Thanksgiving Weekend

Last Wednesday the kids had their annual school Thanksgiving Feast/mini-program.  This year's focus was family and it was neat to see them singing and see the skits they wrote themselves.

Thursday we spent the day with my family at my parents house.  I loved spending time with my siblings, their spouses, and nieces and nephews....a few were sick and couldn't be there, though.  The food was simply splendid as always...always tastes better when Mom cooks.  :-)  My contribution was Cranberry Applesauce Jello Salad and Praline Pumpkin Torte.

Friday morning, bright and early, we left to go to Randy's parents' beach house in Delaware.  The kids did okay traveling this trip...not splendid, but okay.  We stopped at McD's for breakfast.  We had a great time hanging out with family, riding bikes, walking the boardwalk at Rehoboth, playing on the play ground, shuffling through fallen leaves.  My sister-in-law and I did a bit of "Black Friday" shopping on Friday evening after the crowds had dissipated somewhat.  At a little shop in Rehoboth we got the kids t-shirts...buy 1 get 1 free....end of season clearance I guess.

We traveled home Sunday which still gave us 1 more day of the school vacation.  Monday I went to work decorating the house for Christmas.  And tonight the final decorating was accomplished...Randy & the 4 older kids went and cut a Christmas tree (just for the record, we like our trees a little odd...not perfect, longer branches and holes okay with us).  After dinner we decorated it....I love the smell of a pine tree...not sure exactly what kind it is, the needles are medium long, shorter then a white pine but longer then the average fir tree...All the lights and scents of Christmas make me feel cozy.  :-)

Random

• My favorite purchase when shopping on "Black Friday" evening - The Lord of the Rings trilogy...$1.96/each.  Only negative is that they are the regular (not extended) version, but really...what a deal!
• Decorating today with the windows open....a taste of what it must be like to have Christmas in a warmer climate....but strange for here!
• Next birthday coming up next week....better make sure I have some gifts!
• I'm always so ready for the quiet that comes when everyone is sleeping.  Even though I know that I should be also, it's hard to give up that beautiful, quiet time.
• I got my new dishwasher today.  So far I am quite pleased.  And, wow, it is so quiet!  I think I can actually fit in more dishes...but I'm still learning since it's designed differently then my old one.
• I'm looking forward to getting Christmas cards in the mail....as well as getting the ones I ordered so I can send them out.
• Much as I love Holidays, I'm ready to get back to our daily schedule...and after a bit of time I'll be ready to have another holiday....love variety!  :-)

Christmas

I've had a hard time feeling "Christmasy" this year.  Usually I have dreams and plans for December, but I am strangely empty this year.  Sunday morning, however, we walked to the park in the development where my in-laws' have their house.  My feet rustled in the fallen leaves.  The smell of the decaying leaves was in the air.  The kids played at the park.  It was restful, peaceful. *until someone needed to go to the bathroom, but anyway.

Then, I was ready to move one, move on past Thanksgiving and fall, to Christmas.  We listened to a Veggie Tales Christmas CD on the way home [you know, one of those trips where the little ones who need to nap refuse to be still long enough to do so and so are extremely loud and cranky].  In the evening we watched "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" (Jim Carrey version) to start our holiday movie viewing.  This morning I dug out all my boxes and took down the fall things and put up the festive Christmas things.  I played Christmas music until someone took over my computer.  And I enjoyed the mess...and I didn't feel obligated to use every decoration I've ever received...I allowed Autumn to help me willingly (yes, that's a challenge for me....) and chose to actively involve her.

Now, there's still that matter of Christmas baking.  I'm afraid I'm rather behind compared to some other years...but this is this year, not that year, and whatever gets done, gets done.  I'm thinking that Saturday may be a baking day since Randy will be out cutting wood.  Perhaps I will mix up some dough on Friday to prep and then the girls and I can bake on Saturday.

As for shopping, my sister-in-law and I went out a bit on Friday evening (much preferable then Friday during the day) and I got some gifts.  I pick up things as I go through the year also.  And I got a few things online today during the cyberMonday sales.  So, that being said, I'm nearly done.

