ribbit

I know I talk a lot about A and frogs, but if you knew how much she talks about them that I don't tell you about, you would be proud of how LITTLE I talk about A and frogs! Really, she loves them. I even get a little jealous of frogs sometimes because they light up her face so much and not me. Now how ridiculous does that sound? Really silly I must say, but oh so true. Seriously, her eyes light up and she giggles the most joyous giggle when she holds a frog, then even before she puts it down, she is pouting that she misses her frog.
So, with A's birthday coming up, Autumn asked her what she wanted for her birthday. A's answer: a globe with a bunch of frogs in it, a wig with long hair, and a thousand frogs, I mean toads.
Okay, really? Please, my dear child, let's think of something a little easier than a globe with frogs in it. She said the wig isn't for every day, it is just for costumes and stuff. Why can't she just want a doll or a book or a stuffed animal. So, what does Autumn do? She looks online for a frog, and she found one that you can buy as a tadpole and keep it and watch it grow. But from the reviews, these frogs last years and years, and we really don't want a frog for a million years, so we decided to not get one of those. As we speak, Autumn is looking online for frog things. Let me tell you, there are lots of "fun" frog things!
And speaking of frogs........this afternoon, as A was helping me cook dinner, she talked non-stop. And I mean NON-STOP!!! She just talks and asks questions and answers her own questions and talks some more. So as she was talking, her dreams of the future came spilling out. She stated to me that she is going to be a poor old woman in a big house. She would not have children, but she would have frogs all over the house, and I mean ALL over the house. She said she would just have them in jars on the tables, floors, and everywhere! It's kind of funny that her dream home of a frog-filled palace sounds rather creepy to me!
So there you have it, a BRIEF clip of an afternoon with a frog-lover.

Plans for the future

The girls are constantly talking about what they want to do when they grow up. Many dinner conversations turn to what they want to do when they grow up. They like to plan and dream. Sometimes they dream of what jobs they want and sometimes they dream of which sister they want to live with, how many kids they want to adopt and so on! And, by the way, we are perfectly fine with them getting married...don't think that we tell them they have to live with a sister, that is just what they want to do sometimes...depending on the day.
So yesterday, we were getting ready for dinner and A was throwing a really really big fit about nothing really. She has a gift to do that. This fit lasted a while. We just don't allow tears at our dinner table, so she could cry all she wanted in her room and come to the table when she was ready while we proceeded with dinner. She FINALLY came to the table and made her apologies through gritted teeth (so much for a sincere apology) and threw her head in her hands and pouted.
Me: What are you pouting about?
As she is whining and almost crying she says, Cause I might have problems with my kids!!!
Of course I start cracking up. Usually, A doesn't even want to have kids because she is afraid she won't remember their name or she is afraid she won't know what they are allergic to. Yes, she thinks about those things and she is only 6! I guess thinking about the problems she was giving us made her think about the problems they would give her and that just made her not want to have kids at all. Then she was pouting because she would be lonely!!!! Oh dear Lord PLEASE give this child a peace so she doesn't worry!!!
Then she got a bright idea (and her whole demeanor switches in an instant from pouty to cheerful and back again all in less than a whole second). She decided she could live with M, to which M quickly replied, Nope, sorry A I already have my life plan in place, can't live with me.

Well of course that brought the cheerful face to a pout again. So then she decided she would live with S, but that got shot down quickly by S because she decided she is getting married. So she was back to square one....either have problems with kids or be lonely. We told them that while dreaming of the future is really fun, they really did not have to know their whole plan, and frankly they COULD not know their whole plan! I pray they will continue to follow the Lord in everything they do.

4 years

We celebrated H's 4 year anniversary this weekend! Our sweet H has lived with us for 4 years now....wow! Why don't you just take a stroll down memory lane with me.

Four years ago we had M and another girl (not related to our girls) living in our home. M was just settling down some, but still took a lot of energy from us, and the other girl was in junior high, which creates drama and lots of adventures in our home. Since we originally said we would take one MAYBE two kids in our home at a time....no kids older than elementary and no kids not in school yet....we had our hands full with TWO kids, one in junior high.

It was a Friday in September....we had great plans of going to the homecoming football game that evening. M went with Autumn to work, a dhs worker came and picked her up and took her to a family visit. She was supposed to be brought back to Autumn's work in the early afternoon at the latest with plenty of time for Autumn and M to ride with the carpool Autumn always rode with. Great plan right? Well, we kept getting calls from dhs that there were some delays and problems and M would not be back in time to catch the carpool, so the worker would have to bring her all the way home. What was the delay you ask? Well, things happened and they needed a home for H and A, who were ages 2 and 4 at the time. After many phone calls, Autumn and I just decided that we would take the girls for the weekend and WEEKEND ONLY!!!! We were so overwhelmed just thinking that we would have 4 girls for a whole weekend! So we got the girls that evening, shoved some food down them and headed to the football game! Since they came only with the clothes they wore that day, our sweet friends, the Hydens and Vanzants gave us some clothes and such to get us through the weekend.

