Good news!!

Amazing news for so many! It was a good day!

Super Saturday!

It has been such a great day!!! I always forget how to upload the pics and it's too much of a pain to redo them... so.... here's my day...backwards. ;o)

We went to the church for our Fall Festival. The boys had SUCH a blast. ;o) The church really did such a good job with everything. This year was E's 2nd time. He had a blast this time. He wanted to do everything and ride everything, and eat everything. It was such a cool transformation from last year.

The boys coloring pumpkins.... very intense

Balloon swords and cotton candy



E would have nothing to do with the horses last year. This year he wanted to ride them over and over.

Costumes

Bumble Bee and Race Car Driver... too cool for words

Daddy was so proud of his little race car driver!

I did it!!! I ran the race. I pretty much jogged the whole thing, but I finished strong and I am still walking tonight! ;o) D brought the kids down so I got to see them twice while running they were such wonderful little cheerleaders. I even got the best text right at mile 4 when I was pooping out...lol Tiffany sent me a text that told me she was praying for me right then. It was the thing I needed to pick up my pace and know that I could do it! My friend L was there with me the whole time. He was such a great encourager!!! I am signing up for the next big race in November. It's such a good feeling to have completed it, my kids are proud, my hubby is proud... I feel good. ;o) S and D are going to do the next race with me. Thank you God!
I did it!!!

Getting some loving. ;o)
ok the shorts are SO not flattering...lol Good thing I didn't really care about fashion today...lol
Before the race. gosh I look tired and I haven't even started...lol
Just cause they are too cute!

Faithful Friday

Happy Friday ya'll!!

Paul wrote, "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:13 - 14

The thought for the day in my devotion is "If we ask and listen, God will lead us to what is most important for us" Laurie Juliana

It seems to be the theme for me this week. Contentment with what I have, not looking behind, looking to God for what is important to Him and His will for me.

Is it His will for me to become pregnant? No. Although since I am medically altered, I made that choice many years ago....lol No looking back.

Is it possibly His will to adopt again?... well since adoption IS His will...maybe so. Have to get the rest of the family on board with me. ;o) God can take care of that one. Pressing Forward.

Now it's time to ask and listen. Listen.... Listen...hhhmmm for some reason I think this is my biggest hurdle. Anyone else?

So today on Faithful Friday... I am shutting up and listening. I am going to allow God to speak to me.

Tonight we will have dinner with our couples group. It's been a while. I will ask for their prayers for my heart's desire for a baby. Either to give me peace about not moving forward or to work in D's heart. ;o)

Tomorrow is RACE DAY!!! The real thing baby. oh my goodness! Gives me butterflies just thinking about it. I found stuff for my costume and have arranged to meet my partner ...my "wingman" at 7am. UGH I am so not a morning person so running that early will be a challenge in and of itself...lol It's supposed to be cloudy and 80 degrees... phew, can you say sweaty? Good thing when I post pics there won't be smell-o-vision.

The boys are WAY excited for Halloween. E-man is going to be a race car driver and N is going to be Bumblebee from Transformers. We are going to the church for the Fall Festival. Can't wait to show you pictures.

My boys were having a bit of a spot this morning remembering to enjoy what they had...lol E's school is having a party and N is way jealous. It was tough to explain the differences to them, while making each sound good...but not too good ...to the other. ;o)

So, I am off to listen. I pray you all have a blessed Friday and glorious weekend, hope it's Better than Good!

Blessings...

Last night I had the joy of having all my kids under my roof.

We had gone out to get costumes for the little guys, so they went down to sleep pretty happy boys.

After N and E-Man were sleeping, the older 2 were just kind of hanging out.

S decided she wanted to bake pumpkin seeds so she and her daddy carved 2 little pumpkins that we had gotten from my mom. S had gone online, found some fun recipes for pumpkin seeds... who knew there were so many ways???... and proceeded to bake.

D was next to me doing his homework for BSF, the boys were sleeping...Z and S were messing around with each other the way siblings do... it was Better than Good!

I have been doing alot of reflecting lately about family and how blessed I am.

