My Cup Runneth Over

Family update

I have been SOOO bad about keeping up my blog. Trevor continues to give me a hard time about it. I know it's because facebook is such a quick and easy way to stay in touch with people and post pics. But, it's not at all the journal that a blog can be. So - I will once again attempt to catch up here on the blog in the coming few weeks.

Usually I go back and start where I left off. But, with such exciting news it's too hard to wait on this. 

Knowing we are no where near "done" parenting - ever. We have officially raised our first child from birth through graduation. And most definitely NOT without the Lord's help! What a journey, what a blessing Chase has been. He is currently looking for a summer job (wow even the teens are having a hard time finding work - it's crazy) and has plans (if accepted) to attend Ellerslie training this fall. Then, at this point, he is considering pursuing something in the editing/publishing field. He is passionate reader - so that would be an excellent fit. But, he is open to whatever God has for him. He may head to Aims after Ellerslie to get some general classes out of the way and see where God leads him after that. We are proud of him and super excited to see how God moves in his life.

Hunter following behind him by two years is right in that super-fun teenage time of life. He's about to get his driver's permit and will start his junior year in a few months. He's working part-time at a computer repair shop and while the summer hours are a bit slow - he is thankful for the experience he's getting and even a little extra money right now. He found out today that he was accepted into Lost Marbles Theatrics - a theater group for homeschooled high schoolers. He will attend classes this fall and then take part in a play (either acting or behind the scenes) in the spring. This is a new direction for him. We have watched their past few plays and the group does a great job. He is looking forward to learning some drama skills as well as spending time with current friends and making some new friends.

Eloise is a very chatty, gapped toothed (she finally lost her first two teeth a few weeks ago!) super busy 6 year old. She rarely slows down. She also rarely stops talking! Loe is a natural born learner and organizer. She begs to do more school (dream student!) and loves to organize toys, cabinets - whatever I'll let her! She can be a bit on the bossy side - so we have to keep an eye on the attitude. She loves being a big sister - most of the time. She is mostly patient and has all kinds of fun playing with Ren and teaching her new things. But, we have seen a whole new side to her when she loses her temper or just gets tired of the little sister antics. :) She is finished with 1st grade and excited to move into 2nd grade. 

Ren is 2 and brings out strong emotions in all of us. She is a huge joy and can be a BIG stinker! Whatever mood she is in - she is all there! If she's feeling whiny - oh my word. If she's ornery - watch out. But, if she's ready to play and have fun experiencing new things - what a blast she is. She makes us laugh a lot. She likes to experience life to it's fullest. We love her to pieces and I wouldn't change a thing about her (well - maybe that whole struggle she has with first-time obedience!) But...it's good to have people in your life that keep you on your knees in prayer - right?!

Trevor is busy with work, enjoying playing softball with old friends and still has fun cooking up new recipes and yummy old ones for us. This summer he is working with the boys to teach them some basic cooking skills and how to spice up a meal. (Their wives will LOVE him for that!) With the changes in the government - there is a chance we may be out of work in the coming months (thank-you Obama!). We are praying about that and seeking God's plan for the future. Trusting it's all in His hands.

We are pretty much finished with our school year - finishing a few books and things. And still working on a few things over the summer break. We always attempt to start school up in August so we can take some more time off through out the year. This week is our annual state homeschooling conference. We attend every year. It is a HUGE boost of encouragement, advice and support for our homeschool and our family. We always look forward to going. When the boys turned 13 - they began attending with us. Even though Chase has graduated - we're still going together just to spend the time with them, learning and growing. And there are always plenty of books to browse! Many of the workshops focus on way more then just homeschooling. The girls are looking forward to time with Grandma and Grandpa. Then Saturday we'll hook up with some travel group families at our adoption agency's annual picnic. We're finishing that day off at the Rockie's game.

