Owatonna Martial Arts Open....

The 7 oldest kids and I spent the day about an hour South of the cities competing in our first Martial Arts Tournament. It was a wonderful day for all of us and though the trophies and medals are tangible rewards, the best things are intangible and only a few would have even noticed them.

Our kids who are know for oppositional behaviors under stress were not - all day long they smiled. The one who panics and has anxiety attacks - didn't. Instead they sat and encouraged other kids while waiting patiently for their turn. One who usually is hyper tender-hearted was able to not cry and not once did I need to threaten anyone with anything. Wow. In my world this has been an A+ day. I feel like today was a test for them and they passed with flying colors!

Another positive for us was the friendly and Christ centered focus of the event. The competition was real but there was none of the nasty attitude that we saw at the last tournament. We didn't know about the public faith side of the day until Master Torabpour closed out his opening comments in prayer. Through out the day Master Torabpour was happy, engaged, watchful and in his element keeping all 6 rings moving forward and everyone focused on what was important. I feel richer for having spent this day under his encouragement.

The team with a case full of trophies and medals. I was coach today, good thing too, John's uniform had a bad run-in with a crayon this week so he needed to wear mine to compete in. Scary that mine fits him! Jesse chilling with his new friend. I was amazed that he chose to wear his helmet most of the afternoon. Maybe it helped cut down the noise and therefore the external auditory stimulation. Hummm.....think I could get him to wear it for school?

Leah throwing a round kick (in the blue helmet.) There were no others in her belt/age category so she competed against more advanced belts and held her own well.

Josh - four hours into the morning. Notice the clear eyes and happy disposition. It was great to see.

Lydia and Noel touching bats before thrashing it out for first and second place in sword sparring. Both fought well.

Photos of Life This Week....

Jerry inspecting the harvest pumpkins and Jesse supervising. (This is as far as we get into Halloween and we tie the carving into the settler story of two girls scaring off an Indian raid with lit jack-o-lanterns.)
Lily, Lydia and daddy scooping out the pumpkins.

Lydia and Lily demonstrating how to share an apple.

Jerry just wanted to play in the pumpkin guts. Wow was that fun!

Dr. J with the gang. On Tuesday she did their 10 physicals in one fell swoop and we will be done with our part of the home study update on Friday. Then we wait for the Adam Walsh and our home study can be approved.

The Lines Have Fallen in Pleasant Places....

The lines have fallen in pleasant places.
No longer is my life or my children threatened
by desperate men.
I do not watch for developing danger as the little ones play in the yard.
Ever vigilant, one ear to the street.

At night the neighbors fights are not the background for my prayers,
and there is no baseball bat near my pillow.
No shots fired....in years?
No guns even seen in as long.

The police are our friends and special protectors, as are the men of the press.
The politicians know us and respect our opinions.

The lines have fallen in pleasant places.
We are known and loved in the church -
no longer a freak show we are accepted and approved.
And when we speak others listen.

I know where to buy bread and meat,
and have systems organized to manage every aspect
of the our life and school.

The weight of our home is gone,
nothing is caving in or about to fall down.
From worn out to beautiful it has been transformed.

The lines of our life have fallen in pleasant places
are we growing soft and weak?
Are we losing our saltiness because the battle is not in our face?
Have we become more focused on comfort than suffering and hidden our light under the ease?
Is it time to embrace a shift in the lines that define our life?
Is it time?

Orphan Sunday Events....

Orphan Sunday is November 8th and our church is hosting a live link to the National Event at the Downtown Bethlehem Baptist site from 4-6pm. I can't wait and hope the whole crew is healthy enough to go! If you are in areas besides the Twin Cities, follow the link above to find a church close to you that is hosting the event and if there is none why not sponsor it yourself?

November is National Adoption Month......

I love November, our first adoption was in November and each time it rolls around we look for ways to advocate for and be involved with the local adoption movement. So far we are representing the MICAH FUND by staffing a ministry table at church, attending the Metro Women's Center Annual Fundraiser, attending the Gift of Adoption Gala as a sponsored family and trying to figure out ways to get to the MOFAS annual meeting on the same night as MWC event. Adoption is important - spread the word.