Recently, I have been having this bizarre desire to have a baby lately... for several months really. It's been driving me a little crazy actually. I don't know where it's coming from. The crazy part is that I SO do not have time for a baby at this point in life...LOL and I am no spring chicken. Although my best friend from High School is preggers with a baby right now. There are just so many factors against it. Not to mention the whole thought process in knowing how many children there are out there needing homes... how selfish does it seem that I would want to birth another one? Part of that selfishness comes from just the desire to share that piece of love with my husband... the love of my life, next to Christ.

The thing is that I cannot have a baby biologically any more...so the desire is kind of a moot one.

God showed me last night that I am blessed. I didn't forget that I am blessed.... but sometimes when you desire something so much you forget what you already have.

I HAVE 4 beautiful children.
I HAVE an amazing loving husband.
I HAVE great parents and mom in law.
I HAVE an amazing Best Friend.
I HAVE amazing friends to support and love me.
I HAVE a wonderful church home.
Best of all... I HAVE a Savior who knows me and loves me no matter what.

So maybe there will be a baby in my future... not biologically... and maybe not... either way... I am Better than Good.

Psalm 75:1 O God, we give thanks to you! We proclaim how great you are and tell of the wonderful things you have done.

Need a little help from my friends....

This is me...

I feel a bit crazy... have you ever felt like you had Swiss cheese brain? Somethings stay in but others fall out and you don't ever really know which of those things is going to be important?

I feel like blaming it on old age...lol but then I don't want to offend any of my lovely, wonderful, amazing older friends out there... so I will blame it on my lack of organization.

Yes the secret is out, I am UN-organized!

Those that have known me for while know that this isn't really news. I have just been really good at keeping all the balls in the air. I am one of those people that don't keep a neat house, it's clean, just not neat. I have piles and I know what is in each one. I know which room, which stack and when I put it there. About once a month I purge those piles because I get tired of looking at them.

I can no longer keep all the balls in the air, and it's causing me some significant stress. I need a planner... or a calendar or a pda... or something. I need a place to put my stuff... one place, one that is portable that I can pull out when I am thinking about it and write in it then put away. I can't afford a black berry.

So my friends... any suggestions? Do you have something that helps you keep it all straight? something simple and easy... yet comprehensive enough to work? Am I asking for too much?

Is it completely nuts that I have come this far in life and DON'T already have system?...lol I made it through 2 kids, then 2 adoptions... almost to the age of 40 and I can't do it any more.

God knows what He's doing... I am certain He's been after me to do this for a long time, considering the stress this has caused me, but hey we have all already learned what a slow learner I am. ;o)

Thanks for your help..in advance...

The weekend in pictures....

Did it!

Got up this morning and did my trial 10k! WOOHOO

It was sort of hard since I had been feeling so crummy yesterday. We went down to the ocean front and followed the route we will be taking next week.

It was SO windy...yuck...lol

But it was gorgeous and we did it! In less than 1 1/2 hours.... not bad for being the first time and feeling icky.

Next week will be a piece of cake!

Faithful Friday

Look! I am posting 2 days in a row. ;o)

Feeling crummy today. Not really sure what it's about, not truly sick...just blah. I think perhaps all the busy-ness has caught up with me.

Still praying about the position at the church. Thank you all for your prayers and emails. It's been one of those weeks that I feel like too much is happening and I don't want to make any rash decisions. :o)

It seems like a good fit. I have been looking for a place to serve in the church. I love missions. I feel like this could indeed be a good stepping point in the forming of the non-profit that I am thinking of forming. My hubby thinks it's a good fit. He may actually join the committee with me. It would help us both actually to be in the same committee, only one night out. ;o)

So the prayers continue. ;o)

I was able to get out running 3 times this week. It felt good! I do think I need different shoes though....ugh... running shoes are NOT cheap! ;o) I am going out early tomorrow morning to do a trial full 10k with my friend L. I have only ever run at night, and am not a morning person so I need the practice! ;o) The real race is next Saturday!!! OH MY! ;o) I feel like I can finish it no problem which is my goal even if I have to walk some and then just sprint dramatically across the finish line! ;o)

We will be on the road again travelling back and forth for the Women's version of the Emmaus weekend that D lead last week. I am not teaming this time...thank goodness, but my Mother-in-Law is attending for the first time. We dropped her off last night. :o) She was excited and nervous at the same time. We are praying for God to touch her in a big way this weekend!

