our dozen beautiful feet

Seems like our family moves a lot. I think I counted once that in 8 years of marriage, Paul and I have lived in 11 different houses.  Somethings' not right about that. But I never take pictures of how our Christmas decorations transform the house.  Who knows if we'll live here next year for Christmas, so I figured I'd like to remember what this house  looks like all  spruced up for Christmas.  Paul and I think having the Christmas tree up makes us lazy.  We just want to sit around all day and look at it, drinking apple cider and eating caramel corn. : )  Love the season of Christmas, and all that it means!  In this picture you can see our countdown to Christmas/Ethiopia chain.  Only one ring difference! :)

For the past few weeks (since November 11th, when our file was submitted for a court date), I've been wondering all about what our court date will be, when it will be, how it will all happen, how long it will take to hear, all these things.  I knew it was possible  that we would get a date in December, but I didn't expect it.  I knew it was possible  that we'd hear by the end of this week, but I didn't expect it. Then last week, I heard from a family that I lived with before I was married.  This family is very dear to me, and I haven't seen them in several years. They became like second parents, and little brothers and sisters to me.  They wrote to tell me that of all things, they would be in Ethiopia the end of December, any chance we'd be there too?  Well, I knew there was a chance, but also knew it wasn't a very big one. I spent a few days talking over all of these little details with God, telling him the desires of my heart.  God, how bad...

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday!  Right as we put the kids to bed, we received an email telling us that we had been given a court date of December 30th!  I'll write in the next post about all the details of this that are amazing, but for now, just wanted to say, we're going to Ethiopia next month!! AAA! : )

I have so much to be thankful for this year.  This has been one incredible year in our family, and it's not quite over yet.  I think back to last Thanksgiving and how adoption was just something out there we'd do at some point in the near future.  That seems so long ago!  So much has happened since then. I am thankful to be adopted by God into his eternal family. I am thankful that He offers an intimate relationship to his children, allows us to come to him with anything and everything, cares about all our heart aches. I'm thankful that I can trust him with things that are weighing my heart about life, my children, my husband, school, because really, we're all HIS children, and most of it is much bigger than anything I can fix. I'm thankful I can leave things in his mighty, holy, perfect hands and trust that he will take care of it when he sees fit. I am thankful for my husband. I know I'm not easy to live with.  I'm stubborn, strong-willed, argumentati...

This is week 2 in a study of Ancient Greece.  Paul was teacher last week, so I came in halfway through, not really having a clue what was going on. : ) This week, we spent a lot of time on math skills with Luke.  Kiryn is loving her handwriting book, and is really enjoying the Raceway book from Sing, Spell, Read and Write.  Here's some pictures of them doing their skill work this week. Love that I told him to halve these shapes, and he felt compelled to write "I love you Mommy" at the top. : ) Learning to do vertical, double digit math.  Kiryn enjoying her math work.  Levi enjoying the white board.  Luke doing some of his history reading and writing. And I thought surely Kiryn would wait to start decorating her vowels until she was ten or eleven years old.  Nope.  She's 4.  And all those are pretty little eyes, she said.  It's innate in girls. I for sure didn't teach her this. : ) This week, we studie...

Once again, Daddy was on this week.  Our business handicraft center needed a little attention last week, so I was out every day trying to train a new manager.  She's doing a great job, so I'm back at home this week for Week 14. Last week, Paul began a 2-3 week study of Ancient Greece.  I have no pictures.  None.  But, he did say the book we had on Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece was strange and he wasn't comfortable reading it to them.  However, they LOVED the two literature selections, The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War, and Jason and the Golden Fleece.  He did a lot of science, music, and core subject work with them last week.  I'm so thankful for a husband who is truly a partner and we work as a team in life. Hopefully, the next few weeks will be a little more interesting to read about. : )

After a week break at a retreat with some friends, we made it back the night before Week 12 was supposed to start. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare... Week 12 was all about Ancient Mexico and Central American cultures. Because this month has been so busy, I haven't had much time to put a lot of extra energy into school, and we've just been trying to get through the basics without any extra special projects.  But that's okay.  We've really enjoyed the reading and coloring pages we've done! : ) Luke did a great job shading and labeling a map of mound builders, cliff dwellers, Mayan cities, and more! He also wrote his name in Mayan hieroglyphs.  He did this all by himself, copying it from the ones I provided.  Great job, buddy! Kiryn enjoyed coloring a photo of a Mayan woman making tortillas.  We made it through the week!

So I'm really behind. I'm going to attempt to catch us up on homeschooling the last month or so.  October was an incredibly crazy month for us! Week 11 we spent some time in Ancient China, learning about Confuscius, ancient Chinese cultures, life and games. This week, we had two girls visiting us to help us lead some breast cancer awareness programs in some poorer neighborhoods.  So, I was busy with them every day while Paul was home teaching the kids!  Therefore, we don't have too many photos, and I'm not quite as sure what exactly went on. ; )  But, I'll give you what I've got! Kiryn enjoyed going through this tangram book.  Luke also did a great job doing a detailed map of China.  I think the kids really enjoyed Daddy teaching them this week!  One more reason I love homeschooling! :)

Since we received our referral for Baby M, I've been thinking about her an awful lot.  How she was found somewhere and taken to an orphanage.  How long did she lay by herself?  Was she cold, hot, hungry?  Was she crying or content?  How many people walked by her before that one person picked her up and took her to safety?  I've thought about how anyone could have picked her up for any reason and done anything they wanted with her.  How thankful I am that God led that one person, a person with a heart to help and save, right to where she was that day. I've thought about how she is now in a warm care center, wrapped up in blankets, being well-fed.  She's sharing a bed with two or three other babies.  She looks so happy in the photos we receive.  But this is all she knows.  She doesn't know the love of a mother and father.  The same eyes greeting her every morning and sending her off to sleep at night.  She doesn't know th...

The last eight months have been a total whirlwind.  Some days feel like nothing is happening with our adoption, but when I look back at how far we've come so quickly, I realize how fast it's all happening.  God is using these slow days, waiting hours, and quiet moments to teach my heart.  About who He is.  About who I am.  And of His relentless love for me and all people. I've written about this before, but I want to flesh out more thoroughly how God has been teaching me and showing me that I'm not in control.  (I usually like to think that I am). : )   Before we got married, Paul and I had talked about adoption and agreed God had put it on both of our hearts, and we would pray often about when the time was right for us to grow our family through adoption.  I randomly did bits of research on different countries and the process.  Four years into our marriage, when K was just six months old, Paul received an email from a fellow co-work...