The School Daze

Karly has started school already at Jackson Christian and is enjoying pre-school...she has been waking up early to get ready, so I know she is loving it.  She was not "Hi, my name is scared" like she said she would be...she went to class great and really likes being there.  It is hard to believe my youngest is starting school.  I guess it won't hit me too hard until it is really kindergarten, but still, she is at school for a full day right now.

We are really working on this smile...for some reason Karly likes to stick her lower jaw out when she smiles :-)  

Danielle is really excited to be starting 1st grade in 5 days...she keeps checking the calendar to see how many more days.  She already has a little "boyfriend" in her class that also attends our church and she wanted to put her name tag by his on their desks.  It was pretty funny when I found out from his mom that he purposefully put his name tag at a completely empty table of desks in hopes she would put her name next to his....so I guess the feeling is mutual...yikes.  I already had to have a conversation with Danielle and Kassi about their case of the "boy crazies" and how they need to be focused on what they are learning and treating boys as brothers and friends.  Brad makes fun of me when I lecture on this subject because I was as boy crazy as they come.

McKenna is starting 4th grade and is as goofy and wonderful as ever....she told us when she turned 6 that she would be a goof from 6-9 and then she decided to extend it to 10.  She is the one that always has a silly rhyme or a pun or some kind of joke for us.  I absolutely love her funny personality...and she is the peacemaker.  The only thing that really frustrates her sometimes is when the others aren't getting along and there is nothing she can do to help them get through it.  She takes a lot on her shoulders in trying to solve their little squabbles with her humor.  There are many times I think about how thankful I am to have her in the mix of all the girls...I told Brad one night that I secretly wished McKenna was my age sometimes because I think she would make a great best friend...I love that she doesn't get hung up in trivial things and she can laugh at herself.

Savannah is going to be starting 7th grade and we just had a meeting yesterday with her school counselor to make sure her schedule is all set and tour the school so she will know exactly where she is going.  After our tour, we walked through her schedule one more time just to see if she could follow it.  One of the most exciting things for her is that she will be getting a computer to use.  I was a little surprised that all the students will be receiving a Mac to use throughout their years of middle school and high school.  She tried out for the girl's volleyball team for three days this week and just found out the results last night.  I was really hoping she would make it so she could make some quick friends from being on a team, but there were about 34 girls that tried out and only 14 made it.  She is small for her age and has never played volleyball before besides the few times Brad and I helped her practice serving over the swing set and bumping the ball to each other in a circle.  She has the ability, just not much practice (or height :-P).  Unfortunately, she was cut....but, I was impressed that she did not take it too hard...she is now on to other things...she said, "Well, I know I am good at something, I just have to find out what it is!"  I think that is a pretty good outlook!

I am still seeing God's hand at work.  When Brad and I were taking our adoption training back in February there was another couple in our class that we really admired.  They had already adopted internationally and had to go through the training again because they were trying to get their Foster Care license.  We ate up all their advice and insight.  I knew that the lady was a school counselor, but I had never asked her where she worked.  Through this process of helping Savannah get adjusted and familiar with her new school we had to contact the school counselor for a tour and a meeting for scheduling....guess who it was!  She has been such a blessing and reassurance to us.  It is awesome to know that if Savannah needs someone to talk to at school...God has gifted us with someone with such a great understanding for her!

Savannah also asked to be baptized...she said she was when she was a baby, but didn't really understand it then and she wanted to do it now that she understands.  We were excited to celebrate this time with her as well and with Grandma Phillips, who also decided to be baptized.  Both Kassi and Savannah received new Bibles and Savannah has been reading it and putting post-it notes in it when she finds something that doesn't make sense to her.  We have had some great family discussions over some of the questions she has about what she is reading.  I hope and pray her desire to learn and understand God's Word continues.

Gotta Start Somewhere

My college roommate emailed me to let me know that one of the Olympic Divers was from my hometown, Noblesville, IN.  I checked to see if I might have been in High School with him and then I realized I was probably in High School with his parents...haha!  How sad!  I always think I am the same age as athletes...why is that?  I think drinking from the Fountain of Youth at 14 messed with my mind.