I also get to see my mom for a bit!! YAY! She has been with my grandparent's in PA since my grandfather's surgery, so I have missed having her around! ;o( We only get to see her for a short time, but it will be good either way.

The boys are good, both seem to be healthy again. S is also good. She's loving school...which is a great switch from last year! ;o) Her grades are great as well. Good for her!

Well...that's all I have to report today.
Have a better than good weekend!

New Wrinkle?

No... not on my face...although those seem to pop up all the time...lol

I got a call from our assoc. pastor yesterday. He asked me if I wanted to take a position on one of the committee's at church.

Guess which one? ;o)

ok, if you can't guess it's the Commission on Missions. I would be the Vice Chair, move up to Co-Chair next year then Chair it the following year.

The thought is that they are trying to take the church in a new direction with missions. Get us more involved...globally.

We have an amazing out reach for the homeless in our city, as well as for the kids in the area that live in transient homes. We are a resort city, and the homeless seem to congregate on the ocean front. It will be interesting to get more educated about how that program works.

The wrinkle is that I just started my class on how to start your own non-profit. I did learn a ton just in the first class. This opportunity with the church could be a good thing, a good starting point. It will give me the opportunity to work with the committee, work on all aspects of mission work, and perhaps make some good contacts.

Plus I will have a whole church at my disposal...LOL

I am still praying about it. Of course if I get into it and God says...'Hey! Not a good idea'... I can end the process.

I have so many ideas, and I love the thought of getting our church involved globally! Think of the ripples we could create?!

Still praying. Still asking God for His direction. Thank you for your prayers as well. ;o)

Have a Better than Good day!!!

Suddenly Wednesday?.....

Goodness, life is nuttier than Payday candy bar!

The weekend was rainy and full! If you have read the Twilight series you will know what I mean when I say we had a "Forks" weather weekend.

D was gone all weekend. Can I just say how much I love that man?! I can't tell you how many times over the weekend I had people coming up to me telling me how much they love my husband and what a great guy he is. I have to agree!

I tell him that he's the one that can drive me the most bonkers and make the most happy at the same time...lol

At one point over the weekend he had to give a "Talk". His was on Perseverance and as a form of love (we call it Agape) I went up to pray for him while he was speaking. There is a chapel that we sit in and pray while the person speaks. I showed up and about half the team came in to pray with him as well. What an extremely powerful prayer time! It was one of those moments when you just have to praise God in all His glory to be surrounded by the physical cloud of witnesses!

I also got to give my dad a bit of love. He was giving a talk on Saturday night so S and went out and surprised him in the chapel to pray for him. I had to leave while he was speaking to go take care of the boys, but S stayed and prayed for him. Again... HUGE blessings. My dad isn't always the kindest person. He's not usually aware that his man filter doesn't work well, and unfortunately S gets a good bit of his unfiltered words. But she stayed and prayed for him the whole time. Speaks a TON for her heart. Thank you God!!!

N unfortunately came down with a weird spiked fever on Saturday so he was down for the weekend. You know that kid is ill when he just slumps into you to cuddle...lol He's a non-stop ball of energy and when he sat down for lunch and just kind of "powered down" we knew something was up. He is better now, thank you God! I had to keep him home from school on Monday, he was so upset that he would be missing his homework that was supposed to come out that day...lol Love that boy!

Speaking of N, wanted to clarify that we didn't actually get the contact info for the birth family... but the agency will be facilitating the communications between us. We got a copy of the email that was sent to them, and were able to respond. It's such an emotional situation....

This coming weekend will be crazy again... but then should quiet down some. I am so looking forward to that!

Tonight I start my class on starting a Non-Profit. I am looking forward to see what I am able to learn. I am still in prayer about the way God wants me to go with this whole 'vision' that He gave me.

So that's whats up with us... no pics this weekend to share. ;o( I will work on it this weekend. ;o)

Prayers for a Better than Good day for you all!

