stuck at 26

I started a project to help change the way we look at things and think around the house. The last few days we have begun a list of things we are thankful for or "what makes you happy?". Wednesday we did 1-10. Thursday 11-20. Today we got stuck on 26. It was our oldest' turn. She froze. Seconds stretched through uncomfortable silence. Eventually we moved on to others. She later came up with a couple after we gave some examples of things others are thankful for. Its a bit of an indictment towards me that perhaps I don't portray a lifestyle of gratitude enough. I hope I can find ways to lead them to thankfulness, to see beauty in so many things that there is no need for a pause except to pick which one to mention first.

morning view

Last night Sarah and I stayed up late trying to get the school room ready for the year. We moved around desks and experimented with various arrangements. One point of debate was over a small couch that has been in the garage for about a year. I wasn't too thrilled about bringing it back in but it did seem necessary. We finally came up with an arrangement that in the end we both liked. Actually, it was quite nice. This morning Caelan woke up early and was in awe as she came down the stair looking at the new room. The two of us sat on that couch and watched the wet leaves drip, highlighted by the sunrise. She loved how it sparkled and how it looked like it was raining when the wind blew. I think it's going to be a nice spot.

a great day off

Last week on my day off I decided to take the younger ones out while Sarah was doing school with the older ones. It created a perfect morning. We went to the nature center and Caelan, Trevor, and Callia were in terrific moods and excited about everything. We walked the long trails and enjoyed every little thing along the way. I wish I would make things like that happen more often.

little tyler

"Little Tyler drew on the sink and toilet" Trevor says as he comes out of the bathroom with a black crayon in his hand. "Really?" I said, "I didn't see him." Trevor says, "he came in really fast shweww." Little Tyler is a 3 year old from church. Trevor was giving a pretty convincing argument but the evidence seemed a bit overwhelming.

more than a number

Callia is child number 7 in our family. Many people mention how they cannot imagine having 7 kids. It's funny, when I'm rolling around on the floor with her or she is attacking me with kisses or we are spinning around to the music with our hands above our heads, she is not a number, she is Callia, a most precious gift. Some cannot imagine life with a number 7. I cannot imagine life without - her.

a long pause

Sigh...breathe. Obedience is an interesting process. God asks, we answer and there are many stories along the way. In early 2007 we felt our hearts being moved toward adoption. We understood the great need for adoptive families and decided we should move forward with the process knowing that there would be many opportunities for God to say no. He never said no, but continually made Himself obvious along the way. In the fall of 2007 we were selected as the adoptive family for Rosie, David, and Kenzie. We had visits, February 15, 2008 they moved in, and the adoption was finalized September 3, 2008. In the last few months we realized that during that process we were very inward focused (not in a bad way, but because we had to be) and now that they have been with us more than a year we feel like we are coming back into the open again. It has been interesting to see how God has blessed our ministry and many other areas in that time when we had so much to focus on at home. So, I would like to kick back into gear with this blog and share some of our stories.

the statue

Since before Sarah & I were married she has mentioned that she would some day like to have this statue that sat outside her grandmother's house. Well here it is sitting in our flowerbed. It's one of those rare moments when a husband gets to make a wish come true.