"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there is gum in my hair..." this begins one of my very favorite books from childhood, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. I must say that today was one of those days that this book came to mind. Even down to the fact that I know I have the book somewhere but when I went to look for it tonight before coming the write this blog post I couldn't find it.
One of the things that I love about this book is that nothing truly awful happens to Alexander in this book but just the ordinary stuff of life that just isn't exactly the way he would like. That is how my day was today. Nothing truly horrible happened but the day just didn't go as I would have preferred. It was one of those days that I questioned several times just exactly what I was thinking homeschooling. Several of my children who shall remain nameless had less than stellar days at school. It was one of those painful days to watch as they struggled with just about everything that I through at them and it seemed as though we would never be finished with school. Then just when I thought that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, ie: Robert would be home soon, he called to say at 4:30 that he was still in Phoenix and that he wouldn't be home for several more hours. Ugh!!
I think that the Lord gives me these days every so often, well sometimes more often, to remind me that I have no business doing the things that He has called me to do...that is without Him. I realized today that in my own strength I can't do this job. It is only through Him that I have any capabilities at all. What is difficult though is that I try to do things in my own strength all the time. Even when I hear the Lord in my head trying to tell me that I can't and that He is there to help if I would only ask. Why am I so stubborn? Then I look into the eyes of one of my children and see the exact same stubborness and it drives me absolutely crazy. The Lord has a funny sense of humor doesn't He? I see in this child some of my same faults and I know that He is refining me through raising him. Perhaps we can learn to listen and obey Him more together.
Now at the end of the day, things are quiet and Robert is finally home. He even brought me Chipotle which was a super sweet thing to do. As I reflect on the day I realize that sometimes the biggest blessing of some days is when they are in fact complete, and I can look back and breath a sigh of relief that my children are all still alive and well and tucked into their beds. And I can look ahead with hope that tomorrow will be a better day, perhaps if I rely on the Lord more and me less.
As Alexander's mother said, "Some days are like that, even in Australia."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
How "ists" Can Be Blessings
Our lives the last few years have been filled with visits to A LOT of "ists". What is an "ist" you ask?? Well let me explain. We have in the last four and a half years visited: the dermatologist, optometrist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, pallate specialist, throat specialist, nutritionist, feeding specialist and yesterday the geneticist...wheeew! Robert and I were sitting in the geneticists office yesterday recounting all of the "ists" and what a journey it has been. A few of the early "ists" were for our daughter Ana who had some skin issues and needed glasses as well as James who definitely needed glasses. But the majority of the "ist" visits have been on a quest to understand and help our sweet son Daniel.
Even before we brought him home from Russia we had a feeling that we would have some medical issues to deal with. We had no idea the scope of what we were in for but we knew that the Lord planned for Daniel to be in our family and so we persevered to get him home. Since then we have pealed back the onion and discovered many things, Daniel has several diagnoses but the one that continues to allude us is what is causing him to still be only 36 pounds at the age of almost nine. We have tried liquid supplements, we have tried increasing his calories and nothing is working. So later this month we will be having a "g" tube or feeding tube put in which will hopefully allow him to absorb nutrients more efficiently and thus allow him to gain weight. However that does not answer the burning question of what is causing all of this in the first place. This is how we wound up at the geneticist's office. We were blessed to find a man who was very kind and spent almost two hours discussing with us Daniel's unique history and also doing a thorough physical exam. One of the kindest things though was that this man talked mostly to Daniel. He engaged him in conversation in part to find out his capabilities but he did it in such a way that Daniel felt important and that we were not just sitting there talking about him but that he was involved. Funny how something that could seem scary and unknown could turn out to be a blessing. God meets us where we are in every situation and pours out blessings. The doctor has some ideas about what might be causing his difficulties but we will have to wait for approval from the insurance company for genetic testing to see if he is correct in his assessment. For now we wait but with a new hope that we might get some answers concerning Daniel's condition.
