Wanted to share: Giveaway with Beautiful Feet Books

For my homeschooling friends: we have used Beautiful Feet Books study guides in the past and have really enjoyed them!  If you haven't taken a look at what they offer yet, hop on over and check it out :)

Here is a link to their website: Beautiful Feet Books and here is a link to the giveaway on their blog:
Beautiful Feet Books Blog Giveaway

Karen

While we wait...

It's been a busy month since my last post - and I'm so thankful that it was because it helped keep my mind off thinking about when we just might get our referral!  I've done really well the past few weeks and didn't contact Nichole from Children's Hope one time to ask if she could see if there was any movement on the children's adoption decrees... until today :)  When I realized a month had gone by I sent her an email to see if it was appropriate to ask if there was any movement.  Hopefully, she will think it is and will ask their contact in Colombia to check for us.

So what has been keeping us busy in the meantime?  Teaching the children, an amazing week in Alabama, and working on our garden.  The kids have been doing great with their school work.  For the most part, I have the three oldest now working on their own - without my having to sit right next to them and instructing them.  Strange, I find myself having some free time during the day.  Well, free time from teaching the older ones anyway.  I'm still taking care of Lyric and doing things with her.  That keeps me plenty busy since she is now 4 years old but really, really likes to stay busy!

As far as Alabama goes, I don't think I realized just how much I needed (and the family needed) a vacation!  We really hadn't had one since we brought Lyric home in December 2010.  To be honest, I was starting to get a bit stir crazy and was not being nearly as patient with the children as a mother should be - and that's being nice to me! 

Playing in the sand and collecting shells

While in Alabama, we were able to relax in hot tubs, swim in pools, dig in the white sand and fly kites in the wind, chase the waves, ooh and ahh at an impressive naval aviation museum, explore the remains of Fort Morgan, spend time with the children's grandparents, and watch dolphins catch a ride on waves from our dolphin cruise.  It was amazing, and I am so thankful for the time we had there.

Since we have been back the children have been busy not only doing their school work, but preparing the garden as well.  Last week they helped me turn the soil over in three raised beds in which we now have lettuce, spinach, onions and garlic planted.  Not to be outdone - Kevin tilled the whole garden not once tonight but almost two times (once each way)!  He would have kept going but it was getting way too dark.  He did this with a very, very touchy and old rototiller, and I am so proud to have him as my husband!

Enjoy the pictures!
 

Sweet little feet

Celebrated Carissa's 14th birthday!  Laurel and I were on the beach at 6:30 am writing this in the sand!

Laurel kept sneaking up on this seagull - one gentle foot shuffle at a time.  She got pretty close!

Searching for seashells - that's about as far in as they would go in the chilly water.

I took this while exploring Fort Morgan.  The room was completely dark and we had to use our camera's flash to find our way around.  I love the look on Carissa's face as I surprised her in the dark.

This is my favorite dolphin picture.  It looks like the front dolphin is going to jump right out at you.

Just a "tidbit" of new information!

Tidbit or not, we will take all we can get!  Nichole let us know today that our dossier IS in Cali!  There is a sibling group that's going to be referred to us, but first their paperwork needs to go through the court system for them to get their adoption decree, which will allow them to be available for adoption. 

We have no idea how long this will take - maybe a month, or two, or three...  At the minimum, let's say we get the referral by the end of March.  It takes about two weeks after acceptance of a referral to get permission to travel.  So, the earliest we would travel would be the end of May/beginning of June.  That's at the earliest. 

There is some good news to all of this - there will be lots of time to go to garage sales for clothing and our garden will be pretty far along too!  There would be lots of fresh vegetables waiting for us when we got back!

Can you find Cali on the map?

Freezer Meals!

For all those moms who are adopting or having a baby (or anyone else who likes freezer meals!), I'm adding a new section to the blog on the side bar on the right.  It includes links to freezer meals (recipes to meals that freeze well) that we have tried and really enjoy.  Another section will include links to freezer meals we are going to try soon - no idea if my family will like each recipe yet or not :)

Hopefully, you will find some new favorite recipes for your family to enjoy.  I pray that it will make preparing to bring your child/children home just a little bit easier.  As I do more research and planning, I'll add more - so check back often!

Karen

Our dossier will soon be on the move!

We heard from our agency this past week that our dossier is back in Bogota and will soon be heading off to Cali, which means they probably have a sibling group they would like to refer to us!  I'm really, really excited about this but am trying hard to keep my mind focused on my responsibilities around the house and with the children.  I know that as soon as we accept a referral it will be really hard for me to concentrate on anything else but getting the house ready (Nesting syndrome!) and envisioning our new family together. 

I think, if we were to get referral information around the middle of February (just a guess, I really don't have any idea on when we would get the referral), then the earliest we would likely travel would be the middle or end of April.  We may have time to put our garden in, and maybe I'll be able to hit a few yard sales!  Spring is also a much better time for us to be away from our animals.  We may end up just putting them all in a truck and taking them to a friends house to care for while we are in Colombia.  That would make it a lot easier on our friends!  We have a bunch of chickens, rabbits, turkeys, two guinea hens and soon to be two cats.

Please keep our family in your prayers, as well as the children we are to adopt and the ones we had to say we couldn't adopt.  We are in the process of applying for grants, including a matching grant, which could really help pay for a lot of the adoption costs. I'm excited to see how God works all of it out! 

Karen

Welcoming in 2012 and looking back at 2011

I find it hard to believe that it's already January 2012.  2011 was filled with so many wonderful, big changes for our family that the saying "it just flew by" is perfectly accurate.  It was a big year for us, with adjusting to having Lyric as a new member of our family, putting in a new garden (including removing stumps and roots!), and gathering all the paperwork for our Colombian adoption.  We have been blessed beyond measure, and we humbly thank God for all that He has provided for us and directed us to in past years - most notably would be home schooling our children and adoption.