Each One Adopted - What Would it Take?

Jason Kovacs over at the Abba Fund blog wrote an amazingly simple mathematical equation over at the blog last week. Basically he took the number of orphans in the world, the number of professing Christians and figured out how many of those Christians would need to adopt to give every orphaned child a family.

How many do you think? 80%, 50%, 30% nope, how about 6%?! The argument here isn't that only Christians should adopt, but that it really is a number within reach. Add in all of the potential adoptive parents in the world and it looks even easier. I don't think that there is any need for children to grow up without families. No reason at all.

Quote of the Weekend From Our House....

Grade school child to Dad: "What is Infant Formula?"
Dad to child: "That's what you use to make babies."

Now we know where they all come from!

Prayer Request For My Mom....

My mom (Susan) is in her second month of breast cancer related chemo out in Seattle. It's been a really hard week for her with a fever induced infection that landed her in the hospital at the start and now extreme pain from gall stones that has sent her back for surgery. I am thankful that my sister is there to keep us up to date and help as she is able.

Dried Fruit to Share....

Today at the bread store I scored a 25 pound box of diced dried fruit medley. Even a family our size will need help consuming this treasure. Would anyone local like a large ziploc of it to toss in oatmeal, add to breads, mix into stuffing, snack on or ? Here us the description from the Traina site.


"Baker’s Fruit Medley
A colorful blend of California grown sun dried ¼˝ diced pears, peaches, nectarines and apricots blended with golden and dark raisins and dried cranberries. Versatile Baker’s Fruit Medley is an ideal ingredient in bakery applications and for use in grain dishes. Add Fruit Medley to finishing sauces, granolas, chutneys and trail mix to create a signature item quickly. "

Don't be shy about speaking up - we love to share this type of treasure!

Are We Talking About a Child Here?

The problem with being very open about our life and adoption is that it seems to give many people an unusual sense of freedom to express their opinions about our life choices. Which isn't a problem for me (I have a pretty thick skin) but it is fascinating to listen objectively to others criticism.

With the announcement of our 'expecting' #11 some friends and family have launched into lectures on what they see as the problems with the social systems in this country, the irresponsibility of the working poor (really? this seems a responsible decision to me), and the fact that we 'don't have to take them all' (I heartily agree - the more of us that adopt the better!)

Interestingly, the one thing that no one has expressed concern over is if we will be able to parent the baby well or if C is making a good decision in choosing to place her baby with us. Which is the real issue here isn't it? This isn't a 'maybe' discussion about unplanned pregnancies and birth control in America - we are talking about a fully formed 2 or 3 pound child that would survive and thrive if born today. It's also not about 'choice' or options (ok - only one decision at this point - parent or not ) but it's sure not a discussion about abortion.

Truth is, I am happy to talk philosophy of adoption, social issues in America and the plight of the urban poor - but certainly not as the basis for judging or valuing the life of C's child. Never. And I might just get a little surly if anyone else trys to judge this unborn child by their own philosophy of what should change in America. Surly for sure.

So Happy I Would Wag My Tail if I Was a Dog.....

I'm so happy I am dancing (since I am not a dog. ) After watching Mr O and Pitbull compete last month my kiddos have been itching to try out their TKD skills in the competition arena. But please, when you start looking at 8 of us competing at $50 a person the reality of the situation is half of a months mortgage payment. Not likely to happen in this pre-baby season now is it?

Saturday we found a flyer advertising a tournament a few hours South of here, on a Saturday (most are on Sundays which is hard) and they have a family rate! Before I got too excited I called the organizers and explained that our family would have 8 competitors and asked if we could still pay only the lower family rate of a TOTAL of $110 and they said absolutely. Yeah Wahooo....I am one happy mommy. Yogurt and TKD deals all in the same week!

(p.s. this is a photo of John before he moved up to Green belt this summer - he is thrilled that I am letting him compete with these nasty sharp tools on Halloween - which are called Kamas and have cut his brothers hands before.)

Memory: One Of The FASD Challenges...