Both girls had sad eyes. We noticed that they were slow to trust most people, but they were immediately comfortable with us. They just fit with us. We had a great whirlwind of a weekend, going to the game, the corn maze, and shopping and church. What in the world were we thinking? We took the girls back to dhs on Monday morning. They were SO sad to leave....SOOOOO sad. No matter how many times we told them they would be ok, they were just so sad. When we told them they would be fine, they agreed with us, but their eyes told a different story.

So all of Monday and Monday night, Autumn and I talked with Bethany and my friend Angie who also did foster care. We called on Tuesday to find out where the girls were, and they were in a shelter. We couldn't stand it. So Angie made a deal with us, and we took H in our home and Angie took A. At that time we really couldn't have all 4 and this way the girls could see each other at daycare and church, and it was only going to be a couple of months because they were going home. When Autumn and drove to get H and A from the shelter, we met them in a parking lot....as we drove up, we saw them.....and then their whole demeanor changed. They recognized our vehicle and started jumping up and down (which was huge cause they didn't show emotion in public). That's when we just knew it was going to be okay.

Through these 4 years, the Lord has brought H so far and the way we can tell.....her eyes. H has the prettiest, sparkling eyes. The Lord has made her sad eyes sparkle. That is what is so great about our God....he can bring joy and life to the worst of situations. H has brought so much joy to our lives. She is so thoughtful. We often find sweet notes that H writes us and hides them around the house for us to find. She is the best with littler children....she is so patient with them and listens to them and they just love her. We laugh a lot because H and I often have very a very similar thought process....scary I know. She is creative and loves to express herself creatively. She also loves to take pictures and is very good at it. We love our special girl and thank God for the 4 years we have had with her!!!

Warning: tears may fall

Eighteen years ago today, I had been 13 for a month, went to school for a normal day of 8th grade, thinking nothing of the day. Eighteen years ago today, I went to my after school activities which were suddenly interrupted when my mother died in a tragic accident. Eighteen years ago today, my life was changed forever.

Eighteen years....that is a long time. A baby born on the same day my mom passes away is now an adult...what a weird feeling. In some ways it seems like forever, and in some ways it seems like just yesterday. I have a flood of emotions in me today. When I start to question God's plan (which is easy to do) I claim God's Word that tells me that in ALL situations, God works things for HIS good. In ALL situations, not just SOME situations. Let me tell you, that in the eighteen years of life without my mother, there has been so many situations that God has used my experience to show who HE is. I have been able to walk with other people through very difficult situations in their life in a totally different way because of what I have been through.

I still miss her though. For years and years, September 23 has been a terrible day. It has been a "day of gloom". For years, I had almost been afraid to laugh or smile on the 23rd. I did not want to forget my mom. I did not want to overlook her. While feeling pain and sadness are perfectly fine, I felt trapped by those feelings on that day, and that is not from the Lord. About 9 or 10 years ago, while I was in college, a girl named Tracey chose to pour into me and disciple me. I had talked a lot to her about how big September 23rd was in my mind. It was so overwhelming to me. Tracey challenged me to pray that God would make the 23rd something new. So I did. I started to pray that while not forgetting my mother, God would make the 23rd a day of new life. In praying this, I figured that a special friend or relative would have a baby on that day and bring new life. Year after year passed and there was never a baby born on the 23rd. However, the 23rd gradually had less and less of a hold on me.

Fast forward a few years...we had M, H, and A in our home. M had been in our home for about 1 1/2 years. For months, M had been asking about what it means to ask Jesus in her heart. She was mostly understanding, but still somewhat confused. At the beginning of that September, I knew that M was so close to making the decision to accept Christ as her Savior, so I prayed that the 23rd would be that day. On Sept. 22, it was a Saturday, and we were driving home from something. I forget the exact conversation, but God came up in the conversation. I asked M if she had Jesus in her heart and she said no. I asked if she was ready to ask Jesus in her heart and she said, "almost, but not yet." At church the next day, we had our children's musical at church. The musical so clearly and simply presented the gospel of Christ. At the end of the musical, during the invitation, M looked up at me and told us that she did not know Jesus as her Savior and wanted to.

That was it....new life. The Lord always has a better plan than we do. He does things so many times that just leaves me standing in awe. Not only did he bring these girls into our lives, but now he really brought new life right on September 23, and just to top it off, he did it at a children's musical. My mom was the queen of leading children's musicals, so that was a detail so perfect that ONLY God could have planned that!

