Abe turns 3! (well a month ago he did)

In early October, we celebrated Abe's 3rd birthday. I'll confess that Abe's birthday weekend is extra special because Ryan's parents always get their fall break that weekend and come for a visit. They were here the weekend of his first birthday and that was the weekend we were given his referral. So we saw his picture for the first time the day before his first birthday. We can't help reflect on that amazing event when we celebrate his birthday.

This year, we did all things Thomas. He is totally fascinated by Thomas and his friends, which is fine with me as the trains are one of the only things that he will do independently. Still. Yes, I know...maddening! So, we're thankful for Thomas and even more thankful for Abe.

Happy Birthday Abe!

Ready to dig in!

Yes, he is still young enough to think cups can qualify as a birthday gift. That won't last much longer!

Lizzy's 10th Birthday

I need to do a few selfish posts. They are selfish because they are old news and even if they would have interested you weeks ago when they were fresh, probably not so much now. But, I want to blog about them for my own recording purposes. One thing about having 5 kids, they notice things like the fact that 3 of the 5 of them got their birthday pictures on the blog and the other 2 didn't. So, for the sake of my good mommy status, here goes...

In September, we celebrated Lizzy's birthday. We ended up having a sleepover with an owl theme. We were in a place of chaos at that point as we were in our most stressful part of the application paperwork, I seriously thought about bribing Lizzy to forget a party. However, the only sleepover we had ever hosted was for Abby's 10th and I had promised Lizzy for the last two years that she could have a slumber party when she turned 10. I explained to her that we could have one, but it would have to be low key. Lizzy was gracious and accepted a limited guest list and a pretty unstructured evening with a sunny disposition. Here are some pics of our celebration:

The party table. Once again, my husband used his creativity to make a fun centerpiece. Of course, then we had to find a place for Lizzy to keep it for the next few weeks. I finally had to make Lizzy part with her birthday branch.

The cake.

Wait, is that a Yankee votive on the cake? Why yes, yes it is. Somebody forgot to buy the cake candles.

Delighted over a new necklace.

Some of the highlights of the evening included a 3 course mystery menu at dinner and making owl hair clips. The girls also hunted for "prey" in the backyard, just like owls do. They had a fun time hunting candy by flashlight. We are so thankful for Lizzy and the cheerful attitude and spunk she brings to our house!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

While Ryan's parents were here, we took a trip to Vollmer Farm, one of our favorite fall fun places. We took a couple of good friends along and had a great time playing on the farm together.

All the kiddos riding to the Back 40. Abe thinks he is just as big as the others peeking out of the line!

Happy to be with "my daddy."

Lizzy and her good friend Alexa, playing in the corn crib.

Can't you feel the love?

Abby after a trip down the hillside slide.

Nana braved the slide,

and the cow barrel ride,

and even the jumping pillow.

Waiting

I am a horrible waiter. Is that a word, waiter? I mean I am horrible at waiting. I vividly remember the longest waiting place with our adoption. Those last 6 weeks before our referral phone call seemed endless. Every day was like 58 hours long and I thought the call would never come. I was a crazed person. I tried hard to function normally, but the constant, "what's next?" was maddening to me. In hindsight I know I learned some amazing lessons and when it was all passed, it was so obvious that every part of God's plan and timeline were perfect for our family.

Well, here we are again, in this "waiting place." I wish I could say what we're loving every minute of it and that I am just resting in the wisdom I've gained with my past waiting lessons. But, that would be a lie. The bottom line is, we're back to 58 hour days. And I hate it.

The crazy thing is, we've been waiting for 13 months now. That's when we started this process. 13 months ago. And honestly, it hasn't been so bad because we were in the part of the process where things were supposed to be fuzzy and I was okay with that. But that's not the case now. See, last week, we decided we were going to tell everyone why we had been living like crazy people for the last year. It seemed like it was time to share our hearts and our calling. We decided to do this because we were pretty confident that everything was moving forward right on schedule and our departure was pretty much a done deal. We had prayed about an available job, communicated with personnel on the field there, and felt like we might have our match. We were getting really excited.