So...with all of this busyness - what we need is another baby - right?! We are thinking...yes! We are ready and willing to go through the 'door' of another adoption if God opens it for us! So many reasons are involved in coming to this place. The main one being open to another amazing blessing - another baby to love, child to raise and teenager to enjoy. A little over 16 years ago our friends adopted a super cute African-American baby boy who was the same age as Hunter - exactly the same! They shared their birthday! Then a few years later they adopted a baby girl. I was blessed to babysit those kiddos and get to know them. Fast-forward several years and they touched my heart. About a year into our waiting period for Ren's referral (her adoption was a 3 year process) - I felt like God gave me a vision for our family - one with a precious little one who had beautiful dark skin. We even explored shifting that adoption from China to Africa or to a domestic adoption here in the US. But, we had been given a large grant and it was specific to a Chinese adoption. We knew that was God's confirmation that we needed to bring a child home from China - our child! He knew her name before the foundations of the world and He knew she would be placed in our family! So, we waited 2 more years and she came home. The vision I had faded off and on - but never went away completely. Ren was super challenging between 1 and 2 years of age and I remember thinking we would be crazy to add another child in. But...as she continued to grow after 2 (she's still quite the stinker!)  it suddenly seems not so crazy to think about adding a little one into our family.

We are currently exploring a domestic adoption of an African-American baby. (We're all thinking baby boy this time and I'm already working on Trevor - with bold hints about maybe adopting a little boys from Africa in a few years!! But...one thing at a time!) Like many families who feel open to adoption - we feel confident that we have plenty of room in our home and love in our hearts for a baby. But, the fees for an adoption can be overwhelming. Sadly, African-American babies and children are often the hardest to place. So, while this idea of a new baby feels selfish and exciting to us. We also know that God cares for orphans; for children who need families. We know it breaks His heart that millions of babies have been murdered by abortion in our country alone and we would like to offer our family as a realistic option for a birth mom who explores the possibility of choosing life for her baby. There are some grants we can apply for that might be able to help with some of the fees. But, most of those foundations want us to have our home study complete before we apply. So, we are planning to have a big garage/bake sale in July to help raise money for our home study. God has already started blessing us with donations for the sale! He is SOOO amazing!

Would welcome prayer for our family as we embark on this journey. Please pray for God to open doors financially and give us wisdom regarding homestudy agencies, adoption agencies and the timing of all of this. The total cost is estimated at between $15,000-$20,000 for the adoption. God proved Himself faithful and incredible in how He blessed us and provided for Ren's adoption fees. We know He will do that again if He wants us heading down this path.

In the meantime we will pray for our next little one, his birth parents, and all the millions of orphans here and around the world. We pray for the murder of innocent babies to end. We pray for more and more families to be open to being a part of the miracle of adoption - whether that is becoming adoptive families themselves or by supporting others who are adopting. We also plan to continue enjoying the blessings that have been given to us and focus on raising them in the training and admonition of the Lord. Our God is so BIG, so strong and so mighty - there's nothing our God can not do!  (Just saw that song posted on fb and was reminded how much I LOVE it!)

More picture posts (with lots less talking) to come soon.

Hope your summer is off to a fabulous start!

The field trip that came to us.

One day while Loe was having a playdate with her friend, Linnea we received a phone call from our neighbors and friends (and fellow homeschoolers). Just as I hung up the phone the giant fire truck that she mentioned was coming past our house. We grabbed flip-flops (thankful for a mild March day!) and ran to the next cul-de-sac. We are also friends and fellow homeschoolers with one of the firemen. They gave our kids a personal tour of the impressive and HUGE truck! So very cool.

Thank-you Mike for bringing the truck around and thank-you April for giving us a call! Field trips are such a great way for the kids to learn. And it sure is fun to have little ones to experience these things with all over again. We LOVE homeschooling!

 

 

 
 
  
  

Home School

This is my favorite part of homeschooling...snuggling on the couch reading a great Sonlight book to the kid (or kids!) This right here makes the hard times worth it and the memories we build and the stories the kids hear...priceless.

Now...some in the family would say one of the advantages to homeschooling is the free time it gives them to read their own books and play video games. :) This is what recess looks like at our house!

 

Impromptu field trip to our neighbor's house when the fire truck came through! SO cool!

Government...Teenpact (it's educational and FUN)

P.E. and bible in the same classes.

Literature

Mid-morning snack (lots more fun in a tea cup!)

 

Ready for CHESS (optional enrichment academy classes that meet one day a week)

More field trips...science!

    

Centers :)

Not only art, but life and relational skills...

...lots of opportunity for those skills to be built!

  

Spelling, vocabulary and PE (if we count all the laughter!)

 

More PE and health (big doses of Vitamin D!)