He made my "day of gloom" a day of new life. Yes, there is still a pain I have. There are so many times that I would love to call and ask for her advice. It hurts me when the girls hurt because they do not know her. Those feelings are still there, undeniable, but I am no longer in bondage to those feelings. I am free to smile and laugh at her grave and it be ok.

I am free to remember her and miss her, smile about her, and laugh all in the same minute. I am so thankful that the Lord brought new life on the terrible day...just like he defeated death and resurrected Jesus Christ...He gives new life. My heart is full and joyful today. My heart is full on this day even remembering this day eighteen years ago.

I love their chipped nail polish and silly bands in this one!

Our dinner guest

Remember Jerry? A's best little buddy and our favorite toad/frog? Just look at this picture and see how much joy Jerry brings to A.
Just look at cute, slimy, fat Jerry. A loves him and all of his relatives. Once when it rained at night, I think every one of Jerry's friends and relatives were hopping on the road. We kept hearing a thump thump thump under the van and Autumn and I kept screaming every time, which raised questions from the girls, so we had to pretend it was a game so A would not cry herself to sleep!

Well, we were sitting at the dinner table tonight and had just started to eat when A obviously spotted something exciting. When we looked up, we saw that the "thing" she spotted was either Jerry's cousin or baby on our sliding glass door...INSIDE! Yes, this sweet little guy was INSIDE on the glass door. As I jumped and ran to the living room, A got right over to the little guy, stood on the chair, and got him off of the sliding glass door and as she was getting off of the chair, he jumped down. All I could see was one of those funny movies where the frog jumps into every one's food and messes everything up. This frog just jumped on S's foot, then A captured him again and let him go free outside. I, however, stood in the living room until the creature was out of the house....great mother huh? A was SO very proud of herself and SO happy to see one of her favorite little guys again.

Nope, not a dull moment around this house!

Crafty Girls

Crafty girls..............nope, I'm not talking about sneaky girls, I'm talking about my girls really liking to do crafts. They are all 4 creative, and they just love to do crafts. They love to draw, paint, fold paper, cut, glue.....anything that lets them be creative. S likes to create, but she gets distracted easily. I don't think she starts with a vision and carries it out.....I think she just likes to do those crafty things especially if it is with someone else. A is definitely an artist. I will take pictures sometime of her drawings and put them on here. She not only draws really well, she has a different and artistic view on life that sets her apart from other people. I love to hear her perspective on an event that I was at....it is a totally different perspective than any one else. She loves to create. She is not predictable at all in her creations and she is so out-of-the-box. If you give her a specific task for a project, she has a hard time following your directions because she wants to put her own spin on everything. H loves to create things. She loves designing clothes. She loves making scrapbooks and just anything out of paper. The girl can make anything look so cute, and she does it FAST. M is very logical, so she is really good at constructing things. She can build buildings and things with blocks or anything really (like pretzels and marshmallows). She likes drawing and using paper, but is really good at constructing things. Autumn is good at gathering things and doing all the behind the scenes stuff for things to get done, and I'm pretty good at getting a vision for things and shouting out orders. Put us all together and what do you get??????
A really good project team!!!!!!
And lucky for us because I am a children's minister and always have a need for a good project team to put together something or another. Really....the girls are a great help to us at the church. They can set up tables and chairs, crafts, food.....they are great help! Believe me, I definitely let them use their gifts to help!!!!
In August, we did a luncheon for the public school teachers right before school started, and Autumn and I had a grand idea to give all 120 teachers, so we enlisted our little crafty girls team to help!

I waited too long to take a picture of one of our leftover gifts and somebody already got to some of the candy, but I think you can get the idea.
Here is our project we worked on all week........our little flower pot. The saying says: Thank you for helping our kids bloom. Notice the missing candy!

My mother used the hot glue gun all the time......for everything, so using the glue gun made me think of her. It really made me happy that my girls are learning to use the glue gun too.....for some strange reason, making these projects made us all feel a little closer to her!

Here is another example of my girls' craftiness. They found some old boxes and made a doll house complete with a barn. I think this project was mainly just the two older girls. That made the younger girls not very happy campers!

M mainly did all the construction and H mainly did all the decorations.

I thought it was cute that they used the fork box and forgot to cover that part.

And after all of their dollhouses.........we cannot find any tape around here! Oh well....I love to watch their creative minds at work!

I'm back!

So, I did not post for a couple of days, and I thought, I really need to post. I went to get on the internet and post, and I couldn't get on because our little internet air card thing broke. So, we were without internet for like a whole week. I didn't really realize how much I depend on the internet at home until we didn't have it....I definitely realized how spoiled I am, and how nosey I am. I just couldn't really stand it when I couldn't get on facebook every night to see what everyone was doing! So here I am....I am back on. Several posts to come.