Then one afternoon last week, things went a little haywire for us. We began to be included in a series of e-mails between ourselves, some of the company doctors, and our deployment consultant. They had questions about the peanut allergies of 2 of our kiddos and wanted some detailed info. In the course of about 30 minutes and about 8 painful e-mails, they decided that our potential job match was a no go. Because of the peanut allergies, we were disqualified from not only that country, but about 1/2 of the continent. Wow! Didn't see that one coming.

So, we have no idea what happens next. We are waiting and praying that there will be a better fit for us. We are hopeful that this is just a temporary setback and not the end of the road. They are supposed to contact us "soon" to let us know what options we might have.

In the meantime, I am fighting hard against the grumpiness that I would like to give in to each day. I am trying not to be short-tempered with my children when they ask me questions about the future that I cannot answer. I am trying hard not to think of the "what-ifs" that want to parade through my mind. I keep reminding myself that God knows every detail of my journey and that He is not surprised by a peanut allergy issue. I try to thank Him for using whatever means He wants to get us to the place where He wants us to serve. However, this exercise does not come naturally to me. It takes effort. I don't like it, but I am going to keep on fighting my natural tendencies and choose to trust that God's timing is perfect. Even if I don't like it.

Opportunity Cost

This is a new term to me, "opportunity cost." I know all about the concept, just not the term. It has to do with economics and I came across it while preparing a lesson for my homeschool co-op. I thought it was a fitting time to run upon it, because I have often weighed the "opportunity cost" of our weekly commitment to our co-op. If you don't know that term, it basically means, for everything that we say "yes" to, it costs us some opportunity. For example, the fact that I am sitting here typing this blog entry means that I'm giving up the opportunity to fold the basket of clean laundry sitting on the floor next to me. Or, when I choose the cake, I have to say no to the brownies (or at least I should.)

Every Friday, we spend our day with about a dozen other homeschooling families. Our group uses the Tapestry of Grace curriculum as our common ground. This curriculum is a classical chronological history curriculum that rotates on a 4 year cycle. Which means we are 23 weeks away from completing all 144 weeks. This is an AMAZING accomplishment for this crazy mama!

When we committed to the co-op 4 years ago, I had my doubts. For one, it fell on Ryan's day off, which was a sacrifice. Also, meeting every week would require me keeping up with someone else's pace. Not to mention, I would have some responsibilities myself to contribute to the effectiveness of our time together. But, the group of people were moms I respected, I have a weakness for history, and I loved the idea of a strong community for my kids. So, we jumped in.

I have to say, for all of the sacrifices we have had to make, it. was. so. worth. it. The benefits have been too many to count. I mean for one thing, we're actually on track to finish an intense 4 year curriculum in 4 years. You fellow homeschoolers realize that's nearly unheard of. If it had been left up to me, we'd still be back in Egypt or Rome. Instead, we're chipping away at the Holocaust.

Secondly, these women have become my close friends. They encourage, challenge, and inspire me to be a better wife, mom, teacher, and Christ follower. Their prayer support has been so encouraging as they've prayed us to Ethiopia and home again. Last month, when I got there with eyes swollen from the good cry I'd had on my to class that week, they didn't even let me into a classroom. They sent me home and told me to enjoy a few hours of quiet while they cared for my children. They have loved my family well. I know that they will be some of our greatest prayer warriors when we head to the other side of the world. Of all the things I'll be leaving behind next year, they are a strong competitor for the most difficult.

My children have also been blessed beyond belief. Our kiddos love learning and it's largely because of the fun teaching they receive each Friday. Their classmates are their go-to friends and many of the moms have spoken truth into their lives too. They have been challenged to be adequately prepared for class each week, and that's the kind of peer pressure I can go for.