I had to laugh a couple days ago when I read an article about fitness goals for women my age.  The first funny thing to me was that there were only four...however, that was really what kept me reading the article.  The first goal was to hold a plank position for 60 seconds...I love how they time it in seconds instead of minutes to make you feel like you have done more.  So, I tried it.  I started shaking after 26 seconds, but I managed to make it all the way to 60 seconds.....not pretty, but successful.  The next goal was to balance on one foot and hold the "tree" pose for 60 seconds.  Again, not pretty, but I managed to make it through this goal. How can just holding a position make one sweat?  By now I am feeling invigorated and I am on to goal three...10 push ups.  If you are like me you are thinking, girl push ups?  But, no, real push ups...I got through 7 without taking a break.  So, I didn't quite make this goal, but I was so close I could taste it and I felt like it was well within range.  OK, what's the fourth and final goal?  I was excited to scroll down to see it.  It said women my age should run a half marathon...hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaa!  At first I thought they misspelled mile.  Shouldn't it be half mile?  How do you jump from the first three goals to go to a half marathon?  Anyway, I am still laughing periodically when I think of those goals, but I am starting to jog.  Gotta start somewhere!

Brad and I have seen and talked to so many people throughout our ministry opportunities that really have great hearts and can even verbalize a ministry they feel incredibly passionate about, but then life happens or it seems so overwhelming that they never act on it.  It is hard to take a first step when the goal is a half-marathon.  But, I am not getting any younger...are you?

Encouragement for Moms

Brad sent me this  "letter to a mom" from Focus on the Family a few weeks ago...I just re-read it and thought it would be a good encouragement to others, so I wanted to post it.  I have loved having the summer to be with the all the girls and help them through the transition, but I have to admit there have been those days that I have seriously longed to be back at work and have the girls back to school.  Before I was a mom, I really had no clue about the work it took to manage a household and raise children....let alone continue to feed an army.  So, if you are a mom and you are reading....you are wonderful and I hope you will find some encouragement in this letter.

Dear Mom,

You are a gift of God to your loved ones and your kids.

But you don’t always feel that way, do you?

There’s a low-level feeling of guilt that creeps into your heart from time to time. Sometimes it bubbles over into tears, usually on lonely, difficult days.

You scan blogs and read books about being a good mom. You find some helpful tidbits here and there, often from women who are grandmothers now. Women you can learn from but who seem to have forgotten the struggle. They seem to have it all together.

In your heart, you want to be the kind of mom who trains up kids to make a difference for the kingdom. You know it’s an honor to be entrusted with these kids. You know you’ve only got one shot. You want to be the mom who teaches them the Bible, models how to pray, and trains them up in the fear of the Lord.

But most of the time you feel like you’re barely holding it all together.

Your house cleaning can’t keep up with your kids’ mess-making.

The kids embarrass you by acting up right when your guests arrive.

Your husband doesn’t get just how worn out you are by the end of the day.

You come to the end of your patience. You lose your temper. Then you feel worse.

The last thing you consider yourself to be is a “good mom.” And you think to yourself, It’ll be a miracle if my kids turn out okay.

And – surprisingly – that’s right where God wants to meet you. The place where you admit your powerlessness and your need for Him.

It’s only by God’s grace that any kid grows up to be a force for the kingdom.

You see, there are no perfect kids and no perfect mothers. No matter what you read in blogs, see in magazines, and learn in books. There are sinful kids and sinful moms and dads.

And the only thing greater than both is the grace of God. The God who says “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The God who loves to forgive, to transform, and empower.

God loves you – not because you are a good mother but just because you are His precious child.

God loves you – not because you’ve mastered all the skills of parenting but because He has.

It’s divine grace that will transform your parenting – not guilt.

It’s grace that will keep you going and serving and scrubbing when you’re exhausted and worn out.

It’s grace that will conquer your feelings of inadequacy and remind you of God’s love for you in Christ.

It’s grace that goes for the heart of your kids, not just their behavior.

God has demonstrated the fullness of His love for you through the cross of His Son, even while you were still a sinner.

He has promised you His presence.

He has spoken His approval over you in Christ.

He is the perfect Father who delights in you as a daughter.

Find in Him your Treasure and Joy. Be to others what He is to you.