Teaching kids with FASD is tiring for everyone. The kids get frustrated, the teachers get exasperated and some days no one has any fun at all. When you homeschool I think it's both easier and harder. Easier because we don't have to play catchup all the time with "what happened at school today," harder because there is never a break from that reality.



Today I have been working extra hard with one of my kids on memory issues. Not in the normal realm of having a hard time memorizing a poem or multiplication table but in the disabling reality of if you raise your eyes from the page when you are doing math you can't find your place again because you truth is that you have forgotten what you were doing before you moved your eyes.



Just imagine - being ADHD and therefore highly distractable, add in an inability to go back to where you were on the page before you looked up and the social expectation that you should be able to. To compound the problem there are holes in your memory so you can't remember what you just read and find that place - it is gone before you even reach the end of the line regardless of if you lifted your eyes or not. Shoot all this makes reading 10 times harder than usual for everyone involved.



As an experiment, I have let them read the same sentence several times in a row to see how long it would take them to 'catch' on to the fact that they have read it before. They didn't, time after time they struggled over the same 5 words and never 'caught' the fact that they were repeating until I pointed it out. It's not that bad everyday but there are some when there is just no short term memory - zilch, zero, blank.

So what do we do? Take it one day at a time, one issue at a time, one tear filled school session at a time, until we find the way to plant each important concept into a place where it can stick and move on to the next one. Some days is it overwhelmingly exhausting, but I know that these kids are worth the investment even if they never learn to find their place on a page once they look up.

Because these things are not the measure of their worth - not by a far shot.

Why Yes - There is a Six Year Old In The Trunk of My Car....

And the banging? That is just him letting me know he has found the leak in the back of the Neon. Wow! Does he love homeschool first grade - its exciting...and feels dangerous even if it is not. ( Be assured he was not 'locked' in the trunk. The rear seat was down and he was laying over it peering into the trunk to watch for the water access points. But I did let him stay in while I ran the hose over the car....Boy heaven!)

Yogurt on Sale in Minneapolis!

Rainbow in the Quarry had their name brand low fat yogurt 10/$1.00 for the 6 oz strawberry last night! I picked up about 240 for Pam and I (at 12 a siting they wont last long) the expiration date is 10/19 but I can work with that. :) I'm headed back for more this am - we are down 30 already....

Question of the Day - Almost Ashamed to Answer it!

My friend Heather asks lots of fun questions in our email dialogues. Here is one she asked this week.

"In light of our current health dilemma (they have h1N1 going through the household) I've been doing some thinking about how large families help and prevent illness and wondered if there is anything you do? How you manage illness - do you try to manage most things at home? how do you decide when a child needs medical care? what kinds of vitamins or other home things do you try to help your kids when they are ill? I've noticed that life has changed (and I wish I had a medical degree instead of an education one most days) and we need to manage a lot more at home than before when we had just 1 or 2 kids."

It's a great question and one that reflects the larger question of medical paradigms and large families. I am thinking of two that I love which are the polar opposites on this issue. The first is very careful not to be around ill people, uses separate cups, toothpaste etc (all the time) and makes strong use of medical intervention (immunizations, antibiotics and office visits.) The second is their opposite with no immunizations, herbal remedies only, drinking from the common cup, toothbrushes stored together and they are not worried about contact with normally ill people. Dr visits for family 2 are only for emergencies - is it broken or does it need stitches and for ongoing issues when holistic treatment hasn't resolved the issue. Both families have a wide range of ages and having known them both for 9+ years have about the same incidence of illness. (Another good PHD topic!)

I didn't include us in that comparison because we are fairly unique in our composition (10 kids 13 and under) which means we are hyper exposed to everything that is out there. Part of the equation is that we have 7 that have their hands in their mouths constantly, so germs spread quickly through the family. Our current theory is that if one gets it we should all get it to that we are done with whatever it is. My nightmare is the 'rolling' flu where one starts it and then for the next two months every 7-10 days someone else pops up with it sequentially. (The spring when I was pregnant with James we spent almost 2 months passing the flu around - it became hysterical because we didn't know I was expecting and we were stumped by the fact that I was throwing up every morning but fine later in each day! Of course my 'cure' was discovered in time.)

