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!