So walk in freedom. Let Him hold you together when everything seems to be falling apart.

Bask in His unfailing love for you. And rest in His promise of power.

IncrediWorld Amazement Park

Sorry so long since my last post...I have been at IncrediWorld (VBS) at Village Hope Church.  My house has been taken over with Play-Doh, coloring pages, dinosaur masks, and cotton candy :-), but I pray all the kids have hidden some more of God's Word in their hearts.  Savannah was too old for VBS this year, but she was able to be my helper...she had so much fun, sometimes it was hard to remember if she was one of the leaders or one of my Kindergarten/1st grade "park riders".  One night I was upset with her because I couldn't find her when it was time to clean up and I knew she was somewhere in the church with her friends, but another worker put things into perspective for me when he said how nice it was to see her really enjoying herself...that he wondered how many times she had really laughed like that throughout her childhood.  This is one of the hardest parts for me...managing my expectations/structure for all the girls, but seasoning it with enough flexibility for them to be kids for as long as they can be....parenting can be tremendously difficulty sometimes.  I realize I am more of a strict parent than many people, but I also believe children flourish best with consistency and structure, as well as an appropriate respect for authority and given a healthy amount of responsibilites.  These days, I am sure I would be considered "Old School".

We had a good week...a "marker" week of sorts.  Both Savannah and Danielle had their regular counseling sessions this week and both their therapists told me they are doing so well....they do not see the need for more counseling at this time.  That is a huge praise...I am so happy they are adjusting to all the changes and they are able to verbalize their feelings and process them.  It still amazes me that they are able to stay afloat through all the transitions.  Yesterday, on the way to VBS, the song, Stronger, by Mandisa came on the radio and Savannah said, "I think this is my song"..."I think everything I've been through has been to make me a stronger person"...."I can definitely testify to this." Those are the moments to cherish...the times when something makes sense to them.

Danielle, Kassi and Karly are learning to get along as a team...although we have days where their make-believe worlds collide :-)  Brad, donning a very devilish grin for a pastor, made a joke about their imaginary friends not even getting along he was leaving for work one day this past week...fun times!  Sometimes I feel like I have the triplets from the movie, Brave.  Yesterday, after I told them to clean their room I went up to find even more clothes, toys...and even the curtains pulled down because someone thought it would be funny to wrap them around her to play princess....needless to say, toys were removed from their room and now have to be earned back little by little.

I think I mentioned that Savannah may have to testify in court....this has been delayed.  Apparently, new evidence has been submitted that may change this case or the charges.  I am still hopeful that she will not have to testify, but from the appointments we have had so far to prepare her for this possibility, I have been encouraged by her boldness.  If you have been praying for her regarding this situation, thank you!  She could still use prayer, but we do not have a revised date for this to happen. 

Today, with VBS behind us and school right in front of us, we are headed out to do some "Back to School" shopping. 

Picture Updates

I haven't posted any pictures for a while, so finally uploaded some from the last couple of weeks for you...enjoy!

I remember when I would say I was going to lay out I meant on a trampoline with baby oil....I wanted to get as dark a tan as possible....so when these three told me they were going to lay out I had to laugh when I looked out the window and saw this. Soaking in the shade! 

These three drama queens have been practicing two skits for an audition for a new character on Adventures in Odyssey.  They all read for the audition and this is a picture of them after the audition was over.  We won't know if any of them will be a finalist for this new character until October, but who knows...it was a fun experience and they had something to work toward.  They all made great improvements in their reading/acting abilities with Brad's coaching...and a little of my input :-)

I said I would let them have a bubble bath, but then they wanted the jets....a little bubble soap and the jets makes for a ton of bubbles....but, they loved it and I couldn't resist getting a picture after I was sure we were not flooding the bathroom with bubbles :-)

Karly has been making some strides this summer with letter recognition and so I thought this weekend would be a good time for me to sit a while with her and let her give reading a try....we started reading one of Grandma's Dick and Jane books and she took off!  I was kidding her after each "chapter" that we should just close the book because she was growing up too fast...which made her want to read even more.  A while after tucking her in bed for the night I went to check on her and this is what I found...(having to call Brad up to see how I am finding them sleeping has to be in my top 10 favorite parts of being a parent)

I feel a little sorry for Minnie Mouse, but this is a great representation of the phrase, "Can't put a good book down..."  Bet you didn't know those Dick and Jane books were so addictive.