At the end of each unit (every 9 weeks) we try to have a unit celebration, where all of the classes come together and we do something fun to apply what we've learned. It usually involves the dads too, which is a great thing. I thought that this would be a good time to share some highlights of the last few celebrations we've had, since I didn't get them posted sooner!

Our most recent celebration was last month and all of the kiddos had to dress as their favorite person of the unit, which covered the first 25 years of the 20th century. They also had to research, write, and memorize a little blurb about their person. They posed as "statues" and whenever anyone approached them, they would begin to share their information. I didn't get photos of the older kiddos, but they did a great job too!

This is the class I teach, Upper Grammar

Do you recognize Teddy Roosevelt or A.A Milne's most popular character?

Henry Ford and Teddy Roosevelt

Amy Carmichael and Fanny Crosby

Susan B. Anthony and Fanny again.

Isaac and Lily's Lower Grammar class. I spy a Billy Sunday, a Babe Ruth, 2 Wright Brothers, and a Louis Armstrong, can you?

Last spring, we went to a Civil War re-enactment that takes place every 5 years here in NC. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But, it ended up being terribly hot and horrifically crowded. So, we didn't stay as long as we would have liked, but we still enjoyed some fun moments.

All of my Civil War kiddos, do you see how red those faces are? Bloomers and petticoats should not be worn in 90 degree weather. But then, who knew when Grammy was sewing them that the 20th of March would be so stinking hot?

The Battlefield

Exploring the civilian camp.

One of my kid's favorite celebrations was at the end of last year. The Rhetoric (read High School) students set up and operated a mock Ellis Island. Each of the classes established an immigrant neighborhood where they hosted each of the other classes. For example, we were Ireland, so we shared Irish music, soda bread, and made an Irish craft. Later, our class got to travel to the other immigrant neighborhoods of Poland, Italy, and Russia. But their favorite part was definitely their inspection time at Ellis Island.

The Pre Grammar class, visiting Ireland

The Ladies Aid Society, serving the new immigrants at Ellis Island.

Lizzy, trying to pass the cognitive skills portion of the Ellis Island medical clearance.

Sharing about Italy.

The people with whom we're willing to invest our "opportunity cost."

Provision

A few weeks ago, when we were on our camping trip, we decided to make our way back to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville. It really is an amazing place. Both an orchard and a vineyard, it is situated atop a mountain and the views are breathtaking (the hot donuts are pretty incredible too!) We went there last fall, and everyone in the family agreed that getting back there this fall was a "must."

Both times I've been, one of the things that has amazed me is just the simple act of plucking loads of beautiful, sweet, and juicy fruit right off the tree. I guess I've just been living a "grab it from the grocery store" kind of life for too long, because I am floored by the fact that the fruit is hanging there in such amazing volumes just waiting for someone to come along and take it off. I left there with a strong desire to plant some fruit trees. I know, it's so impractical at this stage of the game.

As we were sitting on the side of the mountain staring at the rows and rows of apple trees, literally as far as the eye could see, it struck me once again how very confident I am that there is a creator. I was reminded that He is also my provider and that it was His plan for the earth to bear fruit like apples and grapes and pumpkins to feed His children. While I'm glad that I don't have to garden to have food to eat, I sort of envy those who get to. It seems like there would be such a rewarding feeling to eating and sharing something you've helped to cultivate. Who knows, I might just try it some time.

On a mission to find the perfect apples!

How about this one?

Or this one?

Okay, so really all of the best apples are at the top of the trees!

Wait, here's one someone could reach without Daddy's help.

After all of that hard work, we decided to indulge in some hot apple cider donuts. Oh my...heavenly!

