Gotcha Day #5

Five years ago today our life changed forever. December 8, 2004 was the day that we stood in front of a Russian judge and asked that Regina Kupinskya be allowed to become Ana Regina and our second daughter. Looking back it was all quite surreal and it seems as though it were a lifetime ago. I honestly have a hard time remembering daily life before Ana joined our family and as I asked her this morning I think she feels the same way. She told me she knows that she is from Russia but I don't think that she can remember many of the details. Perhaps this is good as her first two and a half years of life were not ideal.

I can't help remembering a little for her our first meeting and the chocolate chip cookie that she inhaled. Or the last day we met with her on our first trip standing in the hallway of the orphanage she had just gotten up from a nap and was so sleepy and just laid her head on my shoulder...I was smitten. I cried so many tears that day when we had to leave her there and I was never so thankful that the time between our trips was only three weeks. Then there was the day we went to get her which was actually the 9th of December. Emma was with us and we were all aware that life was about to change but we were not quite prepared for how. Ana was playing outside when we got to the orphanage and she was not at all happy that they brought her in to us. The look on her face when we took her into the tiny room to get her changed said it all. "Who are you people and why did you interrupt my playtime???" I have seen that same look many times since, she was and continues to be quite a strong willed independant thing. But I think this is probably what allowed her to survive her first two years and I'm grateful that God gave her the spirit that he did.

As we pass this five year mark I thank the Lord that He chose us to parent this child. There have been days and I'm sure there will be many more where I wonder how I will ever be equal to the task, but I trust that He knew what He was doing. I'm grateful for her smile and for her sweet hugs and for her willingness to persevere when things are difficult for her. Happy Adoption Day Sweet Girl we love you so very much!!

Sunday Blessings

Since we have started going to Phoenix for church our Sundays have been such an amazing blessing. Today was extra special because not only did we have a wonderful time of praise and worship and then fellowship at church but after that we got to spend time celebrating a birthday with some special friends of ours. What a wonderful time of fellowship for each of us I know that it refilled my emotional tank and I believe that it did the same for each of us. I was thinking about this as we were leaving Phoenix and just thanking God for how he has rekindled this friendship with these friends after a long time of being apart. We are sad because they will be moving to Montana in the not so distant future but we rejoice for the time that the Lord has given us to be with them and realize just how much we have in common. We are thrilled for them in this new adventure that they are going to be beginning and we are so thankful to have had so much time with them in the last few months.

We must hold loosely to the relationships that the Lord blesses us with and know that there are seasons when we are together in person and others where we may be separated by great distances, but the relationships remain precious just the same. I think the most wonderful thing for me is to realize that even if I will be separated from some dear friends here on earth I can take comfort to know that we will all be spending eternity together!! How fun to be able to look forward to this as well as treasure the moments that we get to spend together in the here and now. Thank you Lord Jesus for sweet fellowship, we are blessed!!

Top 6 from Weeks 7-12...

Hard to believe we are a full twelve weeks into our school year. Time flies and so do the countries we have been studying. It was hard for my older ones to narrow it down because there have been so many interesting things that we have studied but we have tried our best to make the list manageable :).

James has been enthralled with our study of China which we are still in the process of completing. He did one of his extra projects on the Great Wall and even made a presentation on it for his father...gotta keep Dad involved you know! He also mentioned loving our study of Korea and the book Tales of a Korean Grandmother.

Peter seconds the motion and loved the Great Wall as well. He even made a model of it with a whole lot of craft sticks. I think I'm going to have to replenish my supply he used so many of them but it looks fantastic and he did a marvelous job with the design. He also is loving the read aloud book we are finishing up this week called Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze. This was one that I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it through but it has turned out to be quite engaging for all of us.

Emma dearly loved the Tales of a Korean Grandmother and she was so sad when we finished it. She got so that she didn't want me to read the required amount of pages each day so that it would go on and on. She too is loving our study of China. She has been interested to find out more about Chinese medicine and how it compares with western medicine. Oh how we love homeschooling around here!