Have a Fosterrific week!

HI, MY NAME IS SCARED

Karly has been super excited to be starting Preschool this fall...she has been looking forward to it every year as she watches her older sisters put on their backpacks and sobs as they leave for school pretty much every morning.  (We do have a lot of drama in our home...I am usually emotionally spent before I start work at 8am  :-)  So, I have been a little surprised this summer that she is starting to show some anxiety about it.  I try to walk them through things that are making them anxious in order to visualize themselves being successful...normally it helps, like this past week they were all scared to jump off the diving board and I told them to just think they were jumping into a huge bowl of their favorite ice cream...their swim teachers thought it was a little strange that they yelled out an ice cream flavor before they jumped, but it worked!... :-)  Karly told me later she yelled, "Rainbow Sherbet, here I come!" I wish I had been right by the diving board to see how it played out with all the girls because all of their stories of it were pretty comical.  BUT this time was so funny.  I had Karly imagine she is walking into her preschool class and I wanted her to practice going up to another kid in her mind and saying "hi, my name is Karly...what's your name?"  So, she starts to say it for me...but, she ends up saying, "Hi, my name is Scared"...I have laughed so hard over that one...imagine if we all actually did that!  OK, maybe it is just funny to me, but I am rolling!  I think it is because I actually feel like this a lot of the time. You have to face your own fears to teach your kids to overcome theirs...that kind-of stinks...no one ever told me that! :-)

You may be proud of me that I am facing my fear of bugs...head on.  Brad has been gone for this weekend and I have been working outdoors even as I am being buzzed by Tracker...err Cicada Killers...I have had to kill spiders and a wasp inside our home while he has been away.  I now have fly swatters located on both levels of our home for easy access and tonight I heard a bug, closed my eyes, and guessed it was a ladybug (they make a distinct noise when they hit the walls...they also have a peculiar smell when you smoosh them....should probably flush them)  Anyway, I was correct!

Today was a great day!  We received news that the judge signed the paperwork to allow the official adoption to begin today....so, the girls can move in with us full-time now...no more 5 nights with us...1 night with the foster parents....I know that sounds confusing.  But, we are done with the visitation period now and on to the beginning of legal status and adoption...this will still take 6 months, but the court sees them as our children now.  This whole process is hard, though.  I will never regret it, but there is so much to it...everyday I have to pray God will help me to handle whatever comes my way and give me strength.  I really should be praying this anyway, so it is really helping me to seek Him as I should.  We have some "hi, my name is scared" days ahead of us.  Because of what Savannah has been through in the past, she must testify in court soon.  We have been working with her and some wonderful counselors to help her become emotionally ready for this, but we could always use prayer :-)  I have been feeling some anxiety over it recently since it is almost upon us...it is much easier for me to have that emotional forcefield around me when I am just reading words in a report, but put the actual people involved in front of me and my little girl having to tell her own story....I think that situation may penetrate any type of forcefield I can muster.  I would really like to be strong for her.  God has been speaking the verse to me that says, seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.  I think He is trying to help me with my anxiety and to know what to pray for her as well.

McKenna was away at Camp Barakel for a week and Savannah and I had some time in the evenings after the other girls had gone to sleep...so, we started reading a book together that she had picked up from church.  I had no idea what it was about or about the characters in the story, but as we started reading it...one of the main characters was the daughter of a pastor and as we got further into the book we realized she had been adopted.  I got that lump in my throat...and I am getting it again as I am typing this...God is perfection.  She is so excited about that book...I can't even believe it parallels what she is going through right now.  It addresses so many issues that she is dealing with through the character in this story.  I couldn't have picked a better book!  That is a huge praise!  I love when He shows off!

Well, I have already said too much...see why there is no way I could be on twitter...haha!  What would I say? Scared, Killed bug, Ice Cream, Lump in Throat, God's Good...ok, that is so weird to me, but you may have appreciated the brevity.

Grateful for you!

Heather