Our family was featured today on Blessed Beyond A Doubt! Please read about our journey to homeschooling and adoption.

Another Update on KatieJoy

We got word today that KatieJoy is still in the ICU, she is not stable enough to be moved to a regular room.On the positive side, she is breathing on her her own and we are so grateful to God for this good news!! We ask that you would pray for healing in her little body and that you would consider buying a t-shirt to help us bring her home!

T-Shirt Fundraiser

We are selling shirts to help bring KatieJoy home...

https://www.bonfirefunds.com/bringing-home-katiejoy

Surgery Update

We received word last Monday morning that KatieJoy was having surgery that day, which means that by the time the email got to us ( due to the time difference) she had already had the surgery. Being that this was a major heart surgery we were on pins and needles for the next two days. On Wednesday we got an email stating that her surgery went well and that she was recovering well but that that is all the doctors are wanting to say and now we must wait and pray. Not the most comforting words to hear but we were very thankful that she came through the surgery. We are continuing to praying for healing and strength for our little girl and we ask that you would please join us:)

"My Little Daughter"

Adoption is not JUST a journey in the rescuing of a child, it's so much more than that! It's a place where our self sufficiency collides with God's sovereignty and we find ourselves broken before a loving and gracious Father who breaks us and molds us and shapes us and takes us to the deep valleys  while over and over again assuring us of His unfailing love....I daily pray for faith like Jarius.."Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."  (Mark 5:21-22). This is the cry of my heart, that Jesus would lay his hands on KatieJoy's heart and heal her... that she too would be made well and live! This is where my faith has to step in and where my worry and fear must turn into praise and adoration. This is why adoption is a journey ... a story ... Not written by me but crafted by a Gracious Father...

Please commit to praying for us during this process.Pray for KatieJoy's upcoming surgery, pray for the paperwork to be handled quickly and for God to provide financially so that we can bring her home.

Christmas Traditions

I have always loved fancy place settings and china...yes, I know, expensive taste. There is just something about a pretty place setting that makes me want to put on a dress with a petticoat, of course, pretty white gloves and use my fanciest accent. ;) When I got married I was blessed with Christmas china my grandmother would give me each year until I had enough for my family and some guests. Well, these beautiful plates have always been stored on the highest shelf to keep my little ones AWAY from them. 

Now that my children are a little older I decided to dust off those plates, put on a fancy puffy dress (not really) and set my table with something very special from someone very dear to me. So, we have officially started a new family tradition...we will use these plates each night in December with all the fancy trimmings. ;)

This may sound silly to some, but to me it's not really about how pretty the plates are or how fancy the table looks, it's about creating memories with my family. In reality, it could be paper plates or a picnic in the living room, or a special night of Christmas movies and hot chocolate....its not about what you do but it's about taking the time to do something special for your family. :)

Adoption: Piece by Piece

****Please Help Us Finish Our Puzzle ****

UPDATE: We are trying to bring Katerina home from Bulgaria! She is a two year old little girl that is desperately in need of heart surgery. We are trying to get her home quickly in order to give her the best medical care possible! We are so excited  and we ask that you consider helping us by sponsoring a puzzle piece...   

We have reached a HUGE adoption milestone (well to us anyway) ...we have a completed Homestudy !!!!!!!! We are now working on our I-600A ( aka FBI fingerprints and paperwork that goes to our government).

Oh ya, did I mention we were approved for up to two children under the age of 8 and we agreed to a sibling group (if one is available)????

Can you tell we are excited?????????

So here is where we need your help. We are offering an opportunity for each of you to sponsor a puzzle piece where you would be able to have a message and your name written on it for ONLY $10.00 each.

The puzzle will be put together as people sponsor a piece and we will frame the puzzle (once complete) so our child/children can see all of the precious people who helped in bringing them home!!!

Quantity

1 Piece $10.00 USD 2 Pieces $20.00 USD 3 Pieces $30.00 USD 4 Pieces $40.00 USD 5 Pieces $50.00 USD

Message

Adoption Update and Opportunity

We have reached a HUGE adoption milestone (well to us anyway) ...we have a completed Homestudy !!!!!!!! We are now working on our I-600A ( aka FBI fingerprints and paperwork that goes to our government).

Oh ya, did I mention we were approved for up to two children under the age of 8 and we agreed to a sibling group (if one is available)????

Can you tell we are excited?????????

