Rest.....

Do your kids rest?

Every day?

I tell you!

I need it!

They need it.

(hysteria with out it-for all three,

although Ana has gotten better as she’s gotten older)

& they get it.

I refer to myself as “The Nap Nazi.”

My babies rest for at least an hour every morning & two hours every afternoon.

Yes, three hours a day.

I know this might not work for everyone…..but it is essential in our house!

Natty's Room,

although the bunk beds are in the girls' room now.

His still rests in his crib, & I think he will for quite a while.

After all, he's my baby! :-)

Spring Snow......& now it's almost all melted!

And that's one of the BEST things about Spring snow in Colorado.
Here today......gone tomorrow!!!
Three days later, it's now 55 degrees outside!

"Unique" & boy, was this a "unique" challenge!!!!

Wow!

This was a hard one!

I FINALLY thought of my hubby’s “unique” taste in food.

When we were in Guatemala,

on Ruth’s Pick-Up trip,

he ordered this soup,

one night when we were out for dinner:

Yes, that is a CRAB hanging over the edges of his bowl.

Its eyes were STARING at us!

(& the boy won’t eat broccoli or cauliflower?!!?!?)

You know I love you, Dear-

in spite of your “unique” taste in food!

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Look at how little the girls were two years ago!

For more "uniqueness," head here!

Thursdays Before the Throne

I was reading in Jeremiah 31 the other day……
& came across a section of the chapter I had underlined when we lost our baby in 2004.

15Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,

lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.

16Thus says the Lord:
Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears,
for your work shall be rewarded,
says the Lord; ………..

17And there is hope for your future,
says the Lord;
your children shall come back to their own country.

We named the baby we lost in 2004,
Jesse Ramah.
“Gift from a High Place.”

We took the middle name from this passage.

Interesting, though, I had underlined v. 17, too.

Long before we knew we would adopt.
Long before Ruthie was born.
Long before our hearts were drawn to a foreign country.
Long before we knew of our other children.

God KNEW.
He KNEW.

I mean……I had marked the actual words,
“Your children shall come……to their own country.”

I nearly got chills down my spine when I saw that in my Bible.

What an amazing God I have the privilege to know!

Do you know Him as well?

1 John 5:11-13
11 And this is what God has testified:

He has given us eternal life,

and this life is in His Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life;

whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,

so that you may know you have eternal life.

Wordless Wednesday

"Let's relax & watch a bit of TV together!"

Craziness!!!!

Nobody ever told me that raising two babies so close in age could be so crazy!

At the moment,
I am sitting on the couch while Ruth sobs,
“I need ice, mama!”

(yes……I’m going right now!!!!
Excuse me just a moment!
She really isn’t hurt too bad-I promise!
Just 2 year old drama!)

Natty is running around screaming at the TV-
“Ba!” which could mean “Bottle” or “ball”
In this case-“ball,” since our family loves March Madness!

He also keeps screaming,

“NO!!!”
Yes, his new favorite word.
Can mean “Yes,” or “No,” but once again,
you have to have context.

Ruth & he have a dolly stroller & a little “push/ride-on car”
they love to bang into walls & doors in our family room.

So, there is also intermittent banging.

Ana (while she’s not here at the moment-gone with Daddy)
is usually either watching games with the adults
(& actually absorbing a lot of rules of college BBall)
or up trying to dribble a ball & ask us if she’s traveling with the ball!

Oh….Ruth just started flipping off the couch backwards
& landing on her head up-side down on the floor.

Yeah-she loves it!

Remember?

Earlier, I told you she wasn’t hurt too badly!!!

Natty & she just climbed up on the couch to look at books.
Lasted 30 seconds.

Ha!!! Ha!!!

This is how TV times at our house usually go!!!!

Sometimes Life is Pretty Sad, You know???

I am having a rather sad weekend.

Within the last 48 hours, we heard that:

~A friend from grade school was found dead in her bed on Thursday morning.
~Friends from church miscarried.
~A friend from my home church suffered a small stoke.
~My dad is having back & eye problems again.

Just…….life stinks sometimes…..know what I mean!!!!

I mean, I know that is the way life sometimes goes, but now…….I’m just worn out!

You know how bad news can do that to you.

I could use some good news-even if it’s yours!!!

So, please-SHARE!!!!!

One thing I DO know:


“Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.”

Psalm 62:8

What does "GREEN" Mean to You?