Speaking of gifts, in our family we really don't make a big deal...and yet we have a fabulous time.  The kids get 3 gifts each + stocking stuffers.  Some of the gifts come from consignment shops.  None of them get electronics.  And we love it this way...anyway, I do.  :-)  Sometimes they do comment on how other kids they know get more extravagant gifts...and I just say that "I'm not that kids mother"  :-).

I just realized that I think I got the girls 4 gifts...oops, something will need to wait until a birthday or else 2 things need to be combined into one!

I was reading on another blog about a "Jesse tree".  I googled it and think perhaps we will talk about that during our snack time before bed this year....it's a series of Bible readings (with corresponding ornament) from Creation to Christ.

Monday

We had a lovely weekend at the beach house with some of Randy's family....kids are off today and I'm doing laundry and decorating....more detailed post later...

Gifts for the person who has everything

Consider giving to an organization/charity in their honor...either a specific monetary amount or money which purchases an animal or other specific item for those in need.  Of course, some people will not appreciate this, but others will be thrilled that you are helping others in their honor instead of giving them another gift they don't need.

"Gift Catalog" charities include:

• http://giftcatalog.bethany.org/ - Bethany Christian Services (Adoption, Orphan Care)
• https://secure2.convio.net/ccsh/site/Ecommerce?store_id=37702 - Show Hope, an organization that supports orphanages and adoptions.  Often associated with Steven Curtis & Mary Beth Chapman who started this in honor of their daughter.
• http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/gift-catalog-dynamic-search-holidays?open&campaign=10152558&cmp=KNC-10152558 - World Vision, a relief organization.
• https://donate.mcc.org/christmas-giving - Mennonite Central Committee - "Relief, development and peace in the name of Christ"
• http://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm - Compassion International - Child Sponsorship and Relief.

In Everything Give Thanks

I realize that frequently I blog about Thanksgiving in November, but that National Adoption Month kind of took over this year for whatever reason....so, to being thankful.  I'm working on being thankful in all things and helping my kids to learn to be grateful instead of never satisfied....sometimes I think it's a harder lesson for us in the affluence here then in a 3rd world country...there's always something else out there to make what we have look inferior.

So, I'm thankful for (in no particular order):

• The God who created us and this world and reconciled us to Himself through God the Son, Jesus Christ, and for God the Holy Spirit who guides us.  The mystery of the One God who is 3 in 1.
• My husband...wonderful, hardworking, committed....
• Our kids....Josiah, Autumn, Janae, Zachary, Mark, Micah
• Our families....some people have difficult in-laws, ours are wonderful.
• I'm thankful I was raised in a stable, loving family....a blessing without compare!
• The boys' therapists.  They are great additions to our lives.
• The kids' school
• Our church/church family....we are so blessed!
• Plenty of food
• Plenty of water...and hot water
• Fresh air
• The beauty of the earth around us.
• Electricity....being without it earlier this fall definitely accented that!
• Health and strength
• Sunny days
• good books and movies
• friends and neighbors
• e-mail and facebook and blogs (encouraging ones!)
• the ability to play piano
• Beautiful surroundings...plants, grasses, trees

Well, gotta run and check on those boys....  :-)

Adoption Reality

Great post here on adoption.

And yes, there are probably an excess of adoption posts this month...since it's National Adoption Month....

National Adoption Month Posts continued. :-)

Pretty much anyone adopting (except via foster care) is raising money in whatever way they can.  I got this cool Tervis tumbler and keychain from http://www.minus1project.blogspot.com last week and their store www.gotloveadopt.com.

Janae's Birthday - Photos

 Birthday cake with Polka Dots as per request....flowers & dots cut from Fruit Roll-Ups.

 Arthur books (I was thrilled to find these "like new" books at a consignment shop!)

 a new mug...her little brother broke her old one.

 a box of dress-up clothes (bought from a friend who is moving).  We also got her a pair of roller-blades.