When we get an illness we are good about hydrating with water and juice, and eating lots of raw foods and yogurts. We do use our insurance more often than family #2 but I think less than family #1 - truth is that if we go into the office we are likely to pick up whatever the 'next thing' is so I weigh that potential in with any office visit. I would guess we wait about 24 hours longer to go into the office for routine illness than we did when we had a smaller family.

As far as supplementing with vitamins and herbs. Adding in anything (even when we are not sick) is tiresome and I admit that we don't get beyond calcium, multivitamin and extra c very often. Not because we don't want to, but with 12 people a 100 count of anything lasts about a week and the cost is prohibitive. I will head out today and pick up my favorite (from the 70's) 500 count chewable vitamin C with rose hips to help their bodies fight whatever is out there this week, but beyond that? I would rather we bring on the illness early in the season so that we don't spend Christmas week on the couches and so maybe we will be healthy by the time new baby arrives. So there you go - we know we will be sick and we try to do it together. Not very scientific but it keeps me sane.

Facial Characteristics and FASD.....

This is the best FASD facial characteristic link I have ever seen - they show how FASD can 'look' in people of different ethnicity's and go through some of the less known indicators. There were indicators here that I didn't know - especially the ear one.

Anyone Know the Perfect Family?

One by one God brings specific orphaned children into our scope of vision and we either adopt them, support them, pray for them or search diligently to help them find their forever homes. I guess in truth we pray over all of them - but the other options adopt/support/network vary depending on how we are led with each child.

A new child has been introduced to our family today - one we are not able to adopt - but who we are now praying for and willing to help find his forever family. Are you, or someone you know that family?

Here is what I can share on the blog ( email or post a comment if you are interested and I can put you in contact with the one who has loads more information and has actually adopted his sister.) R is in Northern Europe, he is 6 years old (born in 2003) and has CP. He looks to be doing well at learning to walk and is in danger of being moved into a large institution for handicapped adults and older children. I can't say much more in this public forum but the missionaries who are in charge of his care right now are committed to praying that his forever family would step forward in faith and he would not be lost into their countries invisible world of the disabled. Please pray with us that the right families heart would be moved to pursue him soon and that he would become someones treasured child.

What Would You Do Your Thesis On?

Robert is always joking that I need to go back to school and finish my graduate work with a PHD . I did my Masters but we moved to MN and started a family before I could commit to further school. One of the games we play is called "If I was working on my PHD my thesis would be ....." as you can tell we are pretty easily amused around here if this is the type of conversations we have.

This weeks answer to "If I was going to choose a thesis today..." is an analysis into the generational effects of FASD on the minority populations in America - specifically African American and Native American.

But why this topic? Looking at the generations we have here in our community I can see the effects of alcohol following from the grandparents to the parents to the kids who are now having babies as teens. As I watch the interventions of Headstart, ECFE, DSHS, the police and the public schools I see dismal failure across the board with these groups and wonder if the actual damage is done prenatally by alcohol and that no matter how much money and effort we invest after the fact we are only doing damage control because the issue is back in the womb, not in the home environment or the cultural social structure.

Of course if might be difficult to find a professor to support me in this research and funding might be a tad tight as it is not a very politically correct question to ask because it implies that babies can receive irreparable brain damage by their mothers choosing to consume alcohol while pregnant. Which sounds really bad when I type it doesn't it? It rings true, but we don't know how to step out and stop the abuse with getting into the realm of abortion and that whole mess. But I believe that if I went to MOFAS, NOFAS and other groups that are made up of people who live with the long term affects of alcohol on unborn children the money might just surface.

So...if you were going to start your thesis today what topic would you choose?

Another Great Gift From My Husband....

I am the maintenance person in our household. It just happens that spending 24/7 within these four walls gives me a pretty clear picture of what is breaking, wearing or falling apart and the motivation to take care of those petty maintenance issues ASAP so that I don't wake up one morning and find myself buried.