 

 Nature journaling the nasty spider out front = science
 
 

Considering I didn't do a lot of Loe's science book work...we managed to work plenty of science in = field trip to local dairy and farm

Let's see...PE, history and socialization!

 

Outreach and cultural awareness

Definitely PE and bible (gotta memorize those verses!)

And even more science at the aquarium. And one of my favorites..Loe conquering the shoe-tying challenge!

We all have learned much this year, so much that we didn't get pictures of...regular book work, family devotions, driver's ed, jobs, church, volunteer work, frisbee, Disney, family, friends, and the list goes on and on. We LOVE homeschooling and I can NOT believe Chase will graduate in a couple of months!! 

Tae Kwon Do

Trevor, Hunter and Eloise have all been taking Tae Kwon Do at a local Christian school here in town - Miller's Academy. The instructor is fabulous with the kids! Recently Trevor re-injured his knee and Hunter decided to stop when Trevor did. For him it was more of a partial PE credit, but he had some fun beating up his dad in class. :) It was fun to watch Hunter do some martial arts again, still has those amazing and incredible HIGH kicks!

Loe is still going weekly and absolutely loving it. Her class is very small and so she gets a ton of attention. She just continues to amaze me at how eager she is to learn and how her confidence has grown. She is so outgoing now, it's almost hard to remember her when she was shy and scared of everything. She hates missing even a week of class. She quickly learns all the moves each cycle. She yells "yes sir" when it's appropriate and boldly recites her bible verses.  I can tell a difference in her balance, coordination, and hopefully she is gaining some self-defense techniques. She works hard at punching and kicking through boards. And her instructor points out in almost every class that she smiles non-stop the whole 30 minutes! Here are a few pics from a test a few months back.  

   
 
 

  
 
 

 
 
  
 

 

 

 

 

  

LASP field trip

Last week our field trip group went to LASP (Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics) in Boulder. Driving through Boulder can be a field trip in and of itself. It's nickname is "The People's Republic of Boulder" in our circle of friends and family. It's a great place to people watch! And it truly is beautiful - I could ignore the politics and live there (Trev - not so much). Anyway NASP is nestled in close to the Flat Irons. Here they not only build satellites, they monitor 5 at a time. It was very fascinating seeing some older satellites and things on display - most duplicates of what went into space. Though one had actually been in space. We also had a chance to see the  "clean rooms" where they have to wear special clothes, shoe covers, etc where they put things together. We saw a room where they manufacture some of the parts themselves - fascinating feeling the differences in weight between some of the metals they work with. Along a hallway with posters listing all of the launches they are responsible for. We saw their operations room as well as a screen where you can see the 5 aircraft they are monitoring. All very cool stuff! After the tour we sat outside with all the kids to have lunch and it was actually HOT in that Colorado sunshine! It was fabulous for January - especially after some of our subzero days. We had a chance to visit and plan our next few trips while the kids ran around playing on the grass and in the snow. A fox ran through right by where we were eating. We see them fairly regularly - but still so cool to see them up close - beautiful creatures.

 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

This is a miscellaneouspost - just a place to post some random photos of the girls. This one above of Ren is too funny. She colored her picture with those fabulous Color Wonder markers (those things were invented for kids like Ren, who color on things they shouldn't - sometimes intentionally and sometimes not even meaning to!) She stood up to show me and was SO proud of herself - one of those moments when I realized she isn't a baby anymore! Loe is just goofing off on the stairs below - but I so adore her smile in that shot - so I had to include that one. Then more of Ren loving on Linus, and flashing her cheesy grin.

 

 

Loe has taken it upon herself to teach Ren some basic ballet moves before she is old enough to startworship dance (a year from now!) It's pretty funny - this day she was doing some karate kicks with Loe one minute and ballet the next! These will be some well-rounded girls!

 

This just melted me - I looked over and this is how the girls were watching a movie. They really are good friends and enjoy each other, but wow do they do their share of bickering. We never had this kind of sibling rivalry with the boys and I'm still getting used to it with the girls. Though I don't suppose I should get used to it - but keep praying for wisdom on how to deal with it! But, thankfully they have plenty of these sweet moments, too.