Wearing the dress-up clothes and opening Grammy & Grandpa's gift...a soccer ball, stamps, and paper.

She also got a pack of 10,000 beads from Randy's parents...but I forgot to take a photo of that.

Saturday night

and I noticed I haven't posted for awhile...and can't remember anything going on....hmm...

• I finished watching "Pride & Prejudice" and started watching "The Scarlet Pimpernel".
• Haven't been reading to much lately other then "The Out-of-Sync Child"....which I really like, except the appendix talking about how our brain evolved....(Yes, I am a "young-earth creationist").
• Started making Christmas cookies today....now the challenge to keep other things in the house so we don't eat them until closer to Christmas....made "Chocolate Pinwheels" and "Sand Tarts".
• Am currently without a dishwasher and excited about the new one that should be coming in a week or 2.
• Thursday was MOPS, had a good time as always.
• Today is "National Adoption Day"...and I'm thankful for how God has changed me through our experiences with adopting our boys via foster care.
• Excited to go to church tomorrow...been a month since a "normal" service there....last week we were gone, week before was a kid's program and no Sunday school since the electric only returned Sat. sometime, week before that we went to a different church since no church at ours because of no electric (that snow storm in October we had).  So happy to go again!
• I am enjoying hazelnut creamer in my coffee this week.  Not a flavor I typically buy but I will again!

Christmas Cards

 Before we left on Friday I had my mom take some photos of our family in hopes of turning one into a Christmas card.  This was the "runner-up"...so as not to totally ruin it for my friends who may read this who actually get a card from me.  :-)

I was quite amused when I did order my cards.  I had a coupon to a website offering 20 photo cards for $1.99 (+ shipping).  I usually order more then 20, but figured I could always order from another site if greater quantities were extra expensive.  Anyway, it turned out that the greater quantity prices were reasonable, so I ordered a bunch.  I was quite amused at all the upgrades they offered (at a greater cost of course).  But my favorite was when it came to shipping...Slow (21 days), Standard (14 days), and 2 faster options which I can't remember what they called them.  I'm quite familiar with "standard" shipping, but I had never heard of "slow"....however, I chose "slow" as it was cheapest.  (So my cards may be going out late this year.)  Hopefully I'm not to disappointed in not choosing any of the other upgrades and/or offers....but I was very pleased with the deal.  :-)

Our Weekend - continued

Top 3 things I enjoyed this weekend:

• Uninterrupted time with Randy...although since I have a cold which affects my voice, I couldn't actually talk as much as usual. :-)
• Being able to eat without cooking or cleaning up!
• Shopping without a time constraint (typically I need to be back for something).

Our Weekend

We left Friday before lunch.

 Coal country.

 Driving...

 Delivering a load of organic mushroom soil.

 We drove through some snow & rain.

Saturday morning:

 We weighed the truck at a CAT scales.

The farm where we loaded the corn:

 I took all these pictures through the window...it was rather cold and windy outside.  Around our area we don't often see pipelines above ground.

 Watertown, NY, home of those little pine tree air fresheners for your car.  This was the factory.

 We stayed both nights in this lovely hotel....newly built this summer.

 We were within walking distance of lots of shops...so we went Christmas shopping.  There was also a Salvation Army thrift store where I found jeans & shorts for the kids.  My shins are still sore from all the walking we did, but it's not practical to drive a semi-truck around to stores.  :-)

 On the way home...I think this was Syracuse.  We had to go around the city on the way north because of a train derailment.

I think this was in PA....

Janae

 Happy Birthday to our 7 year old daughter!  (Photo - Oct. 2011)

Photo - Summer 2011

Photo above & below from other years.

Friday to Sunday I went with Randy on the truck.  It was our first weekend away since the March before Zach was born.  We did get away for 1 night about a year and a half ago.  But with doing foster care (very particular where kids can be left overnight...and for good reason...but expensive as it requires background checks for everyone over 18 in the house) and having another infant every 15 months, it didn't work out so well before.