A few weeks ago Robert agreed to budget in $100 a month to hire Weldon to come check off some of those crazy 'I just can't get to them' projects as well as a few of the fluffy ones that just make life easier.

I'm plotting already. In October he came and replaced two light switches, rehung a door and worked on that endless roof problem. In November we will need to put the ceiling back together in the boys porch that I tore out in my desperate attempt to see where the leak was happening and I found a place in the office where the plaster has disintegrated and it needs to be gutted out and patched with sheet rock. Nice....it almost feels done to have it on the WB list on my fridge.

December will be the most fun so far. On 12/1 I am going to ask him to go pick up the Washer/Dryer at the police evidence warehouse and install them (they are not mine until 12/1 but no one has claimed them yet and it's been 4.5 months so the chance are pretty good they will still be there.) If they are claimed I am sure that there will be plenty of other things on my list for him to tackle.

Parenting Kids With FASD: Two Things Moms Need to Hear....

It's hard to parent kids with any version of FASD and for many women it is a very lonely journey through life. The two things I hear most often from other moms are 'tell me I'm not crazy- assure me that I am not just a bad mom' and 'remind me to love my them and not battle against what they can not be.' Both seem simple in type - but in the heat of the moment we often forget the truths we stand on.

After all, God built our families on purpose, perfect for His plans, and in order to demonstrate His strength through our weakness. So maybe I am a bad mom and I am sure I can't love well on my own. But I also know that we are all in this journey together - pressing on toward the end and encouraging each other to love our kids in Christ and to trust our hearts in our parenting - we are not crazy.

'Expecting' in Adoption.......

Announcing you are ‘expecting’ with adoption is sort of awkward. After all, when we announce we are pregnant it is generally understand that at a calculated date in the next 8 months or so a baby will most likely come to term and become a part of the family. Barring miscarriage, still birth and terminal birth defects there is most likely a baby in your future.

When ‘expecting’ via adoption all of those factors are real plus a few more which are also totally out of our control. There is the painful decision that must be made to place a child for adoption, choosing an adoptive family (or not), followed by the long weeks and months until the baby is delivered and the signing of paperwork regarding the relinquishment. After that there is a predetermined waiting period when minds can be changed and the whole plan is disrupted.

So….when people ask me how ‘sure’ we are that #11 is going to join our family I can’t really give a solid answer. I am sure that we are willing to bring him/her home and that we will be thrilled to include them in our family. I can say that we are moving forward with our homestudy so that we can be prepared if that happens and that we are investing ourselves emotionally in this little one. I can also say that we are praying that it will be a safe pregnancy and that this child will be safely delivered – regardless of who's home they grow up in.

Winter Storm Warning ..........

Crazy - October 12th and it's been snowing since 4am. It continues to fall and we are under a National Weather Service Winter Storm Warning until 4:00pm. The girls want to know if we can decorate the house yet....they are thinking Christmas tree and twinkle lights.

Happy Gotcha-Day Jerry.....

A year ago last week we met Jerry for the first time. He was a cheerfull toddler who had spent his first 10 months in loving private foster care and was about to leave a warm peaceful life in Alabama for a chilly kid filled one in Minnesota. He was confused but bonded well with us because he had been so deeply loved by the B family. (Thank you again B's for loving him with your whole hearts!)

Looking back at Jerry's first year the quiet stability of Anna's home was exactly what he needed to help his damaged body to grow. Since we brought him home he has been diagnosed with what was written on his face at birth - prenatal brain damage and developmental issues due to maternal alcohol use. (Alcohol Related Developmental Disorder) We knew about the diagnosis before the specialists labeled it because he looks so similar to the other beautiful FASD faces in our home so there was no surprise.

The surprise comes as we enjoy the wonderful little guy for who he is, even as we are secure in the knowledge of why some things are harder for him to do or understand. Since he isn't our first child with this type of disability we can treasure these toddler years for what they are and not grieve what they are not. There are no dreams of the 'perfect' family to shatter and no parenting paradigms to painfully shift. We are free to love and appreciate him without all of the disappointments that hidden disabilities can bring. Not that we have 'made it' as parents, but we have learned to embrace the day, the child, and the reality of our life rather than giving in to the despair of our own shattered dreams.