  

Loe was anxious to look over all of the "Preschool Activities Bags" that I made with a group of women. Obviously as you can tell by the name - they are designed for preschoolers - different activities to keep them busy and learning on their own while mom gets something done - like homeschool the 1st grader - in my case! They are mostly geared to 3-4 year olds - so many are above Ren's head. I wanted to stock up on many different ones for the coming year or two. Ren is one busy kiddo and I figure the more plans I have to keep her hands busy (and out of trouble) the better! But, Loe watched me put some of the stuff together and was excited to see what each activity was all about. So, she gets to enjoy the ones that aren't consumable until Ren is older. She likes to fiddle with stuff like this. She's always been one to keep her hands and mind busy learning and exploring. These are more review and fun for her - but I'm glad she is enjoying them! I look forward to the day when Ren can use them and not eat or bend or tear them! Not that I want to rush the baby girl in growing up one minute - she is too much fun right now! 
 

Loveland Civil War Ball '09

Check out these seriously handsome soldiers! This was the second year the boys attended this ball. The company that puts on the ball is called You Can Live History and they do a fabulous job. I think it's the Agape Homeschool group that organizes the venue and sign-up, decorations and all of those details. (Mostly two women - and what a great job they do!) It truly is like a prom for homeschoolers - but with many differences (that we like!). It is very much a family affair. There are many father/daughter and brother/sister combos that arrive together. They encourage modesty and polite behavior. Many parents (like us) go to watch - and it's a great date night. We munch on goodies, take pics, visit and enjoy watching all of the kids. Some parents get in costume and dance. (Trev keeps trying to talk me into dancing - maybe next year!) It's quite the change from so many years ago when the boys took part in the Civil and Revolutionary War battle re-enactments. I remember mentioning that they also hosted balls and they had NO interest in attending those! Now an evening with friends, dancing with beautiful girls in big, beautiful dresses is a bit more appealing. ;) At the beginning of the dance they do a promanade where each girl/lady is announced, her dress is described and she is escourted down the isle. Some of the dresses are handmade, some bought, altered and some family heirlooms - one girl was wearing her Grandma's 50 year old wedding dress!

Here are most of the kids from our church posing - oh so serious.

Ah...this is more like it!

Sean and Scott are great friends - it was such fun that they attended the ball, too!

They are required to attend a class the morning of the ball to learn some of the basic steps to the many dances they will take part in that night. I'm so impressed - they did a great job! And the dance "announcer" ? is so great with this huge group of kids. And the band is so great - playing all the Civil War era tunes all evening long.

 

 

The boys danced with two very lovely ladies during the Waltz.  
   
   
  

 

The Hat Dance is such a hoot. The boys and girls form separate lines leading up to 3 chairs. A girl sits in the middle chair and the first two boys go sit on each side of her - each one trying to convince her to choose him to dance down the isle with him. She gives the hat to the one she doesn't choose - then he moves to the middle chair and 2 girls sit down and on and on it goes. Trevor was joking that the girls just couldn't resist a Collins man...each time our boys sat down they were the one that was chosen. It was pretty funny! Some of the guys get up and do a quick sword fight, or do some push-ups or just try hard to be very charming! It's the last dance of the night and a fun way to end the evening. Just to give an idea of how many people are there - I think there were about 20-30 people in our hat dance group and there are 5 or 6 other groups, plus many who choose to watch and not take part all around the edges of each group. The size of the ball, the band, the costumes and so many great friends make this one memorable evening. (And the girls had fun with Grandma!)

 

 

     
 
 
 
 
  
  
  

 

A week of performances

Loe's second dance performance at CMAwas fabulous. I am amazed at the staff that can not only get a zillion kids of all ages to memorize a dance and perform it, but also spend time doing devotions, learn new ballet steps and mostly encourage our little ones to worship Jesus with all of their heart through dance. She was so excited for this night - all semester. Usually their hair is supposed to be up in a bun, but this year her teacher asked that they come with their hair curled and just part of it up so they could add these flowers and other frills to their basic top, skirt, belt and scrunchie. Loe doesn't seem nervous - just excited and she smiles SO much of the time. It is a treat to watch her and all of the other beautiful kids dance. What a fun way to worship! Here are various pics from the rehearsal and the performance.