I have been going to Turkey Hill Ranch Bible Camp every year since I was 8.

It is in the Ozarks in Missouri, & ,man, is it green there in the beginning of August.

(& HOT......& HUMID.......but, for now.......

it's easy to forget those two parts of it! Ha!!!! Ha!!!)

Colorado just seems to always be BROWN.

Don’t get me wrong……I love Colorado & I think it’s beautiful…….but that GREEN…..it’s almost so beautiful it hurts. (especially when you only see it a few weeks out of the year!)
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But……the green there also signifies all the growth that THRBC has produced in my life.

Countless messages from God’s Word.

Summers spent as a teen/early 20’s serving others there.

Times of fellowship with other Christians.

Such a special place-know what I mean?

I’m sure some of you have places like that-they almost “speak to you”

when you see a picture of them……

But……I’m the most excited that GREEN means SPRING is on it’s way!

So……since the kids have been too sick for us to enjoy much spring yet THIS year,

here they are almost a year ago!

Aren’t they all so little!?!?

Can't get enough "GREEN!?!?"

Here's some help!

Posting a bit early for Thursday.

Natty no longer has the "croup" cough.......

but he is still coughing ALL THE TIME.

The kind that racks his whole body.

Please pray he feels better soon.

His mama is a bit worried.

I have a feeling I might be up a good part of the night,

so please pray for me as well.

Wordless Wednesday......"Cleaning Day"

It's That Time of Year Again!

And the whole family is getting in on the act!

(Just watch this-& tell me Natty isn't doing great!?!?)

"Make Me Laugh" Monday......

While de-cluttering……

I found the following Christmas Card from a few years ago.

I thought everyone else might get a kick out of it,

too, since we had NEVER heard of the person Dave got the card from.

You have to click on the picture……

& read the bottom of the bookmark to get the full effect!

TOO funny!

What about you?

Anything funny lately?

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Also, Natty has a small case of croup.

Not too serious....but we have a prescription for steriods filled-

just praying we don't have to use it!

"Then....."

The first view I had of each of my kids:

Natty

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Ruthie

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Ana

Here they are last week!

(just in case you missed it!)

For more FFF, head on over to Sarah's blog!

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Oh, & we are having adoption issues start to come up with our oldest.

Wow!! We need wisdom!

Thursdays Before the Throne

For my hubby-I think this is perhaps his favorite hymn!

(or at least I KNOW it’s ONE of them!!!)

Hark! sinner, hark! we have tidings so true,

Tidings of pardon and blessings for you!

God in His word says that Christ on the tree,

Died for guilty sinners,

and "Salvation is free."

Guilty you are, yet you know very well

Jesus has suffered to save you from hell;

Tho' now condemned, justified you may be,

Jesus paid the ransom,

and "Salvation is free."

Trust not in "doing," it cannot avail.

Good resolutions and works can but fail;

"Grace, grace alone," is the saved sinner's plea,

"Not of works,"

the Scriptures say, "Salvation is free."

Trust not in feelings, your heart is depraved.

Trust only Jesus, who now lives to save;

Tears of repentance, tho' real they may be,

Ne'er can purchase heaven, for "Salvation is free."


Refrain:

Hear the news, sinner, free! free! free!

Why not believe it?

'Tis good news for thee.

Jesus the Just One has died on the tree,

Died for guilty sinners, and "Salvation is free."

Bet You're Wondering About This Picture!

“Where in the world is she going with this?”

Come on….fess up!

I know that’s what you’re thinking???

Well, here’s the deal.

Ana has reached the point where the “Baby Shampoo” just isn’t cutting it anymore.

I figured a good way to use up the hotel shampoos was to let her put a bit in with the baby shampoo every time she washes her hair.

(Ok….when did one of my kids get old enough to wash her own hair!!!

I can’t be old enough for that!)

But, this bottle was special.

Well, now I’m sure you think I’ve lost it!!!

It was from the Marriott in Guatemala City.

& it had a smell.

A smell that brought back a thousand memories!

***

Brought me back to a hotel room where bonding with new babies began.

Multiple kisses were placed on tiny little noses.

(Ruthie & Mommy the first few days on our pick-up trip.)

Friendships with new siblings were forged,
rolling around on the bed & the floor.

Oh……my! Who knew?!?-
such a trip down memory lane a smell of “Orange Ginger” can bring!

What does that for you?!