I am happy to say that our children are all doing really well together and are well-adjusted to one-another.  When we started the adoption process I figured it may take a year for all of us to truly feel as if we were "one" family and not like we were still working at being a true family unit with segmented parts.  Sometimes when you add another child to your family there is a natural tendency for the children who were already in the home (and even the parents) to think about or even comment about what it was like without the newly adopted child(ren).  Those kind of comments and thoughts are a thing of the past now for us, and we can't imagine our lives without our precious Lyric.  You should hear that girl laugh.  It is such a sweet, precious sound that you never want it to stop.

CJ at 4H awards banquet

Carissa, Tyler and Laurel are growing up so fast.  Our sweet firstborn is now taller than I am - and she is only 13!  It really makes it hard to discipline her.  I usually start to laugh as I am looking up at her instead of down to her...  "CJ" has show rabbits now, in addition to her chickens.  We haven't had a successful attempt at breeding her rabbits yet, but hopefully that will happen soon!  The past year she has enjoyed reading, working with her animals, sewing, and growing into a young lady.

Tyler hanging out at park

Tyler is now 12 and is becoming quite the young man.  He has been having a growth spurt and will, in no time soon, surpass me in height also!  I really enjoy watching him with Lyric, as they are "two peas in a pod".  She can do anything to him, and he doesn't let it phase him.  For 2011, I fondly remember Tyler helping get the garden ready with digging out stumps and hauling dirt.  He did great at chopping and hauling wood - and keeps us well supplied with wood on our deck (for our wood-burning stove insert) so that we all stay warm!  He enjoys reading, playing any type of game, and has recently purchased a few show rabbits for himself as well.

Laurel engrossed in a mystery

Laurel has finally reached the double digits and turned 10 in 2011.  She has a big, big heart for others and if there is ever a special time or birthday for anyone that she knows, she will go out of her way to make a special card or gift for them.  Recently she has taken an interest in "creating" edible experiments in the kitchen.  Before our very eyes she turns into a "mad scientist".  You have to be very, very careful with eating what she gives you.  It is always edible - but you don't always want to take a very big bite of it!  Trust me...

Lyric, in China, eating peanut butter on a stick

Lyric is all of 4 years old now - technically 4 1/2!  She has grown out of most of her 18 mth clothes and is now in size two.  In 2011 she grew 2 1/2 inches!  We have a measurement chart for the children in our kitchen, but at times I wonder if this is such a good idea.  Right now, she really enjoys being measured once a month and seeing how she has grown but there may come a time when her body slows down its growth and she comes to the realization that she is much shorter than others her age.  Our goal is to build her self-confidence in herself so that should she not grow to an average height, it won't be a major concern for her.

Lyric, pouting for fun

In 2011 Lyric learned how to jump and get air between her feet and the floor, she learned how to do a roll on the floor, she learned the love of a mommy and daddy, of sisters and a brother, she learned a whole new language, and most importantly she is learning about God and his son, Jesus, who died for our sins. 

Everything has been quiet as far as our adoption from Colombia goes.  Oddly enough, it's been rather peaceful not thinking about the next bit of paperwork that needs to be turned in or if we filled all the documents out correctly.  By now, our dossier should have been received back at the main ICBF headquarters in Bogota.  Children's Hope, our adoption agency, is going to check on this for us next week to make sure.  It may have already been sent to another region, but it may not have.  The paperwork process for adoptions tends to slow down a bit in December.  I'll keep you posted when we hear more news!

Please continue to pray for the children whose referral we could not accept  - they need a family, and they need to know the love of Jesus if they don't know Him already.  If you are interested at all in adopting a sibling group of 4 (or any children!) from Colombia - ages 9 and under - please get in contact with Nichole at  Children's Hope International.

Thank you for your prayers for our family,

Karen

Really hard decision.

It has been a difficult last few days for our family, but we are doing a lot better now.  We received a lot of information Monday on the children who were sort-of referred (they were working on the official referral) to us from Colombia.  I am really impressed and grateful for all the details and  reports that ICBF puts together and gives to the prospective adoptive parents for review.  We received 30 pages of information in one report and in another there were 60 pages!

This part is going to be pretty vague on our reasons, but we did have to let our agency know that we felt this particular group of children would not be a good match for our family - and for the sibling group themselves.  We knew when our hearts were opened to adoption that any child we brought into our home would likely have a past filled with turmoil and hurt.  In this case, we felt we would not be able to provide the best type of attention the children would need, especially with already having our other four.

I was just about to write how difficult the adoption process can be at times for some adoptive parents, but then I remembered the children.  The trials we go through in having delayed paperwork, the complaints we may have in needing to notarize one more piece of paper, or even having to make the difficult decision that our family isn't the best one to provide for the specific needs of a certain child during the adoption process are nothing compared to those trials and difficulties that an orphan is often forced to experience:

The loss of a mother and a father
No kisses or cuddles
Malnutrition
Forced child labor
Parasites
Sexual abuse
Mental abuse
Physical abuse
Abandonment

These are all real.

I haven't had to experience any of them in my life -
and I am 37 years old.

The children we were referred have.

The oldest child is only 9 years old.  Within the 9 short years of his life, he had experienced not just one of these "difficulties", not just two of these "difficulties", but he had to experience almost ALL of them.  Please, consider welcoming a child into your home and into your family and give a child the gift of:


A mother and a father
Kisses and cuddles
Food
A time to play
A healthy body
Safety
Kind words
A gentle hand
The comfort of knowing you will be there for them when they need you

These are all real.