We left Friday around lunch and returned Sunday around 3:00.  We stayed in a lovely hotel in Watertown, NY.  More photos to come.  :-)

Adoption Month

Adoption Question #1:  Why did you adopt?

Answer:  We wanted more kids.  No great ideas of "saving" anyone, just a desire to be parents, and the knowledge that there are kids that needed homes.

Adoption Question #2:  Do you love your biological kids and kids via adoption differently?

Answer:  Nope...although there is a shared component to the ones who joined us via adoption as they have birth parents as well....but they are all OUR kids, regardless of how they joined our family.  So glad God joined us all into one family.

Adoption Question #3:  Domestic or International

Answer:  Whatever is right for your family.  We chose foster-to-adopt.

National Adoption Month Posts continue

I know that there are lot of kids labeled "special needs" and that that designation covers a huge spectrum.  So I've been fascinated and blessed by some of these blogs where they have chosen to adopt kids with major medical issues:

* Ben & Kim have recently adopted a Downs Syndrome child in addition to adopting various special needs kids in the past.  A year or so ago they adopted a beautiful little girl in a hospice situation...adopted her knowing they would need to release her.
*Jason & Dawn are raising funds to adopt another child.  And they are specifically requesting a special needs child, possibly also Downs Syndrome.
*DW & Linny just adopted Ruby Grace from Uganda.  As I write this she is in surgery.

Wednesday

It's still National Adoption Month...right now Dardi has been sharing her adoption story on her blog.  If you like adoption stories, she did part 3 today.

This time change is knocking me for a loop.  Seems like I loose all energy by the time I get the kids settled for naps.  Oh well, in a week or so we'll adjust...although honestly I'm still not sure what the big deal is with bothering with time change.

Mark loves his speech lesson.  And I enjoy the half hour sitting in there with him but doing my own thing...today I was finalizing my shopping list for when I go Christmas shopping.  I had planned to work on Zach's afghan but left the crochet hook in the Expedition accidentally.

Time to go drink another cup of coffee....

Last night I finished watching "Victoria & Albert"...a movie about Queen Victoria & Prince Albert. Loved it!  But cried buckets when he died....so if you watch it and don't like to cry, skip to the next chapter at the deathbed scene!

My favorite Thanksgiving hymn.

"My God, I Thank Thee"
Adelaide Anne Procter, 1858

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made 
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy, 
Beauty and light,
So many glorious things are here, 
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that 
Thou has made Joy to abound,
So many gentle thoughts and deeds 
Circling us round;
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain;
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain,
So that earth's bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more,
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

Tuesday

I love this song.  It came to mind as I was reading comments on my neighbor's facebook page indicating that her brother-in-law had passed on.  He was the one with colon cancer I had mentioned.

And then I remembered that in November last year Randy's grandma died.  And his cousin's wife (leaving 5 or 6 kids including an infant).  And several years ago my grandpa died in November as well.

Maybe that contributes to why I'm not feeling Christmasy at all....or maybe it's the multiple preschoolers.  :-)  I used to bake 1 or 2 kinds of cookies a week starting right after Halloween so I'd have a nice selection by the middle of December.  I have no inclination to bake at all right now.  I did go through my recipes and pull out the cookie ones...primarily because I had to reorganize them because some little boys thought it'd be fun to pull the binder apart (one of those 3-ring photo albums for 4x6 photos).  I have started shopping (it's a habit to look at sales and consignment stores and set things back throughout the year).  I've started wrapping...but it's "what I do" this time of year.  Perhaps once Thanksgiving is over I'll get more excited...I don't decorate until after Thanksgiving, like to enjoy that holiday too.

And of course, the weather was lovely today, who wants to stay inside!?!

Looking forward to tomorrow's speech lesson with Mark.

Zach

I've long contemplated at what point I would need to do further evaluating on Zach....I think the time has come...at least to get on a waiting list somewhere.  Today his sweet OT was doing some testing as the time has come to reevaluate for if insurance will give him another set number of sessions.  He tested at 1%.  That is, he did better then 1% of 4-year-olds.  Yeah, I believe the time has come to do neurological testing....not looking forward to the process, but looking forward to finding some answers....Love my sweet (although aggressive) boy and want the best for him!