Suddenly Saturday

I decided to call this post Suddenly Saturday because I am not sure where the rest of the week went?! Ever have one of those? ;o)

It was a nuts week at work, lots of crazy health issues. I work for a local health system and because of all the flu mess we have had to make some adjustments to life and getting some communications out to people. Then had another marketing program just go terribly wrong. The boss was out, so I got to be boss for a few days.... honestly I am not vying for her job!!! Life is too full outside of work to have all those headaches too! Can't wait till she's back. ;o)

Friday I was feeling a bit like a wind up toy that had been too tightly wound.

S came down with the flu on Tuesday. We believe the piggy kind due to symptoms and her exposure to others that had had it. Our peds Dr didn't want her to go in to the office unless she got bad enough to be concerned, so we didn't get the actual test. I was ok with that. We did lots of fluids, used lots of Lysol, cleaned alot... and today we are scouring the house! ;o)

D left on Thursday to go to the Mens' Emmaus Walk. He's the leader man this time so we had alot of preparing this week to get him ready to be gone for 4 days. I miss him like crazy.

Daddy being gone has sent N into a bit of a tail spin. Daddy left Thursday and N came home on Yellow, Friday he came home on Red and stayed there while at home. It was a tough couple of days.

So last night I put the boys to bed, S was out (she's better), and I just curled up on the couch with homemade popcorn, a blanket, some KoolAid and watched a movie...lol

Wednesday I finished up the Leadership training I had started at church. It was really good stuff. I am glad I took the class.

Thursday we had a Mission Team meeting. That also was really good. We were able to get a good bit accomplished and then did a bit of team building by putting together a tri-fold display to put up for upcoming events. It was great to see the team work together and work well. We really do have a great group of people! We are all getting excited about the mission and about the work we will be doing.

I didn't get any running in, but probably should have, perhaps it would have helped with the stress level this week. ;o) I only have 2 weeks left before the race so I really need to get out there.

Hey! Got really great news on Friday! We got a call from the agency we used to adopt N. They had gotten an email from a birth member of N's family looking for information on how he was doing! I will tell you I was bit shocked when I saw their phone number come up on my cell phone. I was in a meeting so I couldn't answer it right away. It's not like them to call me...lol I am not in the adoption process, but it still made my heart jump.

When she told me about the birth family, I was an emotional mess! I would LOVE to have contact with them. So we will be exchanging emails. I am looking forward to that, although I have no idea what to say. ;o)

Just that morning E and I had been talking about his Ethiopia Mom. During the conversation he said "My Toopia mom die". :o( It made me so very sad that he has had to deal with that at such a young age. So to have this contact with N's family makes me so appreciative of what he still has, and sad for what E doesn't.

We are sure blessed! Thank you God for my blessings!

ok, now that I have written a book...I am off to clean.

Prayers for a wonderful and blessed weekend for you all!

Scripture makes me laugh

Some times scripture just makes me laugh. I am certain God had some verses and stories put in the bible so that we would have a good laugh and know that not only does He have a sense of humor... we can too. ;o)

Yesterday's devotion was from Acts 12: 1-17. I keep mine at work and read it in the morning but D reads his at night. So when he was reading the passage I got a case of the giggles. I am a visual thinker so I was envisioning the scene in my head. It's a good thing my husband is ok with me being a complete dork...lol

1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

8Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

12When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"

15"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. (NIV)

Can you just picture Rhoda going to the door and freaking out a bit? And Peter on the other side rolling his eyes while looking around furtively for soldiers that could be following him.

Then the people that were praying say "You're out of your mind"

How long do you think Peter stood there knocking while the other stood inside saying "I'm not going to open it... you open it. Nope I'm not doing it... you do it"

Then when they finally opened the door Peter told them this amazing story about an Angel releasing him...then walks away.

What I would like to know what they did after Peter left. Do you think they just sat around looking at each other wondering "What just happened?!" This was Peter, the one that walked on water, the Rock, the one that denied Christ 3 times... and then one of the first to the tomb after Christ died to look at the linens left behind. After the Resurrection when all the disciples went out fishing, Jesus appeared to them on the shore...Peter put on his cloak and jumped out of the boat. I don't know whether he thought he was going to walk on water again or of he was just over joyed to see Jesus... he was a man of action, and had a bit of emotion.... no wonder he left the people in the house to go somewhere else...lol

Seriously though, how often do we pray for something... I mean pray and wail and pray some more... go before the throne and say "PLEASE". And God's standing there on the other side of the door, saying I am right here, I have answered you all you have to do is open it and believe. It's not so hard....lol

So often I ask God for something, or ask Him for an answer and I get it... but then I am say "Are you sure? Did you really mean that? Or do you mean this?"