The next blessing of the day was that my mom and her husband Brad met us there and watched the other children in the waiting room while we were in with the doctor. Being homeschoolers is a blessing in that you can go to appointments when you need to, but it is also challenging to have to have seven people trekking through various doctors offices. We are like a passing parade and it is not always easy. However in this instance it was a blessing. The children got to tell their grandparents all about their recent adventures to Disneyland. The grandparents got to spend time with the grandchildren and we got to focus on the doctor and Daniel. Everyone was blessed!
The final blessing of the day came after we came home last night. I figured after a day in very hot Phoenix going from place to place and doing not so enjoyable things perhaps we should have some fun. So we headed for the YMCA for a little swimming to end our day. While we were there I took Daniel down the water slide as I try to do whenever I'm swimming with them. He has almost drowned in the past coming out the end of the slide because he was too small to stand up. However last night when we went down together I tried to let him go a bit and see how he would do. He did okay so after we had gone down a few times and we were resting a bit he said to me. "Mom when I'm big I'm going to go down that slide by myself!" To which I responded why not try tonight?? He was a bit amazed that I would be so cavalier but he said..."Really??". I spoke with a kind lifeguard and he allowed me to stand at the bottom of the slide to see if he could do it. Well suffice it to say Daniel has learned a new skill! He did just fine and he must have worn out the path up the stairs and down the slide by the time we went home last night. Once again God blessed me with a glimpes of the fact that although Daniel is different from my other children and he is behind in his growth and may always be, he is making progress. God's timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways but they are the BEST! I'm so thrilled that He chose me to be the mom of this special child and revel in whatever He chooses to do with his life.
Even before we brought him home from Russia we had a feeling that we would have some medical issues to deal with. We had no idea the scope of what we were in for but we knew that the Lord planned for Daniel to be in our family and so we persevered to get him home. Since then we have pealed back the onion and discovered many things, Daniel has several diagnoses but the one that continues to allude us is what is causing him to still be only 36 pounds at the age of almost nine. We have tried liquid supplements, we have tried increasing his calories and nothing is working. So later this month we will be having a "g" tube or feeding tube put in which will hopefully allow him to absorb nutrients more efficiently and thus allow him to gain weight. However that does not answer the burning question of what is causing all of this in the first place. This is how we wound up at the geneticist's office. We were blessed to find a man who was very kind and spent almost two hours discussing with us Daniel's unique history and also doing a thorough physical exam. One of the kindest things though was that this man talked mostly to Daniel. He engaged him in conversation in part to find out his capabilities but he did it in such a way that Daniel felt important and that we were not just sitting there talking about him but that he was involved. Funny how something that could seem scary and unknown could turn out to be a blessing. God meets us where we are in every situation and pours out blessings. The doctor has some ideas about what might be causing his difficulties but we will have to wait for approval from the insurance company for genetic testing to see if he is correct in his assessment. For now we wait but with a new hope that we might get some answers concerning Daniel's condition.
The next blessing of the day was that my mom and her husband Brad met us there and watched the other children in the waiting room while we were in with the doctor. Being homeschoolers is a blessing in that you can go to appointments when you need to, but it is also challenging to have to have seven people trekking through various doctors offices. We are like a passing parade and it is not always easy. However in this instance it was a blessing. The children got to tell their grandparents all about their recent adventures to Disneyland. The grandparents got to spend time with the grandchildren and we got to focus on the doctor and Daniel. Everyone was blessed!