I have to say, that when I'm willing to watch for God's hand, it's so easy to see his provision in my life. I have a great example just from this week. Ryan and I had been thinking about going away next weekend for a couple of days. We didn't want to take a fancy trip, we simply wanted to be someplace quiet where we could talk and spend some time in prayer about all that has happened and needs to happen in the next few months. It is my birthday next weekend and I thought that would be the perfect present, a couple days of R&R. We talked to my mom about helping us with the kiddos, and got that set up. But, I couldn't bring myself to make the reservations. I just didn't have a peace about spending the money. Yet, I really felt like we needed the time away. So, I simply prayed a couple of weeks ago and explained to the Lord that I didn't feel like this was the right time to spend this amount of money, even though it wasn't outlandish. I explained to him that I really felt that we truly needed to get away but I needed assurance about the expense.

Well, I waited, and no assurance came. There wasn't an unexpected check in the mail. In fact, every one of our monthly bills came in a little higher than normal. I was sad, but I resigned myself to the fact that we would stay home. I thought that at least we'd have my mom keep the kids overnight one night so that we could have a date night and a chance to sleep in on Saturday. It wasn't the R&R I'd hoped for, not with the laundry pile taunting me from the other side of the room! But, it was what I was going to choose to be thankful for.

Then, this week, a volunteer in our children's ministry stopped in to meet with Ryan for a few minutes. He was sharing a bit about the insanity that is currently our world and she was encouraging. Before she left, she explained that she and her husband own a home on the coast and they would love for us to use it when we need some R&R. Needless to say, we were thrilled. She had no idea that we already had a "getaway" planned, with no place to "getaway." So, Thursday, we're headed to complimentary lodgings just far enough away to meet our needs. It's a quiet town in the off season. In fact there will only be a few eateries open, and not much else to do. Sounds perfect for two people who've been going 100 miles an hour for the last 11 months, doesn't it?

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Time to Come Clean

Do you know who this woman is? She's Lottie Moon, a Southern Baptist missionary who spent nearly 40 years serving the people of China.

I am a transparent person. A very transparent person. If you spend time with me, you never have to wonder what I'm thinking. If I'm thinking it, you're going to know it. That's just who I am. I am not necessarily proud of this trait and it doesn't always serve me well. Sometimes, it gets me in lots of trouble. Often it allows me the opportunity to connect with people. I have found that people need to know that we all blow it and we all make mistakes. I am certainly living proof of that. But, back to my transparency issue. The real reason I haven't been blogging often is because something BIG has been going on in my world and it hasn't been the right time to share with the e-world. It's hard to blog about cakes and costumes when your world is spinning crazily out of the ordinary.

It is time though that I'm allowed to be transparent, so I guess it's time to fling the blog gates open. Here goes. Where shall I start? I suppose I'll start at the beginning. Way back at the Hebron Baptist Church, in Hebron, KY. The place where I fell madly in love with Jesus.

I started attending church regularly with a friend when I was in the 3rd grade. It was a typical Southern Baptist Church and I grew up spending my Wednesday nights participating in GAs and Acteens. These were girls clubs which focused on mission's education and opportunities. Each week I would go and learn about the work that Southern Baptists were doing around the world and I knew, from about the age of 10 that one day, that I wanted to be one of those missionaries. God put it on my heart very soon after I gave my life to Christ in the 4th grade and it has remained there ever since.

A decade later, I headed off to college where I met and fell in love with Ryan. He had not been raised in a Southern Baptist Church and he had very limited missions education, yet he also felt a call to international missions. This was one of the things that we had in common and it contributed to our desire to spend our future together. After a couple of years of serving together at our campus BSU (Baptist Student Union) we got engaged and during our engagement, we attended a conference which was focused on missions. At that conference, God clearly confirmed that call and we were confident the international mission field was our next stop. In fact, we joked that we weren't registering for china, because soon we might be in China.