Daniel has been loving his new Touch Math. I have not ordered the full program as it is very expensive but I got some samples from their website and I'm modifying his other math using the touch points. So far he is doing much better with this and I'm hopeful that it will give him more of a practical way to do math.

Ana is enjoying her readers. I have to say that even though reading is her biggest struggle she always puts it at the top of her list of things she likes to do. What perseverance she has. She is working now on the Sonlight I Can Read It series...and even though her mother is getting a bit weary of these stories being that this is the fourth time I've gone though them...we are staying the course.

I have to say my favorite thing in this series has been from China as well. But not the books but the FOOD!! Last night we made homemade egg rolls and boy were they yummy. One of James' projects that he chose for the unit was to make this authentic Chinese food. Sunday when we were in Phoenix for church we found an amazing Asian market and bought some egg roll wrappers. The market was a treat in itself and amazingly enough had foods from just about every country that we have been studying who knew such a place existed. I have a feeling we will be going back for more food items as the year progresses. Anyway Robert helped and we had a fun Chinese meal with Chicken Lo Mein with real Chinese noodles and wonderful egg rolls. What a treat!!

So as you can see we are staying busy around here and still loving Core 5. I'm impressed with how much James, Peter and Emma are learning about doing research and what creative ideas they are coming up with for their Choose Your Own Adventure projects. Daniel and Ana are finishing up with their Abeka Phonics and Language and I think I will be making some changes after the holidays as they finish up. Always looking for the best ways to meet their needs and that takes a bit of creativity at times. Stay tuned after the holidays for our coming adventures!!

Peanut Butter and the Newsboys...

Whatever do these two things have in common you ask??? Well they just so happen to be two blessings from my day yesterday. The first blessing was the homemade peanut butter that I made in my Vitamix!! Yummy, yummy oh so yummy. My sweet friend Melissa had told me about doing this several weeks ago and I finally made some yesterday. So with that and my homemade peach jam we had some pretty tasty sandwiches...thanks Melissa!!! I know now I just need to make some homemade bread and it would be truly wonderful right??? Even the kids mentioned this, but I'm not there just quite yet...baby steps you know.

The second blessing was the absolute blast that our family had at the Newsboys concert last night. They are the first Christian band to actually come to our town so we were excited to not have to make yet another trek to the Valley! I have to say Michael Tait adds some spice to the band and it was fun to hear not only Newsboys songs but some DC Talk as well. We jammed out and went to bed very late, but what a nice release for all of us. I think we all needed just a little bit of fun. I know this girl did.

So two big blessings in one day...can't beat that right???

Ode to October

I have been pondering the last few days why it has been so hard for me to blog this month. I did so well last month and had so many ideas for posts and this month nothing!! I think that it has to do with my mood lately. I have been having some struggles spiritually and emotionally, I love being a girl sometimes and I think that it has caused me to not be able to think very clearly. Oh and the fact that as I was looking at my calendar today I think I was able to count 10 days during this month that we had some kind of appointment. Mostly doctors and dentists...ugh no wonder I'm a little fried.

The upside to all of this is that over the last week I have been feeling a little better. I think that sometimes you have to have a melt down in order to get out of the funk that you have been in. I think I may have had an official one at the beginning of last week and perhaps it helped a bit. Robert took all of last week off for a hunting adventure and although he didn't get an elk he did get some perspective on life and we had some really great discussions during the week. He listened while I melted and I listened while he shared his heart and together I think we have a better vision of things than we have had in a while.