The final blessing of the day came after we came home last night. I figured after a day in very hot Phoenix going from place to place and doing not so enjoyable things perhaps we should have some fun. So we headed for the YMCA for a little swimming to end our day. While we were there I took Daniel down the water slide as I try to do whenever I'm swimming with them. He has almost drowned in the past coming out the end of the slide because he was too small to stand up. However last night when we went down together I tried to let him go a bit and see how he would do. He did okay so after we had gone down a few times and we were resting a bit he said to me. "Mom when I'm big I'm going to go down that slide by myself!" To which I responded why not try tonight?? He was a bit amazed that I would be so cavalier but he said..."Really??". I spoke with a kind lifeguard and he allowed me to stand at the bottom of the slide to see if he could do it. Well suffice it to say Daniel has learned a new skill! He did just fine and he must have worn out the path up the stairs and down the slide by the time we went home last night. Once again God blessed me with a glimpes of the fact that although Daniel is different from my other children and he is behind in his growth and may always be, he is making progress. God's timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways but they are the BEST! I'm so thrilled that He chose me to be the mom of this special child and revel in whatever He chooses to do with his life.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
By the Numbers
The Lord is a keeper of time. He has been impressing this fact on my heart lately by bringing to mind significant numbers in my life.
The first number is 20. This fall it will be 20 years that Robert and I have been a couple. We began our relationship at the age of 16 and eventhough we went through a lot of rough times in those first few years of our relationship we always stayed together. This is one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. I can't imagine walking this journey with any other man. Even though we were not walking with the Lord at the time I know in my heart that He meant for us to be together.
The next number is 10. This is not only the number of years that we have been parents but it is also the number that signifies the number of years that it has been since the Lord took hold of my heart. I began my journey towards following Him when I was pregnant with Emma. And though my faith journey has grown and changed over the 10 year period I feel as though I have been on His path for 10 years.
13 and 7 are the next numbers. These are the numbers that I sometimes have the hardest time getting my head around. Thirteen is the age of my son James and eventhough I have only been his mom for almost four years and he was nine when he came home there is just something that won't let me believe that I am the parent of a teenager. He is a young 13 which helps a bit knowing that I still do have time and that he probably won't leave the nest at the typical age however it is sobering to know that in just a few short years he could. Seven is the age of my youngest child Ana. This sometimes gets me more than the 13 because it all seems to be going so fast. Ana joined our family at age 2 and it just doesn't seem possible that she could already be a busy 1st grader and come up with such funny sayings and be getting soooooo very tall.
Then there comes the number 5 which is the number of years since we started our wild ride of adopting four of our five children. It seems like the blink of an eye some days and other days it seems as though that these four treasures have been with us all along. I ponder sometimes what it would have been like to have them each from birth and it saddens me that I missed so much of their early lives. But it is also a reminder of just how precious each and every day has been since they have been with us. How much we have all grown and changed in the last five years. How many things I have learned about myself and what God has allowed me to walk through. There are so many things that I would have never experienced if they had not been here. Some amazing like riding roller coasters at Disneyland with my three sons. Ones that the girls didn't want anything to do with. Or seeing them all learn to swim this summer at the YMCA and then use the skills that they have learned to swim in the Pacific. How much more fun it is to have five than just one and the adventures that are so much more exciting when they can share them with one another. Then there are the not so fun things that I've learned like fighting with insurance companies to get my son Daniel to the doctors that he needs to go to. Or the fact that I could probably be a pharmacist with all the medications that I have dispensed over the last five years. Or the scary thought of having to learn how to feed Daniel with a feeding tube that will be put in later in the month...and praying that it will help him to grow. Even these not so fun things have been a blessing though. I have done things that I never dreamed I would and seen love grow in this unique family that I am helping to raise. I have laughed and cried and I know that I am not the same person that I was five short years ago and I'm glad for it!
These are the numbers that I have in my heart this week. As I ponder them I know for sure that there will be more significant numbers as the years pass. It helps me know my Lord more when I think about the numbers because I know that just as they are significant to me they are significant to Him. He is a keeper of the vast Kingdom Calendar and my numbers fit into His plan in just the right order. For that I am thankful.
The first number is 20. This fall it will be 20 years that Robert and I have been a couple. We began our relationship at the age of 16 and eventhough we went through a lot of rough times in those first few years of our relationship we always stayed together. This is one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. I can't imagine walking this journey with any other man. Even though we were not walking with the Lord at the time I know in my heart that He meant for us to be together.