Here is Jerry today - strong and capable. A positive child (that is my dad's polite way of saying head strong) handsome and loving. He shows a servants spirit and is highly organized in how he wants his world to look - beware the sibling who moves his cup before he is done with it! Jerry is a blessing, a treasure and a joy to all of us. Our family would be incomplete without him.

Don't Be Offended For My Sake....

People use socially wrong words in talking about our family all the time. It's 'ok' - we are each human and it gives me the opportunity to practice grace on a regular basis.

As those who love us - please don't be offended for my sake when others use politically incorrect or socially insensitive terms to describe us. It doesn't bother me personally and I feel very little need to correct them - especially when I take the time to see the heart behind the comments. After all - how often do I use the wrong words and end up offending when my intention is the opposite?

Pain in Adoption...

There is a whole heck of a lot of pain in adoption. For the child, the birth family and the adoptive parents it frequently turns into a life-long path of suffering. Not that suffering is altogether bad - but very few of us chose to go as deep as it takes us.

Hear us and believe us when we say it hurts.

Nothing to Say About This....

I just think October 10th is a tad bit early to see temps in the 20's - don't you?

One Strange Week.- And it's Only Wednesday!

It's an odd one for sure. Both good and hard mixed and a heavy dose of caffeine swirled in to help me keep an even keel. I think a number system might work best for keeping track of what's happening.....

First: For those who track my health concerns - my mammogram came back clear today. Yeah! The on-call doctor from the Breast Center called and was very happy with the three year comparison to my other scans - no need for any more visits right now.

Second: My new friend Samuel. Unfortunately he and I met when his racing bike and our Neon collided right down off Lake Street last Saturday. Let's pray over him as he needs surgery for a broken wrist and all the complications that this can bring to an active university student. A new arena of insurance for me to deal with also - how are these bills and expenses covered?

Third: Well that whole baby #11 thing started us off on an odd foot Monday night.

Fourth: Several strange realities that are not mine to share details on yet - but that need my attention and energy.

I guess that's all so far. Aside from a strange series of 'poop' related incidents with Joe that have me stumped. He has accidents and then comes and hands them to you. This is a new one to me and he is so quiet that sometimes he just puts the mess on the chair next to you and walks away. Imagine my surprise to sit in it, put my hand in it or whatever. He is one funny kiddo.

Needs Met.....and Needs (wants) Still Outstanding..

What a fun day. Snow is forecast for Friday night (think we will get it first E?) so I took the high road and pulled out the bins today. In the end we turned up short only one pair of boots (out of 12!) and one winter coat. Jesse was the one in need of boots so I took him up to the Unique after lunch and he got to pick out a new pair for $5.95. Yeah.....then we found a really nice 2006 infant car seat in brown and blue (does that mean #11 is a boy?) and best of all a locking lightweight medicine drawer for the kitchen for $3.95.

What a great trip to the thrift store - so many needs met for under $20. At home I spent a few delicious minutes fantasy shopping through the new Hannah Anderson catalogue for newborn things...I think I spent about $500 there but it was a fantasy so no harm done.

In the real world there are a few things I am looking for in case anyone is sending them off to Goodwill and could divert them this way..... of course we have no idea what gender this baby is yet but the newborn bin is completely empty. Here is the list off the top of my head and yes, I have turned into a baby gear/clothing connoisseur - it's just been my life for the past 13 years!


-Bobux or Robeez in 0-6 month size
-Bouncy seat
-Swing (one of the low ones because of the twin terrors - are they called table top?)
-size 50 or 60 Hannah's (might as well ask :)
-waterproof fabric changing pads
-Bottles
-Clothing (we have some newborn girl things - thanks Andi!)

(It's only Thursday AM - 15 hours later and four of the things on the wish list have already been promised - thanks guys!)

Sue's Question on Large Family Adoption....

Yesterday Sue commented and asked one of the questions I hear most often.....
"...Could you address how you are able continuing to adopt with such a large family? Is it because this baby is a bio sibling? Do you mostly adopt from the foster care system? We have 5 bios and have have a hard time finding an agency here in the states that would accept us...."