That was 16 years ago. We've yet to go to China together. In fact, our ministry has looked nothing like we envisioned it. Ten years ago, Ryan took his first job on a church staff, as a place to serve until it was time to go. And while he was at it, he fell in love with children's ministry. We both jumped in and have had the privilege of serving lots of kids and their families over the last decade. We became involved with our own growing family and grew quite comfortable serving in church staff positions. Our dream of overseas mission took a backseat, never disappearing, just quietly hanging in the "somedays" of our hearts.

Then, last summer, Ryan took his second trip to East Asia. He came back different. I knew that the peoples of the world had been on his heart. Two trips to East Asia and one trip to Ethiopia in the course of a year had really ignited the fire that had been simmering in his heart for years. He returned from his trip and asked me to seriously pray about the possibility of going. I basically blew him off. I explained that our children were not the right ages, and our parents could not handle it right now. I reminded him of all that we had managed to acquire and accumulate and how we finally had our dream house and a church that we loved. I explained to him that one of our children would not adjust well and we couldn't do that to her. He patiently listened and then asked me to pray. And I did. Begrudgingly.

A couple of weeks later, I headed off to church one Sunday AM. It was a fairly typical Sunday, except for the fact that my parents were out of town and Ryan was busy in Kidztown. The kids and I ended up sitting alone in the worship center. We had a guest speaker that week, Dr. Danny Akin, the president of Southeastern Seminary. He got up to preach and his sermon happened to be on The Great Commission. From the moment he got up to speak, I began to wrestle with the Lord in my spirit. I was listening to what he said, and it was hitting a nerve in me that I'd almost forgotten was there. I was mentally explaining to the Lord all of the reasons why we could not go. Every one of my excuses just melted away as I listened to the sermon and to the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. In the end, it came down to one of my excuses, our parents. In my heart, I could not process the sorrow that we would bring to them if we chose to move overseas. I explained this to the Lord that morning in the sanctuary. Then, as clearly as could be, I felt the Lord whisper to my heart, "I MADE your parents, you can trust me with your parents, it's time for you to go."

At that point, I did the only thing I could do. I got up, left the sanctuary, and went to find Ryan. With tears streaming down my face I said, "Fill out whatever paperwork you need to fill out, it's time to go."

That week, Ryan made some phone calls and got the ball rolling for us to begin the application process for the company we desired to serve with. Initially, they were very discouraging. They had just come through a major budget crisis themselves, and they were totally re-vamping their hiring process. They weren't exactly sure what the new process was going to look like, but they were able to tell us that Ryan must finish his degree before we could be hired and that we must be appointed before Abby's 13th birthday, if we were going to go. Not only that, but I would be required to lose weight for insurance purposes, and even if we managed to do all of that, there was no guarantee that we would be considered, especially since we had so many mouths to feed. But, they assured us that if we felt a true sense of calling, they would encourage us to give it a try. We looked at other options, but we felt confident that we were supposed to move forward with this agency, even though it was a real long shot for us.

That was 13 months ago. We have just wrestled through the toughest year of our lives, to date. Ryan has completed almost 45 hours of college and masters level courses. We have made it through a series of hurdles and cuts and against some crazy odds, the Lord has allowed us to move forward in the process. I have lost 20 pounds and we have watched every penny we've spent, all in an effort to be in a position to move forward. We have completed hours of paperwork and we've had so many doctor visits and blood tests. Each time we've faced a potential stop sign, the Lord has provided a way to move to the next step in the process. And amazingly, we are nearing the finish line.

It appears that December will bring the official word that we've been given a position with the company. I can hardly believe that this dream, 25 years in the making, may actually come to fruition. When I think about it, I just want to weep.

There are still hurdles ahead. Our house has not yet sold, and that's a requirement. We have not received all of the official medical clearances for the kids, and that could possibly de-rail us still. But we are to the point that we want to share and celebrate this call and this exciting news. The last 13 months have been an amazing journey of faith for us, and even if the Lord were to pull the plug now, we could honestly say the process was worth it. I look forward to blogging in the months ahead about all of the details of moving a family of 7 to the other side of the world. It should be fun!