***Later***
I did it.  I scheduled an appointment with a neuro-psychologist.  Amazingly enough, they can see him in January which is sooner then I expected.

Another Monday

and once again Micah slept horribly.  After a very brief nap, I gave in and called the doctor.  It was hard to get much done today as he was quite needy.

This evening I had parent-teacher conferences with the kids teachers.  Thankfully everything is going well for the most part.  Immediately after that I took Micah to the doctor (so yes, I was distracted during the conferences as I had to take him with me...no time to stop at home in between).  Yes, he has a sinus infection and an ear infection...and one that's border-line.  So we went to the pharmacy for amoxicillin.  Looks like we're picking up with him right where we left off last spring.  We barely made it through last winter without needing tubes for his ears, it's not looking very promising...

Everyone is tired and in bed.  Micah under protest and crying.  Last night he wouldn't sleep until I rocked him.  I gave him some Motrin tonight so hopefully he sleeps better.

Tomorrow Zach and I go see Miss B.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I just love our therapists (Miss B and Mark's Miss S.)  They are great ladies who do a wonderful job.  I will probably stop and vote on the way.

Now I need to go do the dishes.  The babysitter fed the kids since my conferences were over dinner time.  And when I got home everyone needed me...so they are still waiting for me.  Randy should be home before to long as well and I think he may be here for breakfast tomorrow....always nice!  :-)

And in the prayer department, continue to pray for:

1. John & Lynn K.  John's the one I mentioned last week who has colon cancer.
2. John M. & family.  John fell from 25+ feet last week and has a lot of trauma.
3. Tyler T. & family.  Tyler's a MOPS friend's son that I think I've mentioned.  He's 6 and has relapsed with his Leukemia.

Dinner Rolls

http://hishandshisfeettoday.blogspot.com/2011/11/30-minute-rolls.html - Kim  posted this 30 minute roll recipe link the other day.  I admit I was skeptical of yeast rolls this quickly, but I tried them yesterday and they are fabulous.  In all reality, they are probably 45 minute rolls with the mixing up added in, but still, yeast rolls in under an hour is amazing!  And my family all said that this recipe is a "keeper"!

Orphan Sunday

Today is "Orphan Sunday", that day of the year to remember the orphans around the world.  Now, I'm sure I've blogged on this before, but again, just a few quick ways we can help out the kids in need around the world.

• Support relief ministries like World Vision or MCC to help stabilize families and keep them alive and intact.
• Sponser a child through Compassion, World Vision, or assorted other organizations.  I am most familiar with Compassion and they also have a Women/Child program that you can sponsor to help Moms know  with prenatal and infant/preschooler health and care.
• Adopt a child internationally.  I know some people feel that it is better for the child to stay in country, and that is certainly good if possible, but it is (generally, possibly always!) better for a child to have a family then to be in an orphanage...particularly depending on the staff/child ration.
• Adopt a child domestically--privately or through foster care.  Whether we like it or not, not all children have stable homes....but every child should have the opportunity to have one.
• There are organizations that work in country providing children's homes.  Support one of these.
• Support local rescue missions, shelters, and food banks.  Helping parents stabilize helps kids.
• Support families you know who have children, whether biological or adopted.  Raising kids can be hard work.  And sometimes, parents can suffer burnout because of the difficulties in any particular situation.  Particularly if they don't have a support system.
• Support adoptive families financially....adoptions can cost from $0 (many foster adoptions) to $50,000.  Many families have fundraisers...support them...but if you don't need or want the product they are selling, feel free to straight out donate.  :-)  Also, adopted kids are hurt kids, regardless of the cost of the adoption, and depending on insurance companies, the experience of the kids, and their personalities, they may need assorted therapies....these can cost lots of money.  Even if the insurance covers them, the parents may spend a lot of money on babysitters for other kids in the families and gas to take them there.