I pray today that we can see the humor in life, the joy that comes from knowing that we are loved beyond belief by a God that has a sense of humor Himself.

cause I thought we could use some fun ;o)

The picture above with both boys... E's the engineer with the K'Nex with N in the background singing...

Ugh homework!!!  E has 30 mins of homework a night in PRE-K!!!  CRAZY... this is how he really feels about it...lol

Mini Me

ugh... this was one of those weekend's that I will be glad to move forward from.

For N it was opposite's weekend.

Whatever he was told to do he didn't, and whatever he was told not to do he did.

To say that by Sunday night I was more than ready to send him to bed would be an understatement. I even went for a run at 9pm just to work off some of the frustration. ;o)

D and I had a long talk on Sunday night about what our plan would be to move forward in his care. What we can do differently. It was a good talk. We are on the same page, we just need to get more consistent with our discipline.

N wasn't verbally defiant, just chose to do opposite, repeatedly of what we said.

This morning on the way to work I felt God speak into me... "He's just like you."

oh ouch! Really?! Ouch!

I had just been saying that I was so like Paul in his actions and here I was getting upset with my son for being ...me.

It's not to say that he should be allowed to get away with those things, but I think it helps me to see why it frustrates me soooooo much. It's because I see me in him, and because I am not so happy with me... it get's reflected right back on him.

Last night we went to Z's church, and this morning I know why. The pastor spoke of our worth. Being co-heirs with Christ. I am a child of God, THE God, and co-heir to the kingdom with God! So is N!

He spoke of sin being a struggle. He said "You don't struggle with temptation you struggle with identity."
He also said "It's not a behavioral issue, it's a value issue" It's not living like you are a child of God. It's not claiming your worth as a member of His kingdom.

It's me not accepting His place in life...and it's N doing the same.

The thing is that N is 5 yrs old. I am 39. It's time for me to 'woman-up' see my worth. It's also time to give N everything I can to help him see his.

So me and my mini-me have some work to do. I have some forgiveness to ask for and some forgiveness to give.

Slow Down Time

Working for God

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.
Colossians 3:23

That's a pretty hefty verse isn't it?

What ever you do, do it as if you were working for the Lord.

Can you imagine the Lord in the office next to you?  Or at the desk across from you?

How much more differently would you act?  Speak? React?

Well the truth is that He IS there.  He's always there, always with you, always watching.  Not like some creepy Big Brother figure, but truly He is always present.

Boy do I fall short of this calling...way too often than I care to think about.  How come?  How come it's so hard?  I am so so like Paul when he says he does those things he knows he shouldn't... yet doesn't do the things he knows he should.  Man I am so glad God chose Paul to be a carrier of His word.  I relate so much to him! ;o) 

I heard in a sermon once that God had to have written the bible because if it had only been man's words...those guys that weren't so perfect would have written out, people like David and his transgressions, and Paul and the thorn in his side...lol  SO true!

The leadership study I am doing talks about being the "Salt and Light" in the world being the "City on a Hill"  ... don't those things require us to work like we are working for the Lord?  Yes, I think so.

I thought of this concept last night while running.  I am still having some issues with my legs not really wanting to run.  They hurt.  Sometimes badly.  I do not think it's injury, it's just that my legs are not used to this kind of work.  They aren't used to moving like that, and carrying this weight to that extreme.  I had run 3 miles on Tuesday night and felt pretty good.  Last night I went out and couldn't complete 2 miles running.  I ended up walking most of the way home.  With about a 1/4 mile left I just started sprinting... I had playing through my head all the reasons I should quit...and all those times I have just given up something that was 'too hard'.... I began to sprint and cry.  I ended up in a sobbing heap in my husband's arms in the driveway at the end.  I kept repeating I will not quit, I will not quit.  He thought I was a bit unhinged...lol

Could I do another exercise that isn't so painful?  Sure.  Could I just walk? Sure.  But I set a goal, I want to show so many people... and more importantly myself that I can do this.  I CAN finish this race. I CAN complete this task. 

