Blueberry Face

This is what happens when the older children feed Nathaniel blueberries for breakfast.

Don't you want to give me a big kiss Mom?

When God Sets You On a Path

Today I am filling out paperwork to start our adoption from China.  Those close to us know that we had started this process 1 1/2 years ago only to have it come to a halt because of the illness of the child we were adopting.  It was an extremely sad time in my life... but God!  He had another plan; a better plan.  Three months later I was pregnant with our darling Nathaniel.  What a joy he is to our family!  Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Now Jim and I step out in faith once again.  We have a different placement agency and different homestudy agency... not because there was anything wrong with those other agencies.  We just feel led to these new agencies through different people and experiences.  We are optimistic.  This is a long process, though.  The soonest we can hope to travel to see our daughter is next December.

Today I am cautiously excited.  I'm excited to start the process again (even though I do not like all the paperwork).  I'm excited that my husband is just as excited as I am (even though he doesn't show it).  I'm excited to fundraise (even though I worry about raising all the money).  Most of all I'm excited that my God knows our daughter already and is working ahead of this process to bring us together.  So, if you don't hear from me for a few months it'll be because I'm buried in paperwork, but I'll be smiling, filled with the joy that only comes from walking closely with my Lord.

Adoption Travel Funds Needed

Through Connie's website One More Ladybug, I heard about this family.  They are so close to traveling to China to get their sweet daughter.  But... they can't.  They don't yet have the funds to travel.  To be so close to seeing their daughter and have to decline a Consulate Appointment because they don't yet have the money must be saddening and frustrating.  Even though we may not all adopt a child, we can help those who are.  This is just one of the ways we can fulfill that all-familiar and vitally important scripture.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widons in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27


So, please take a moment and visit Mandi's fundraiser and give as generously as you can.

Two Teeth Gone in a Week... Yikes!

Kate lost another tooth this evening. This is the second one in less than a week, thanks to a wrestling match with her brother.  Come to think of it, that seems to be how she has lost most of her loose teeth. :)

We now call her "Toothless" (from the movie How To Train Your Dragon).

Love that smile!

Great Christian Resource

We have enjoyed the different resources that are available from Vision Forum.  They have everything from toys, homeschool material to Christian books.  They are fast becoming a favorite at our house.  Anna has had her eye on the child harp for a while now.  Vision Forum also has interesting conferences that we hope to attend some day.

Dan's Man Cave

Didn't know the desire for a man cave starts this young!

Halloween

Halloween is definitely NOT my favorite holiday.  To be sure, I liked it when I was a kid, but as an adult... nope, don't like it at all.  However, my kids (like all kids) love candy!!  And they really get into the creative side of what to be for Halloween and how to use most of what we have around the house to put it together.  We are not big on purchasing costumes.  All day they were so anxious to dress up and go trick-or-treating. Finally, after an early dinner of something healthy to off-set the inevitable sugar rush, they dressed and we snapped some pictures before heading out.

Anna (Fairy), Nate (Pumpkin) and Kate (Bunny)

The Girls

Will (British Soldier), Nate and Dan (Puppy)

The Whole Gang

They also had fun watching Dad carve their pumpkins for them. :)  They designed it or told Dad what they wanted and he made it happen!

Kate's pumpkin (love the glasses!)

Anna's pumpkin (a horse)

Will's pumpkin (good old scary face)

Dan's pumpkin (cute, just like him!!)

 Nate didn't do a pumpkin this year.  I don't think he noticed. :)