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(& now, in the new spirit of decluttering….since I blogged about that wonderful smell-the BOTTLE is going in the trash!!! Aren’t you proud of me?!?)

Gorgeous Day!!!

Wow! Parenting isn’t getting any easier!!

Now, I know this shouldn’t surprise me……but still!

Last night, around the dinner table,

Ana informed the family,
“I am ashamed that Ruth & Natty don’t have the same birthdad.”

What?!!?

Dave & I looked at each other & probably both sent a quick prayer up for wisdom in the latest delve into parenting. I know I prayed Dave would have wisdom-& I shut up to see what the Lord would give him.

(Just as an aside-why do the needs for wisdom always blind-sight you? I wish when you got up in the morning……God would maybe just drop you a little note from above saying something like, “Better spend some extra time in Proverbs this morning. You might need it for an issue coming up with ‘Child XXXXXXXX.’” Ha!!!)

Dave asked, “Why are you ashamed, Ana?”

“Well,” came back her response….”That means their birthmom got a divorce-& that’s embarrassing!!!”

We have never told Ana anything about the circumstances-other than yes, they have the same mom-but different dads. & we feel that is their own private info-so no one else knows it-yet.

I thought it shed some light on Ana’s thoughts, though…….insight we needed:

1. She thinks divorce is not something she likes (which reflects well on her sense of right/wrong. Not saying divorce is always wrong-just saying it is something we have taught her is good to avoid……if at all possible)
2 She cares what others think of her baby sister & brother.
3. She perhaps is starting to need good answers for other people who might ask her the same sorts of questions we get.

Dave gently asked her, “Did Ruth & Natty choose what birth parents they had? Did you choose the family you were born into? Could they (or you) change those circumstances at all? Should we be embarassed about things like that we can't change?"

The wheels started turning…….& Ana said, “No.”

Then, he summed it up by saying, “But God chose all three of you to be in our family now.”

Thank-you, Father God, for the wisdom you granted my hubby on that one!!!

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We watched video of Ruth on our visit trip when we met her last night.

She has been OBSESSED with when she was a baby.

She says,

“I born a baby in ‘Bamamala.’

I cry, ‘Wa!! Wa!!!! Wa!!!’

I dink a bottle-like dis.”

& she sticks her finger in her mouth & sucks on it!

So cute & funny!

(& I’m not biased a bit!!!)

But, we thought it might be good to get the videos out…..she was fascinated!

& Dave & Ana & I had a ball watching it all again!

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Speaking of tapes……can anyone point me in the direction of a way to digitize those tapes?

They are 8mm.

Ohhhhhh, it was BAD!!!!

Ana was sick in the night.
Projectile vomit like I have NEVER seen.


2 hours later......I was FINALLY done cleaning-

the floor,

the beds,

the blankets,

other furniture in the room, the walls & Ruth, too.

Poor baby of mine (Ana, that is)!!
Didn't phase Ruth at all-
hey, she got to watch two movies in the middle of the night!!

Thanks, Hubby, for all your help!

Getting Better.....with our pictures, that is!

2 out of 3 kids-

looking at the camera & smiling!!!!

What's New???? Can You Guess?? Huh? Huh???

Wordless Wednesday

Meal time at Grammie & Papa's!

Family Fun!

My sister-in-law, Heather & I.

She with Natty,

& me, holding my nephew Noah.

Blessed??? You Bet I Am!!

We are NOT co-sleepers.

There.

I said it.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone, but I just have to be honest.

I can’t sleep with my kids.

I wake them up.

They wake me up.

& everyone is just generally CRANKY the next day.

But, Friday night…..here in KS, Natty just wouldn’t sleep,

so I drug him into bed with me for a while.

He never fell asleep, but he DID cuddle with me for about an hour from around 3:30-4:30 am.

And for the first time in my life……I just ENJOYED it.

It honestly didn’t bother me to be wide awake…..at 4am.

The next night, though,…….he slept in another room & I moved the girls in with me.

Everyone slept-all through the night.

Ahhhhh……bliss!

BUT, even better-Ruthie slept in the same bed as her mommy. (the bed was too small for Ana & I)

And we both slept…..& cuddled-& slept WHILE we cuddled.

I love my life…….what a treat!

Oh, & by the way, if you click on this picture, you will see on the wall, a rather funny photo of my family from about 20 years ago!!! What BIG hair!!!