, and that any home is special when it is yours. These were wonderful messages for our kids to hear, and were especially timely for one of them.

My Mango

2008-12-11T11:05:00.004-06:00

Last Tuesday night, Mango and I went out to her favorite place for dinner and did a little bit of shopping afterwards. She is a very enjoyable companion who is quick to giggle and smile. She also has a style that is all her own, and picked out some shiny, black Hello Kitty boots to wear on dress-up occassions. They certainly aren't what I would've picked (for me OR for her), but they are her, she loves them, and with that fabulous smile and her innate sense of confidence, she's likely to only hear compliments about them anyways.

I'm so very blessed to be her mom. Isn't she beautiful?

A Cold Winter's Morning

2008-12-11T10:44:00.005-06:00

We woke up this morning to no heat. Our furnace had stopped working sometime during the night, and it was a chilly 59 degrees Fahrenheit upstairs, several degrees cooler downstairs, and 9 degrees outside. DH called a repairman, we started up our space heaters, and threw an extra blanket on each of the kids' beds. The repairman was here by 8:45, took a look, and told us he will need to get a part. He hopes to be back with it between 11 and 1, but we won't have heat until then.
Despite the cooler temps, it has been a cozy morning. The kids are snuggled up in blankets doing their schoolwork at the table, we've baked some muffins for breakfast, and slippers and sweatshirts are the dress of the day.
And it's already warmed up to 68 degrees upstairs!

Seely says he's cool all of the time, and remains unfazed by the chilly temperatures.

A Week of Lasts

2008-12-10T22:24:00.005-06:00

This week is the last week of this year for many of our activities.
Monday night was the last night of the Bible Study Fellowship group the girls and I participate in. This year the study is on the life of Moses. It has been a great study, and though I can't honestly say I'm thrilled that we'll soon be reading through Leviticus (which Random has just declared to be the most boring book of the Bible), I am excited to see what lessons can be found there. (There must be some, right????) The girls really enjoyed bringing small presents to their teachers, and chowed on their candy canes the whole way home.
Tuesday was Seely's last day of classes at the homeschool co-op that he's been attending. He took American Government and Spanish I there each week, and really seemed to enjoy going. Next semester, he will be participating in the Student Senate, as well as finishing up his Spanish credit.
And today was the "last day" for little Monkey's AWANA Cubbies book. Apparently, when he was getting in the car to go to church tonight, he didn't manage to get his bag all of the way in before closing the door. When they arrived at church, DH found Monkey's bag hanging outside the car, with the bag and book pretty much ripped to shreds after having drug on snowy, wet pavement for many minutes. Monkey is very proud of his book, so I was a little worried he'd be upset about it's destruction, but DH said he was okay about it, and the leaders did give him another one (after having a good chuckle at it's appearance and the story of how it got that way).

A Dancing Preview

2008-12-06T18:03:00.008-06:00

Today, the girls had dress rehearsal for their part of the Christmas program at church. They have truly enjoyed being part of the worship dance ministry at our church. The high school and college aged young women who run it are not only great dancers, but even more importantly are wonderful mentors and "big sisters" for the younger girls. It is fun to watch them all interacting together. Rehearsals hold lots of giggling, spinning, missed steps, and even a few things not usually associated with a bunch of graceful girls, but when they get it right, the beauty of them performing together in worship always brings tears to my eyes. Here is just a short clip of the beginning of their dance. Hope you enjoy it!

Peef the Christmas Bear

2008-12-06T15:29:00.006-06:00

Every Christmas season, we always try to take in a Christmas play or performance together. Last night we attended a play called Peef the Christmas Bear. It is a story by a (fairly) local author, about a multi-colored bear, made by Santa, who gets and grants a very special Christmas wish. A friend from the church youth group did a great job as one of the elves, so that made it even more fun to see! Her family joined us, and we all went out for snacks, sodas, and a time of fun and laughter afterwards. (You rock, Cora!)