The next number is 10. This is not only the number of years that we have been parents but it is also the number that signifies the number of years that it has been since the Lord took hold of my heart. I began my journey towards following Him when I was pregnant with Emma. And though my faith journey has grown and changed over the 10 year period I feel as though I have been on His path for 10 years.
13 and 7 are the next numbers. These are the numbers that I sometimes have the hardest time getting my head around. Thirteen is the age of my son James and eventhough I have only been his mom for almost four years and he was nine when he came home there is just something that won't let me believe that I am the parent of a teenager. He is a young 13 which helps a bit knowing that I still do have time and that he probably won't leave the nest at the typical age however it is sobering to know that in just a few short years he could. Seven is the age of my youngest child Ana. This sometimes gets me more than the 13 because it all seems to be going so fast. Ana joined our family at age 2 and it just doesn't seem possible that she could already be a busy 1st grader and come up with such funny sayings and be getting soooooo very tall.
Then there comes the number 5 which is the number of years since we started our wild ride of adopting four of our five children. It seems like the blink of an eye some days and other days it seems as though that these four treasures have been with us all along. I ponder sometimes what it would have been like to have them each from birth and it saddens me that I missed so much of their early lives. But it is also a reminder of just how precious each and every day has been since they have been with us. How much we have all grown and changed in the last five years. How many things I have learned about myself and what God has allowed me to walk through. There are so many things that I would have never experienced if they had not been here. Some amazing like riding roller coasters at Disneyland with my three sons. Ones that the girls didn't want anything to do with. Or seeing them all learn to swim this summer at the YMCA and then use the skills that they have learned to swim in the Pacific. How much more fun it is to have five than just one and the adventures that are so much more exciting when they can share them with one another. Then there are the not so fun things that I've learned like fighting with insurance companies to get my son Daniel to the doctors that he needs to go to. Or the fact that I could probably be a pharmacist with all the medications that I have dispensed over the last five years. Or the scary thought of having to learn how to feed Daniel with a feeding tube that will be put in later in the month...and praying that it will help him to grow. Even these not so fun things have been a blessing though. I have done things that I never dreamed I would and seen love grow in this unique family that I am helping to raise. I have laughed and cried and I know that I am not the same person that I was five short years ago and I'm glad for it!
These are the numbers that I have in my heart this week. As I ponder them I know for sure that there will be more significant numbers as the years pass. It helps me know my Lord more when I think about the numbers because I know that just as they are significant to me they are significant to Him. He is a keeper of the vast Kingdom Calendar and my numbers fit into His plan in just the right order. For that I am thankful.
Monday, August 31, 2009
A Change of Direction
I desire to blog!! I cannot tell you the number of blog posts and blog ideas that I have hidden in my head. I think of things all the time that I would like to write or post photos about but for the last several months I have been unable to post pictures with any great success here on this blog. This has caused me to not blog or be frustrated with blogging in general. I even started another blog on another site only to be disappointed when I tried to post photos on that blog with no success either. And so my dilemma has been do I give this up all together or do I just not even try to post pictures anymore. Since every single time I do I get frustrated and sad that I can't post what I desire and then I quit. I think I have come to the conclusion that I will just have to have a photo-less blog for now. I still feel like I have some things to share and even if no one but a very few of my closest friends read this and comment (you know who you are) I feel that it is somewhat therapeutic to record some of my thoughts as well as some of the everyday blessings that occur in our family. So I am starting anew in a sense. I'm changing the title of this blog to Everyday Blessings and I am going to do my best to post more often. Even if it is just a few words about my day or the blessings that the Lord has brought to me in my quiet time or something small my children have done or said that blesses my heart. I am not going to worry about photos although I do have many I would love to share but perhaps I'll find another format in which to do that.