It's a very real problem for larger families. Some states won't approve interstate for big families (effectively blocking an adoption) there are specific agencies which have random family size limits and some programs rank adoptive families lower because they 'have children already.' The particular child we are taking about for #11 is a bio sibling to one we are already parenting so it sort of side stepped the issue this time. But in some of our other adoptions it has been a real concern.

In general we can't adopt through foster care because of the size of our house and the number of children we have under Kindergarten so all of our adoptions have been through private agencies. With them our game plan is to be on the 'offensive' when we are starting to network (in the situations where we don't already have a referral) I call and email ones that I am familiar with and which seem to have a need for multi-racial adoptive families. Once I have contact with a social worker or agency director I spend time quizzing them on their policies and procedures long before we ever apply to their programs.

Many agencies have strange rules. Policies on alcohol, divorce, spanking (for and against), number of children, size of home, income, number of children under school age (how does that affect anything when we homeschool?), church affiliation, race, medical requirements, fertility requirements etc.... some of them are pretty crazy and many have offered to 'accommodate' us or 'bend' a rule after they realize we are a serious adoptive family that is committed to at risk kids.

The good news is that God is building these big families not us and He isn't regulated by human policies about family size. Don't despair Sue, keep praying and seeking out the agency that is the right fit - if you are called to adopt the door will open somewhere.

I Just Love How God Works in Our Adoptions.....

Crazy week so far. Monday just before I took the call that let us know #11 was on the way, Robert was meeting with his boss over an ongoing back pay issue. He was disappointed in the number that was offered UNTIL we realized that it will cover all but $15 of the costs to update our home study! Isn't God's timing cool?

Now I'm immersed in the details of a fast home study update. 12 physicals, 4 notarized references, a mountain of paperwork, and the necessary meetings will happen over the next few weeks. Next Tuesday our social worker is coming for the first visit and we will be sure to get the fingerprint cards ready for her then because that is the part we can not control.

Once we are done updating there will be that brief (or not so brief) window before the baby is born when we can apply for grants to help cover the costs. For those of you who track and pray over numbers I think we are looking at about $14,000 more. Scary, but we are talking about a little ones life so it's a commitment we are willing to shoulder.

All I Want for Christmas......

For those of you who really know me you can guess what this post is about. For the rest of you it might be a new joke or insight into our life. For many years all I have had on my Christmas list was a new Bible and a new baby. The Bible was required because there is always a toddler in the house testing out those cool crinkly pages and the new baby was on the list because God put it into our hear that that was the special gift He was preparing for us. For eight years those were the two items on the list, some times they came early and others a month or two late but always, always they both arrived.

This year I was thinking about something different. After all, my Bible is intact (a new zipper cover has protected it from both Jerry and Joe) and we haven't even begun discussing a new baby because we are paying off the updating work to the second floor. I was thinking maybe of something decadent like the eucalyptus scented soap and lotion from Bath and Body works or some cool new socks.

Which I am sure made God laugh.
I think this time around Jesse was right on track with God's heart for our family. His statement last week about being 'disturbed' at our lack of a baby rang true in our hearts but didn't motivate us toward making any calls.

The call came to us instead.

At the Evil Hour today (when all toddlers fall into fit's because dinner is not-quite-ready) the phone rang and it was our adoption agency director. The short of it is that we are 'expecting' #11, a full biological sibling to one of our other children in December or January.
Which made all of us laugh.
It's another Surprise Child - Another unexpected gift from God which makes my Christmas list all the easier to write doesn't it?

Winner of the Best Comment Award.....

Elli wrote this comment in response to our little deodorant incident last week. She wins the "Best Comment Award" for this week - I needed a little laugh on a Monday morning. Thanks Elli!

"And, to let you know, if your son decides to suck the green gunk off the rocks at the bottom of the fish tank, especially right in the middle of when you had to clean it because a fish died. Even when the fish had been dead for a few days because you were busy delivering the next little boy, even when he had a good long suck on the green gunk because you were busy nursing that new little boy... it is not poisonous. Even when your son lands in ER for chills, rolled up eyes, and unresponsiveness, it was not poisonous. It is only food poisoning from bad seafood.