My children will see that I set a goal and accomplished it...for once...lol  My husband will see that I am not quitting.  I am following through.  My friends that have told me I am nuts to try this at 39yrs old will see that while I am most certainly nuts... I can still complete this. 

I feel like I am also showing God that I am capable of His calling.  Do I have to prove anything to Him?  No, but I feel like it's a test, one that I am determined to pass.

Making a difference

I have posted the badge for Ordinary Hero on my side bar... but this is a link to their site.

http://ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/

I don't even know what to say...they are amazing.

Monday Monday

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Ours was mostly uneventful.  Which was good.

I took the boys to my mom's church on Saturday morning since they were having a book fair.  The boys both love books so we all had fun perusing. ;o)  Then we stopped at the library to return some books and ended up checking out more.  Guess we will be doing lots of reading in the coming days.   I love that they love to read. ;o)  Makes this reading mommy proud!!

Then I decided since it was such beautiful day that I would tackle my front yard.  I haven't had a bunch of time to work on it, and it showed.  I was tired of driving up the driveway and thinking "man, that looks bad"...lol  Now it looks like the people that live in my house, care about the house.  ;o)  I mean the grass is always cut and neat, but the flower bed was over growing, as were the bushes, and the flowers were all dead.  Kinda pathetic. ;o)

Sunday was a wonderful lazy day.  We went to church, which was really good.  Then came home and we all took naps.  ALL of us, it was wonderful.  That hasn't happened in months.  It was good stuff.

We have started a church wide study called 'Enough. Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity' by Adam Hamilton.  Even the sermons are based on the principles from the book.  I love that the church is addressing money issues in a biblical fashion.  It's given me alot to think about and has been a bit painful truthfully.  Not because they are berating us, but are speaking truths about where our money goes and how we're not usually good stewards of that money.  I am working on fixing our budget today.  It needs more than a bit of tweaking! ;o)

One of the things the study talks about is your pupose in life.  If you are all bogged up in debt and worries about money how can you fulfill that purpose... of course you can still do so, but with more stress and strain.  It's given me more to think about and pray about with the vision God seems to be giving me. 

I have to share some of it cause it's just been one of those weeks of God moments...lol 

I feel like I am supposed to start a foundation. 

One that will be funded by coordinating a 5k (to start with) Run/Walk. 

I was speaking to my friend about it on Monday night, she knows of a guy that is just getting his 501c3 approval and put me in touch with him. This crazy ball then started rolling... Travis responded with info about his organization.  It's great!  He's doing really awesome things.  It's even called OptimusYouth...yes as in Optimus Prime!!! ;o)  If you have been reading for any length of time you would know that I LOVE Optimus Prime...lol 

I spoke with Travis from OptimusYouth back and forth all week.  He offered me the opportunity to join him in his efforts and even was going to give me control over fundraising and marketing for any project I wanted to persue. WOW
It was one of those weeks that it seemed like things were falling into place....but almost too good to be true.  Do you ever feel that way?

I did find a local adult learning center that is doing online courses beginning 10/21 that teaches you how to start a Non-Profit organization.  How is that for timing?!  I have signed up for the class. 

I feel like even if God directs me to join Optimus Youth, I want to have the education on how the 501c3 world works... I also want to have the knowledge of what to do in order to make it happen if God reveals more of His plan to me to start what I have rolling around in my head.

The thing about starting a 501c3 is the need for a board, and financial stuff, and a vision and a mission statement...phew it makes my head spin.  See I told you it was BIG.

I will let you know what God provides as I get through this course.  I am excited to see what unfolds and how it all works out.

Thank you for your prayers.  I would love it if you would continue. ;o)

Pics will be posted later from the weekend. ;o)

Faithful Friday

Can I get a YAY it's Friday?! ;o)

It's been a crazy week, but a good one.

Erin has been settling in with her new baby Noah...SO cute!
Cindy finalized on the adoption of her Meron!  YAY
Tiffany is seeing some great improvement in Silas... they still need our prayers as there is still a long road ahead.
Other friends are moving closer to their adoptions, others are celebrating milestones...God is working!