My blessing for this day was the bit of time that I spent this evening with my daughter Emma. Robert and I have been making an effort to meet with our three older children each week for some more focused discipleship. Emma has amazed me with her thirst for this time and the effort that she has put into the assignments that I have given her. This past week she has been working on looking up references for different wives in the Bible. We have been doing the Polished Cornerstones book from Doorposts. She looked up each of the wives some very good and some not so good ie: Abigail vs. Jezebel and wrote on a chart what things she gleaned from her readings and what the consequences of their actions righteous or not were. What a blessing for me to see her responses. Some very simple and some cute in their wording. I realized how blessed I am to have a daughter that thirsts after righteousness and is so focused on becoming the woman that God desires for her to be. We are also reading Beautiful Girlhood together and tonight's reading was on character. What a good reminder to me about my awesome responsibility of being an example to this ever growing young lady. I know that I have many flaws but it gives me a greater incentive to watch my tongue and try to teach she and the rest of my children what it means to be a Godly wife and mother. I'm thankful for this path that the Lord has me on and the gentle reminders that He so often gives me through my growing children.
My blessing for this day was the bit of time that I spent this evening with my daughter Emma. Robert and I have been making an effort to meet with our three older children each week for some more focused discipleship. Emma has amazed me with her thirst for this time and the effort that she has put into the assignments that I have given her. This past week she has been working on looking up references for different wives in the Bible. We have been doing the Polished Cornerstones book from Doorposts. She looked up each of the wives some very good and some not so good ie: Abigail vs. Jezebel and wrote on a chart what things she gleaned from her readings and what the consequences of their actions righteous or not were. What a blessing for me to see her responses. Some very simple and some cute in their wording. I realized how blessed I am to have a daughter that thirsts after righteousness and is so focused on becoming the woman that God desires for her to be. We are also reading Beautiful Girlhood together and tonight's reading was on character. What a good reminder to me about my awesome responsibility of being an example to this ever growing young lady. I know that I have many flaws but it gives me a greater incentive to watch my tongue and try to teach she and the rest of my children what it means to be a Godly wife and mother. I'm thankful for this path that the Lord has me on and the gentle reminders that He so often gives me through my growing children.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Box Day!!
One of the best days of our whole homeschool year is Box Day!! AKA the day our new books arrive from Sonlight. For people who don't homeschool this may strike you as a little weird but for us it has become a tradition that we all look forward to, especially me. I don't know what it is about getting new books that makes my heart so happy but boy does it ever. Probably because I'm the biggest bibliophile known to man. This year was not disappointing. We are going to be studying Core 5 this year which is Eastern Hemisphere. Much of the year will be devoted to studying countries in the 10/40 window which is one of the most unreached parts of the world for Christ. Going through the curriculum this afternoon was a bit overwhelming and I'm glad I got it early because it is going to take some studying to prepare a schedule and figure out how to accomplish all that I hope to this year. As the children will soon find out this core is a huge step up from what we have been doing in recent years and will require a lot more effort on their part. As their dad put it...playtime is officially over.
I'm excited though to study a new section of the world and know that I am learning so much right along with my five children. What a blessing homeschooling truly is. As I pray for this new year I'm excited to see what the Lord will do in my children this 2009/2010 school year and I look forward to the many new nuggets of wisdom that we all gain in the process.
My math wiz James is excited to start his new math program. As am I, it will be more self directed and all the lessons are right there for him on the computer!
Books...books...and more books
Peter was eager to get the books out of the box so that he could cut it apart to make the castle. Who ever said you need expensive toys to keep children occupied?? Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Projects, Projects, Projects
Summer projects abound at our house this year. We are using the time to build and create new things and finish projects that have been in the works for quite some time. The weather here this summer has been ideal and so much cooler than normal. The Lord has blessed us with early summer rains that have made the landscape greener than our typical brown. It blesses my heart to see His hands at work all around us.
Peter has been doing what he loves most this summer and building all things crafty. He created a garage of his own using popcicle sticks and a lot of glue. It took him several days of hard work but the result is quite good and very sturdy too. It is a joy to watch his mind work to create fun art. So very unlike myself I marval at the creative side of my children and their passion for artsy things.
