Prayers Needed

I have been following Jean's blog for about 2 years now and I have been so incredibly inspired by her and her husband's faithfulness to the orphaned.  They have welcomed into their family 8 beautiful children.  Today's post on her blog is about the news that nobody wants to hear about any of their children.  Their sweet Abby has cancer.  Please take a moment to read her news and then pray and don't stop praying for this family.  God is the God of miracles and of healing and He will hear our prayers!

Butterflies!

We live near one of the migration spots for the Monarch Butterfly, so yesterday some of the families from our homeschool group went to see them.  It was a bit of a walk to see where they were concentrated, but it was worth it.

Kate enjoying the hike.

Those are clusters of butterflies hanging from the trees!

After walking through the trees admiring the butterflies, we headed out to the cliffs.

Daniel getting a piggyback ride from Will.

Enjoying the view!

I just love Kate's smile in this picture!

Anna took this picture of me and Nate.

It was such a nice afternoon.  On the way home, we were able to stop by daddy's work.  It's always fun for the kids to see daddy when we happen to be in the town where he works.  After being gone all morning for my bible study and then driving up to see the butterflies in the afternoon, we were all happy to be home by dinnertime to have a quite evening.

Days like these with my children are so precious.  Homeschooling can be hard.  Some days are trying, but I know that I will look back and be so happy that I had this extra time with my children.  Like everyone says... they grow up so fast!

Enough Time

I recently read this quote from Elisabeth Elliot's book Discipline: The Glad Surrender:


There is always enough time to do the will of God. For that we can never say, 'I don't have time.' When we find ourselves frantic and frustrated, harried and harassed and 'hassled,' it is a sign that we are running on our own schedule, not God's.


It's so easy to say to God that He has given me too much; that His calling on my life is too much of a burden. Yet, when we really examine our lives, we see that it is our additional plans that overwhelm us. Too often we're trying to fit God's will in with our will and that doesn't work. His will is to replace our will. And when that's done properly, there is so much freedom, so much joy regardless of our circumstances. Some days I get it and it's a good day.  Some days I don't and if I take the time to reflect I see where I got in the way. I know that I'll never get it right every single day, but I do know that when I seek His will, when I purpose to fulfill it, no matter how difficult it may seem, my days are always better. And with that knowledge I ask Him every day to fulfill His will through me and to please not let me get in the way!!  

Slow Motion and Switching It Up

Why is it that everything in the adoption process seems to be in slow motion?  It just appears to be moving at a snail's pace.  I know that our timeline is normal and that we have not hit any major snags (yet) that has prolonged our process, yet it seems to be taking SO LONG!  We have yet to be matched, which is a good thing because then this process would appear to be even more painfully slow.  Our home study is in the review process... our review, the home study agency's manager's review, and then our placement agency's review... my hope to have it sent to the USCIS (Immigration) by mid-February is looking dim.  Now I'm hoping for late-February.  USCIS approval is taking, I think, around 60 days.  Well, if that's true then I can still get the dossier in by mid-May.  That would be great!  Baby steps!!

The biggest change going on here is in our homeschooling.  We're switching it up!  Last school year (2010/11) we used My Father's World.  Loved it!  But I wanted to try putting together my own curriculum.  I wanted less structure and freedom to choose subjects or change mid-year.  Well, the kids found my subject content boring and I really did miss the daily lesson plans.  As a recovering Type A, the lack of structure was not beneficial for my well being.  I should have known!  : ) Now that we year-round school, we decided to switch back to MFW starting March 1st and not wait any longer.  I'm really looking forward to going back to MFW and the kids are too!  We're also trying out a new math program for the older 2 that we're hopeful will interest them more than what they are currently using.  Just another reason why I love homeschooling!