I mailed the check to confirm our airline tickets for the mission team! yippee 

I ran a whole 4 miles at the same time! ;o) WOOHOO!!  I am getting closer and closer to my 10k mark... which is a good thing because it's on the 31st.  yikes...lol I have not been paying attention to the scale, it's just not my focus...lol  But I feel good, other than the whole cow comment thing. ;o) 

God is really working in my life moving some things, stirring up some ideas... giving me so much to think about.  Still praying about the BIG thing. ;o)  I think it's what he wants me to do, but you know how He gives you nuggets along the way, not always the big picture all at once because you might run screaming away...lol 

I am loving the leadership class that I am taking.  It's challenging and eye opening.  One of the things I have been thinking alot about this week is my bubble.  My little Christian bubble.  What I have found is that my life doesn't consist of too many people that aren't Christians.  I have work: mostly Christian, Church: um mostly Christian ;o), Our Emmaus community: again Christian.... see not much I do involves other people.  I don't think I did that on purpose... maybe I did?  Like minded people tend to hang out with like minded people I think.  So I am looking for opportunities to expand my horizons.  ;o) 

The boys are doing great in school.  N is still having those days when his ears aren't working quite like we would like, but he seems to be settling.  Of course now that I have said that on here he will have an issue today...lol  He does love school though.  Today he is the student of the day.  He was to take a baby picture and a favorite toy.  I did speak to his teacher about the baby pic thing... she wasn't all that concerned about it.  We will see how today goes.  He chose 2 pics from when we picked him up while in ET.  One is of he and his daddy together.  It's very cute.  He also chose a little bat man computer thing that he has.  He said to me last night while choosing, "I want to take something that will make the kids say 'WOW'". 

Today was one of those days that I was sad about the things N no longer has.  There isn't a baby picture to be had of him.  He didn't seem to care, he knows he was 2 when we picked him up and he seems to almost feel like that's when his life started. That too makes me happy and sad at the same time.  He does have some other family, he was loved before we got to love him.  We talk about it, he has pics of them....but it's not the same. 

E has picture day today. I think we have seen the biggest change in him these last few weeks.  He is loving school.  We don't have any issues, that we know of, and his language has been growing by leaps and bounds. He loves to learn.  He still has homework every night. It's his special time with Daddy.  Daddy loves to work with him on it, and E loves the attention.  He seems to be more confident...which some times translates to obnoxious...lol  He's learning his letters, he can write his name and count to 10.  It's a great school.  AND one of his afternoon teachers is from Ethiopia.  How great is that?!

S ran for homecoming court this week, but didn't make it.  She's only been going to the school for a couple of weeks...lol  But she had a ton of support.  She has since joined the sophomore class club and will be working with the SCA.  She is her father's daughter, the social butterfly. ;o) 

D does have a job, for which we are very grateful, but it's hard on him.  It's been alot of manual labor and it's taking it's toll on his body.  We are praying for a break through soon.   I will be honest, he needs to be in a job that involves speaking to people. ;o)  He volunteered with KLove this past weekend and had a blast.  They had a tent at a local street festival.  He's so good at that kind of stuff.  The local KLove lady loves him!  Maybe she can put in a word for him to get a position with the company? ;o)  He would be excellent! 

God has been good and faithful. 
I pray you all have a better than Good day!

Big Cow

So yesterday I am praising my oldest son... and this morning my youngest are calling me a cow. 

Where is the justice??

Here's what happened:
I was getting ready for work. 
The boys were pretending they were lions, growling and prowling.
I began drying my hair.
A few minutes into my hair drying N appeared at the doorway.
I turned off the hairdryer and he says "Hey Big Cow can I use your trashcan?"
I paused... looked at him... and said "What?! Big Cow?"
He then says " E and I are pretending we are cows and you are the big cow."
I said "What happened to playing lions? Why couldn't I be the Big Lioness?"

Seriously who pretends they are cows?  And how come mommy gets to be the BIG COW?!

You can believe I will be running tonight, at least if I have to be the big cow I can be in shape...lol