Yup. Happened to us. Kept poison control and one grandma and one ER nurse and one pet shop busy for hours trying to find the answers to those questions"

Praying For Rain From The East.....

It's been 30 days....maybe 35 since I packed up the tools on our last major project. Last night I started in on the next one - the 9 year mystery roof leak. The problem I face is that the leak only happens a few times a year when storms blow in from the East and hit the front corner of the house. Proactively I have pulled out part of the paneled ceiling on that room and am attempting to recreate a storm from the East with the garden hose. No luck so far - but maybe if we pray for rain...specifically rain from the East. I would love to solve this particular household problem as then we can start thinking about turning the space into a second bedroom for the boys. There are 6 of them after all!

Making Room For Darth Vader in Our Homeschool....

I'm committed to this being a better week for school. I pulled up this photo to remind myself what we are all about. Not checking off lists, sitting in silent rows or covering a set amount of materials - those are the measures of success that many of my children are unable to achieve, and a wall that I can endlessly bang my head against.

Instead we are turning back to seeking God, loving deeply, laughing often and delighting in the way each child has been made in His image. I will allow my boys come to math lessons fully armed, my girls to set up dolls or stuffed horses alongside their handwriting and Joe may bring as many hot wheels as he can carry to family devotions. I do draw the line at Jerry carrying around the broom - he is dangerous and uses it for jousting the other children. But overall I am looking forward to a week finding our natural rhythm again not the unnatural one I tried to enforce last week. I am sure that there will be room for both Darth Vader and Admiral Hornblower at the table along with princesses in ball gowns and a the ever present Evil Porcupine.

Two Days Later: The Maisy Update.....

Wow - what a difference two days can make in a little girls life! Tonight Maisy was perky, playful and seemed to have a low level of pain. Pretty amazing considering what her body has been through over the past 5 days. That cute row of hearts on her tummy is where the surgery's were preformed and they moved her out of the PICU and into the special ward today. Go Maisy!

The Official Worst First Week of School .........

We have been homeschooling since John started Kindergarten and this was hands down the worst first week of school ever. Lot's of factors contributed to the mess - I was halfway through the families fall clothing changeover, the weather shifted 40 degrees and started raining, there were several maintenance emergencies and I simply forgot who my kids are.

In a normal world there are a few bumps with the major shift from summer to fall - in our house it can be horrific. Within our crew one kid can't take any unexpected event ( what is that chart on the wall with my NAME on it?!!!! What does it mean?!!! I Can't no NEVER! OHHHH...OHHHHH..OHHHHHH!) three others with serious impulse control issues (stop grabbing, biting, touching - where is my coffee?!) not to forget the one who is only happy when everything is in total chaos - the recipe wasn't good to kit the year running. And that was what I tried. What was I thinking?

Good news is that after a fatal Thursday (bad enough that I was dreaming of the school bus taking 7 of them away) I made a Caribou escape and 'remembered' how to do school at our house over an extra tall Mocha. Cheap therapy at $3.95 and Friday was the day Monday should have been. Flexible, relaxed, loose, adaptive, fun....these are the words my kids need applied to their days. Not chart, requirement, grade, page number or checklist. If we keep homeschooling through Jerry there are only 17 more 'first weeks' to go - hopefully I will remember the lessons of this week. More dishwasher repair lessons and pink footie jammies, fewer wall charts and lesson plans.

Please tell me...

Please tell me that the living room light shorting out this morning had nothing to do with the second floor roof leaking and running down into the front floor porch last night. Please.....I'm already up to my elbows in catch up maintence from this summer.

Does Anyone Need Duocal.....

I have aquired (the neighbor was going to throw it away so it is saved from the landfill!) 11 unopened cans of 14 oz powdered Duocal in the pink can. The expiration is 2010 and they are still in the sealed cases. Can anyone use it? I think the street value is about $250 and I hate to see it go to waste!