Peter has been doing what he loves most this summer and building all things crafty. He created a garage of his own using popcicle sticks and a lot of glue. It took him several days of hard work but the result is quite good and very sturdy too. It is a joy to watch his mind work to create fun art. So very unlike myself I marval at the creative side of my children and their passion for artsy things.
My project along with some help from Miss Emma has been to get some more flowers growing in our front flower bed. We are working on growing some begonias as well as moss roses and a couple other new types of flowers. We were pleased to see that even after the cold winter many of our annuals were still alive and kicking which is very rare indeed especially for us!! The snapdragons and even some of the petunias are still going strong. We are still not master gardeners by any stretch but we are enjoying the color of the flowers and the process of keeping them flourishing.
Robert's garage is continuing to take shape. The outside is ready for paint and the inside is completely finished yippee!! The last major thing to do will be to get power to the building which will require taking our small shed down and moving all the contents into the new garage so that the wire can be run to the panel on the house. We also still have to string new fence around the building and take down our now quite dilapidated temporary fence. It has been a long hard struggle and we have learned a lot about ourselves and working together through this project. I can't deny that I will rejoice when it is finally complete and we can move on to other things. But as I look at it I realize how much has been accomplished in its building. Not only the building itself but the relationships involved while creating it. What a blessing to have summer days to be fruitful but in a more relaxed way than during the hectic months of the school year.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Summer Renovations
Well I finally was able to get a couple of photos to load on my blog!! I don't know what I did or why it worked but thank you Lord for making it work!! A few weeks ago we decided to go to Ikea to get some bookshelves for the living room. Robert heard my heart and helped me figure out a way to get a small library together until we can get our garage converted to a room which I hope to then have one whole wall devoted to shelves for all my books. But this is a wonderful fix for the moment. We were able to move all of the books out of the kid's rooms and bring them all to one place in the living room. We are all loving it so much. I was also able to leave a shelf open for my next Sonlight Core which will be arriving very soon for the fall. I love the fact that we use a curriculum that allows us to have such a wonderful library. But it is also very frusterating not to have the space to have them all out where the children can actually get to them!! So this is our solution for now, what a blessing.
While we were browsing Ikea we decided to look at some new dressers for the kid's rooms. They were within the budget so we ended up getting two for the girl's room and two for the boy's room. They were all in need of new ones that have a larger capacity than what we had. Funny how as kids grow so do their clothes :). The girls also decided that they wanted to split their bunk beds apart and so the next day we set about revamp the rooms. The result was just perfect. The girls are so thrilled with the way the room looks and the space that they have for their things. I'm thrilled because it looks more homey and not so junky. I will also say they have done a remarkable job keeping it clean and neat and it is such a nice place to be. The boys have two new dressers and their clothes actually fit in the drawers and the drawers even close now! Mom is a happy camper. Funny how small changes can change the whole mood of a house. We have become masters at working with small spaces!
I would love to share some more pics but these are the only two that would load for now. Hopefully I can get some of our other adventures to load in future posts!!
While we were browsing Ikea we decided to look at some new dressers for the kid's rooms. They were within the budget so we ended up getting two for the girl's room and two for the boy's room. They were all in need of new ones that have a larger capacity than what we had. Funny how as kids grow so do their clothes :). The girls also decided that they wanted to split their bunk beds apart and so the next day we set about revamp the rooms. The result was just perfect. The girls are so thrilled with the way the room looks and the space that they have for their things. I'm thrilled because it looks more homey and not so junky. I will also say they have done a remarkable job keeping it clean and neat and it is such a nice place to be. The boys have two new dressers and their clothes actually fit in the drawers and the drawers even close now! Mom is a happy camper. Funny how small changes can change the whole mood of a house. We have become masters at working with small spaces!
I would love to share some more pics but these are the only two that would load for now. Hopefully I can get some of our other adventures to load in future posts!!
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