 

 

 

  
  
 

 

 

It was a week for performances. Not only did Loe have dance performance and a very long rehearasl. She also sang in her first choir program with CHESS. Which also included an extra (long) practice. It was a busy week!

Harvest Farm Fun!

We had a grand time at Harvest Farm again this year. We went on a weekday afternoon and it was fabulous. The weather was mild and we practically had the place to ourselves! Harvest Farm is a part of the Denver Rescue Mission - so all proceeds to to such a great cause. The folks working at the farm are so friendly and great with the kids. We enjoyed our entire afternoon - wandering through the maze (though a tad muddy from last week's rain/snow!), a hayride, kid-sized maze, and more. But, my favorite had to be the petting zoo area since Ren was having SO much fun! The moment she spotted any animals while walking around she went crazy! It was the cutest thing. This photo below made me laugh. It looked like these guys all 4 lined up for the photo! Very cute.

 

 

This cute little goat Loe is feeding below was not interested in staying in the pen - but instead hung outside with the people.

 

 
  

 

 

When Trevor was taking the girls through the little maze he sat Ren up on one of these big bales of straw and she immediately turned to jump into Trevor's arms. He barely caught her since he had no clue she was going to do that! Then she asked to do it over and over again! No fear!

 

  
 
 

 

Love the scenery at the farm - good looking boys, beautiful clouds, buildings and fields.

 

 

  

Ren begged over and over again for us to do the 1-2-3 swing her up in the air thing. She, like most other kids - thinks this is big fun.

 

 
 

She would have stood here feeding these guys as long as we let her! Once the goat nibbled on her finger a bit when she didn't have her hand totally flat and she turned and "told" me all about it and made this face below. Then went right back to feeding it some more. Oh...it was a good day at the farm - fall is my favorite season. These kind of days are a big part of that!

 

  

Observation Day at dance class

  

This is Loe's 2nd semester of dance. We are SO happy to find Celebration Ministry of Arts. It's made up of mostly homeschooled kids, though I think there is a mix. We could call it PE and bible!  Loe took a worship dance class last spring for 3-5 year olds. We attended the performance at the end, prepared to enjoy watching all these little ones do a cute dance. Well, the entire group of classes performed and we had our socks blessed off! It was a very incredible worship experience. WOW! The little ones, were indeed adorable, but how precious it is to watch them dance for the Lord. It brings tears to my eyes every single time I watch them dance - just imagine how much joy this brings to the Lord - how He loves them even more then we do! This fall Loe is taking an optional ballet class that helps them with their worship dance. It's more work and less fun, but she does a great job and is smiling practically the entire time. The girls are all still learning and find it challenging to do all the moves exactly like their instructor - often a leg is bent or a hand is on the wrong side or a kick in the wrong direction! But, the teacher, patiently keeps correcting them. They'll get it eventually! And though a bit young Loe is taking part in the 6-8 year old worship dance class. They spend some time doing a bible devotion, some fun dance moves and then they spend much of their hour working on the dance they will perform at the end of the semester. At the end of class they each get a scarf and the teacher reminds them what worship dance is all about and they each take turns dancing across the floor doing whatever moves they feel led to do - dancing for Jesus. I love it!

Since parents can be so distracting (with little siblings and flashing camaras and chatting) they invite us into class once each semester and ask us to stay out the rest and let the girls focus. Hunter helped out by hanging with Ren so I could go in and sit through both classes. It's so fun to get a glimpse of how Loe is away from me and under someone else's teaching and authority. She did great. I can't wait for the performance in November! Let us know if you'd like to come watch. We had friends who were there last year and loved it so much they signed their daughter up this year! Loe was thrilled, since now she has 2 friends in ballet and 3 friends in worship dance! The standard "uniform" for dance class is black pants and a t-shirt that covers their tummies. (I also so appreciate the respect for modesty here!) But, when they are younger they let them wear leotards, skirts and tights if they want to. (What little girl doesnt like dressing up like a ballerina!) But, all the leatards Loe has (including some great new hand-me-downs - thanks Jami!) are all sleeveless and so Loe opted for something with sleeves and warmth on a chilly day! The drive is about 40-45 minutes from our house, but I don't mind at all - Loe enjoys the classes so much and I enjoy getting a chance to visit with friends and Ren can play outside on the nice days. Friday afternoons are all about dance and that's OK with me.