love this

this picture has nothing to do with this post.
these two were wanting their own "chore charts",
so this is their proud display

I was catching up on adoption blogs this morning, and one blog I read quoted this other blog, so I can't properly give the author credit.

But man, it just summed up so well what is so hard to put into words. I wanted to share with you all.

"One post stuck out in its honesty and clarity. The mom was talking about the whirlwind of bringing home two adopted boys into a busy house of many other children, and the exhaustion and difficulty of everything that had to be done. She summed it up perfectly in these words:

I have come to realize something that is hard to admit. Their arrival has revealed the level of selfishness still in all of us, the lack of true patience, the limits of our love, the shallowness of our peace, the hold that circumstance still has on our joy, basically-- the degree to which Christ has not yet been fully formed in us."

So well put. Christ has not yet been fully formed in me in so many areas. This adoption, with all of its blessings and the RICHNESS it has added to our lives, has really pointed that out, and I resist being told that I am not "there" yet. But it is the truth whether it is revealed or not, so wouldn't I welcome the opportunity to grow? to be stretched?

Thank you, God, for entrusting us with hard things. For loving me enough to point out the ways that I fall short, so I can grow more into Your likeness.

memory lane

I mentioned that our family took two outings when we were out of town for that beautiful wedding we went to. I never got back on to post about the second outing so here it is:

We left for home and left 3 of our blessings with Grammy and Gramps for several days.

on our way back home, Joel asked if we could take the scenic route home.

(my favorite way is always the scenic route, so he knew what i would say)

we drive down roads he grew up on, and he remarks on how different it all is now. how it is all built up. how when he grew up, these roads were country roads, and now they are marked with McDonald's and gas stations.

he decided to drive by the house he grew up in, which we have done before, but this time was different. there is a "for sale" sign in front of this house, and it was obvious after staring at it for a few minutes that it was vacant. So, we went down the driveway, parked, and walked down memory lane with Kate (as the two others with us were already asleep in the car).

we looked in windows.

we walked around the yard.

this is the kitchen, with the exact same light fixture

same paneling
Kate uncovering a brick patio that has long been covered by leaves

we stared into what used to be his bedroom, and he remarked that his grandfather painted that area, and that color remains.

we drank in as much as we could

we walked down the path he took everyday to the neighborhood pool.

he and Kate climbed up the tree house that Joel's dad built when he was a boy.


it is not often that I am given the chance to imagine what my husband was like as a boy. to wonder what it was like to be his mama. to delight in the safety, the security, the love he enjoyed as a boy. to thank God for my husband's parents, my husband's grandparents. to re-live his memories with him.

thinking of my husband as a boy made me think of my own boys. to remember that I want my boys to be respected and admired by their wives, and that my husband needs this from me.
am I giving my husband what he needs?
heart check.

can you see? in the deep pile of leaves all over the deck that has not been nurtured or cared for,
up springs new life, new growth

this spoke to me
God makes all things new

i have been entrusted with much.

first day

one of the highlights of our year: the first day of school!


today, Providence Christian School opened its doors for the 5th year in a row to welcome:

a creative fourth grader

a bright third grader

a beloved first grader

two curious preschoolers

(yes, he got glasses! Read here.)

and, of course, LOUD Malachi.
When I first started homeschooling, I was really out of my league and needed so much encouragement and even more ideas. My precious friend and fellow adoptive mom, Stephanie, told me that one of the fun things they do on the first day of school is go out the back door with their backpacks on, walk around the house, and come to the front door, where they are enthusiastically greeted by their teacher. I thought it sounded great, so we have done it every year:

leaving the back yard
and welcomed at the front door


then we enjoy a DELICIOUS breakfast from Dunkin' Donuts

I know this picture is dark, but I love that Malachi is vigorously signing "please" for his doughnut. How do they KNOW that sugar is in their immediate future?!

After Dunkin' Donuts, we have a scavenger hunt. They put on their backpacks, and search all around for school supplies. They LOVE this!

After the scavenger hunt, we go upstairs to the school room, which always looks its very best on this day (but I don't promise anything after this day).

(A big shout out to my awesome mom, who spent the past several days here with me cleaning this room out among others, and my awesome mother-in-law who kept 3 of my kids last week while I purged/organized/got ready for school).

Their books are waiting for them, and they get to look through them all and see what they will be studying.



Here are Ezra and Elizabeth covering their letter A with stickers:
Malachi loves to play!

We love homeschooling!

something new...

i love this boy.
We noticed awhile back that Ezra was crossing his eye. And squinting. But only his right eye. So we got him checked out.


and sure enough, today we got these!

a new adventure!

isn't he precious?

family outing

on Saturday morning, while visiting Joel's parents for a wedding, we decided to get out of the house, into the heat, and go OUT!


we traded our Caleb for Lauren, a cousin that Marie and Kate love. Caleb got to spend time with Lauren's brother, Christian, so all was good.


We went downtown to the farmer's market. We didn't buy anything, but tasted lots of goodies like tomatoes and grapes. Dee-lish!


We also walked all around with our starbucks treat (mmm, mmm). Almost nothing makes me feel like everything is going to be okay as carrying around a cup from Starbucks.
Breathe in, breathe out. Sip.