The Lord is refining us I know that He is we are not sure what the end result will ultimately be but I know that whatever He is doing is for our learning and even when it is painful it is also productive. I have started back in to Bible study studying the book of Esther and I have been reading A.W. Tozer's book on the Holy Spirit which is challenging me and I think those are both positives. Funny how you can get so bogged down with life that you forget sometimes what is truly important and that is just dwelling with the Lord. As October draws to a close and the leaves are all but gone I realize that days have disappeared in rapid succession and I have been hard pressed to keep up. I pray that as November starts that I will be able to slow down a bit and just dwell with Him and listen to what He has for me each day.

Purpose

God's Purpose or Mine?

By: Oswald Chambers

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that god is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea" It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

This devotion from My Utmost for His Highest has been one that I have continued to meditate on in recent weeks. I tend to be always searching and trying to figure out what God's purpose is for me. What He has been teaching me lately is that the moments of my life that pass by each day, teaching my children, building a strong relationship with my husband, and most importantly spending time with Him are the purpose. I have been having several struggles in my parenting lately with obedience. Not only with my children's obedience but with my obedience. I find things have come up more and more in my children that are so similar to what I'm sure the Lord struggles with in me. The process of parenting, the process of seeing His hand in my children's lives in their victories and their struggles that is my purpose. The moments are what He wants me to remember, the sweet and the sorrowful. They are His purpose for me. I need not look further than the next day to see what His purpose is for me. I need to dwell there and experience each moment to the fullest and be faithful to Him and my relationship with Him. If that is the most important purpose that I have then He will make apparent to me when a change is necessary. As Chambers says, "His purpose is the process itself.". Even when the process is frusterating and sometimes painful it is my purpose!!

Blessings in Unexpected Places

Last week we had another adventure that we never would have thought we would have, but once again the Lord turned it into a blessing. On Thursday Daniel went to Phoenix Children's to have his feeding tube placed. We had been anticipating this for quite some time. His GI doctor felt that since he has not gained weight in over a year and all the supplements that we have been giving him haven't made a difference it was time to take this step. The procedure is not difficult at all and takes very little time but it is incredibly nerve wracking for the mom and dad. Daniel was a trooper as usual and he came through the procedure just fine. We have incredible doctors that have treated us so well and have truly come along side us to find out what the underlying issues with Daniel's health are. All the staff at the hospital was fantastic as well and he was treated very well.

The amazing unexpected blessing in all of this came from the attending pediatrician. After surgery he came and talked with us in the recovery room and spent a great deal of time getting a full history from us. He wanted to know all about the things that we have already done to help him and what else we are doing currently. I mentioned that we have seen a geneticist and that we were waiting to find out if the insurance company would approve the tests that he ordered. To which he replied, oh we can take care of that we will just order them while he is inpatient and they will be covered automatically! What an amazing answer to prayer this is because I truly didn't believe that they were going to approve the tests since they are quite costly and we have already done so many other things already. Why was I surprised that my Lord would take care of this small detail as He has so many others in the past? But all I could do was thank Him and stand in awe of His many provisions for us. So the next day the doctor spoke with our geneticist and they worked it all out to get the tests ordered and the blood drawn and we will hopefully know something in around three months.

Daniel finished his stay in the hospital and we headed back up the hill on Saturday. What a blessing to know that our other children had been having the time of their lives with their Granny and that everything was well in hand at our house. We are already in a fairly good routine with Daniel's night time feedings through the tube. He has been doing extremely well with it and as the area around the incision heals he is slowly getting his energy and mobility back. He is anxious to get back to full speed, but I must admit it has been kind of nice for him to slow down a bit. Another hidden blessing in all of this, for mom that is :).

As Robert and I sat at the hospital together and tried our best to minister to our son I realized that there is no way that I would have the strength to accomplish any of this without the Lord. He has given both of us abilities that we never thought possible. But He also only gives us what we can handle. Being at the hospital we saw families in much more serious situations than ours and I realized that although Daniel has some issues and probably always will, they are manageable. I also know that even if they were more serious, the One who brought us through this experience would be there to bring us through whatever else might be around the corner. I'm so glad that I'm in His care and so is Daniel!