Just a few thoughts that I had....if you have any more ideas...please share!

Saturday

We (my sister-in-law and I) had a great evening at the PA Family Institute's Friends of the Family Banquet last night.  Since Randy couldn't make it my sister-in-law filled his place at our table.  Lots of fun with friends.  The food was good as well.  Exciting to hear how the PA Family Institute fights for pro-family legislation.  And quite exciting to hear Lila Rose as the keynote speaker.  Lila Rose made national news by doing undercover investigations on Planned Parenthood.

We got home later last night, so I got to bed late.  Mark & Micah both have runny noses and were restless from midnight to 5:00 this morning...I'm sure I slept more then I think...I hope!

Nothing on the agenda today other then cleaning up, doing laundry, and baking, and whatever else come up.  Randy should be home sometime around lunch or so.

Post #700

Crazy!  Who would've thought I'd come up with something to post 700 times since I started blogging?!  Of course, sometimes I blog about nothing in particular...so I guess I can say "nothing" quite frequently.  :-)

I really need to go do dishes.

Randy will be in here shortly, then he'll leave again in the morning for one extra trip this week.

Seems things (good or bad) come in bunches.  Right now it's tough stuff in bunches.  The neighbor's brother-in-law mentioned in the previous post, my friend from MOPS whose dad fell from 25' and has severe trauma.  Angela posted about the trauma going on in her life.  And then there's the all the tragedy that you read about on the news and see on the internet....this world is definitely sin-cursed...and I am excited to know that at the end of time God will make everything new...there will be no more pain, or sorrow, or tears, or anger....

On the good side, our friend (the one whose wife died of a brain tumor 3+ years ago) just announced his engagement.  Funny thing, he is my second-cousin on my paternal grandpa's side.  And she is my second-cousin on my paternal grandma's side.

Randy's home now, so I gotta run soon.

Today was a good day for the most part.  I went to MOPS this morning.  The director of a local shelter came and talked about the shelter and their needs.  Then we went to my Mom's house for lunch.  Micah & Mark slept today...seems 2 out of 3 is the most I can get to nap anymore, and sometimes only 1 out of 3, but they're doing better at staying in bed, regardless of if they are sleeping are not (they are allowed to read, they don't have to stare at the ceiling).

Tonight we did piano lessons...I think this makes 3 weeks in a row...which is very good for us!  :-)

Friday's schedule - pick up pig meat at the butcher, drop off subs for my sister-in-law, go to the post office to get the mail....speaking of which, I think I could solve the postal service budget issues.  We live in a town with no mail delivery, to have the town address, we need to have a post office box...$42/year (for the smallest size box).  If rural boxes also cost $42/year, that would probably fix their budget....and cause a huge outcry from all of you who have been getting free delivery forever.  :-)

It is now Friday, right after lunch.  We got the pork, got Randy new boots, went to the post office, dropped off subs at my sister-in-law.  Now I need to get the house in order, do lots of laundry, and fit some boys' naps in there.  So, really do gotta run.  I'm leaving for a banquet tonight at 5:20 or so.  Thankfully my friend can babysit here and put the kids to bed for me.  Since Randy won't be able to make it, my sister-in-law is going along.  Should be fun!

Have a lovely weekend all!

Tuesday

And a beautiful Tuesday it is.  I love the fall colors.  A lot of leaves are down but there is still a colorful mix out there.  And it's sunny.  Wonderful.

Today was Zach's occupational therapy.  Tomorrow Mark has speech therapy.  Thursday is MOPS.  Friday night we have a banquet to attend and the kids have play practice for their play at church on Sunday.

Today starts National Adoption Month.  Sunday is Orphan Sunday.

I read assorted adoption blogs including this one which shows their kids' testimonies using "Cardboard Testimonies".

One of my favorite songs...

Very challenging...am I satisfied with God, his grace, my faith....regardless what life brings?  I will probably wrestle with the message of this song until the end of my life...