So here is where we need your help. We are offering an opportunity for each of you to sponsor a puzzle piece where you would be able to have a message and your name written on it for ONLY $10.00 each.

The puzzle will be put together as people sponsor a piece and we will frame the puzzle (once complete) so our child/children can see all of the precious people who helped in bringing them home!!!

Quantity

1 Piece $10.00 USD 2 Pieces $20.00 USD 3 Pieces $30.00 USD 4 Pieces $40.00 USD 5 Pieces $50.00 USD

Message

Johnny Appleseed Day

Today is John Chapman's (aka Johnny Appleseed) birthday! We decided that we would do a unit study on this legendary man ....

1st we started our day by sampling different kinds of apples 

There were some they loved and some ...well those got covered in cinnamon and sugar
and eaten as a yummy dessert!

Then we read a few books...

....and began coloring 

....and cutting 

...and pasteing

Then we paused for a yummy dessert

....Baked apples!

Then back to learning

and lapbooking

Then the kids ended their day with Apple Juice and the desire to not see
or smell apples in any form for a long long while :)

First Day of School 2013

Yesterday was our first day of school and we had a wonderful day.....

Enjoying Tom Sawyer

1st Day of Co-op 2013

We have been so incredibly blessed to be a part of an amazing,Christ-centered co-op this year. Today was our first day and we had a blast....I love how we started our morning off with a time of worship and prayer before the kids were dismissed for classes..

And of course, pictures were a must....

Summer Wrap Up 

Our Summer went by way too fast but I will be glad to get back into school mode come Monday! Yes I said Monday and I know what your probably thinking...isn't that a holiday?  Why yes it is but we wanted daddy to be able to join in the 1st day of school madness:) 

I thought I would kick off our school year with some summertime photos...

The kids learned how to make banana ice cream!

Playing in the rain...

..and yes I am THAT mom..

Painting the Summer days away....

Homeschooling Part 2

Curriculum ....Why is that such a scary word?  Well, probably because there are so many choices. So here is a rundown of what we use....


Every kid in our house around the age of 4 starts off using one of my favorite books ..

(this one has been "decorated")

Then they move on to the Handwriting Without Tears. These are fun and cheap books:)

Homeschooling

Lately I have had several people ask about homeschooling and how we do it...So I figured the best thing would be to blog about it.

WHY?

First let me address why we do it.

Let me start by saying that I never daydreamed of marrying young, being barefoot and pregnant and homeschooling my children. My plans were to have a career, have a couple of kids and live the American dream. You know the one where your house looks like a mansion, your car is spotless, the maid comes and cleans the house and you add these perfect little angels in to the mix somewhere and hope and pray that they would turn out ok?

Well, while that was my plan, God had a different plan for my life. While at Bible college I met my husband; who is a pastor ( the other thing I said I would never do...marry a pastor) and he had different ideas of what he wanted for our family. So he began to pray and I began to pray and seek wise counsel... and low and behold my husband got his way. Just Kidding...God had his way in my heart, and as he began to change my heart about my calling in life I began to see my life unfold so much differently than I had planned.

With the birth of our first son, my husband and I truly sensed a call on our life to homeschool and I am so glad we did.

Is it perfect? No, there are days that I feel like pulling my hair out. There are days that we are still schooling at dinnertime. There are days that all we get done is Bible or Math. There are those days when the dishes pile-up, the dryer isn't working and there is glue all over the place. But these are the days I am reminded that this is a calling from God, this is his will for our lives and we must be obedient.

As we enter into our 4th year of homeschooling, one thing remains the same...only through the Lord's grace and strength is educating our children at home even possible  If you were a fly on the wall at our house you would hear me walking around repeating this  " But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me".(2 Corinthians 12:9)

It's Been A While...

It has been a long while since my last blog post....and a lot has happened in the past 6 months or so!
The Lord has blessed us with an incredible new church which of course began with a big move..on Christmas Eve..yes, you read that right! But we wouldn't change it for anything! We love living here and we love our church family! The kids are doing karate at a local church and best of all its FREE! We are getting involved in a wonderful homeschool co-op and have met many other homeschool families.  We are SLOWLY adjusting to a much busier life while learning the importance of taking a day of rest. We are relishing in the goodness of God as we see Micah's healing from autism. We are seeing God at work in our adoption and we are asking God to strengthen our faith as we walk through these doors!