A Little Girl's prayer

Our Mandy shows us a bit more of her tender heart as time goes on. She has been home with us for a little over two years, and we have watched as she has grown and changed. We knew from the moment that she joined our family that she was quiet, polite, and very respectful. We now know that there is a precious heart...
Our girl has a passion for children and for adoption. She has expressed to us many times how much she prays and wishes for her friends to have a family...to come to America(she also tells us often that we need more "babies" at our house, but we'll save that for another post). She was so excited to learn that one of her close friends had a family and would come home. She was thrilled at the surprise when this friend came for a visit. At this time, she and her friend would remember another sweet,precious friend that they had played with at the orphanage. At that moment, Mandy took this to the Lord in prayer.** We didn't realize that she had been praying for all her friends at the orphanage until she shared her heart in a conversation with mom. She enjoys sitting with me and looking at pictures, and we visit about her past. It is rare that she will share her emotions and feelings with us, but occassionally the window of opportunity will open.( I am so thankful that the Lord prompts me to stop and listen.)**
A few months after these adorable girls had gotten together, we found that the third little one was indeed going to come home to another family. Mandy was able to see a picture, and she just said,"YES". A couple of months later, we would read that this family(due to a family situation) might not be able to proceed with the adoption of her friend. At that time Mandy proclaimed that she would take it to the Lord in prayer, and that she knew that God would place her friend in a family..."right here in...". This in turn prompted a discussion with mom about God's answer to prayers. "Yes, God can and will answer our prayers"..."But, it might not always be the answer we desire"..."God knows the plan and sees what is best"... Mandy was unwavering in her desire to pray for this little girl...her treasured friend, the 3rd person for their three muskateers. So,she prayed... we prayed ...
God did indeed answer this precious child's prayer. Thanks to the internet and the group websites, we were able to read that this family was indeed able to proceed with the adoption. That this child would join their family. When I read this to Mandy, she pumped her fist in the air and said,"YES, I knew HE would do it!!" She was grinning from ear to ear...

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

A Star Wars Party

Jedi SKYNATER... The Jedi Council and the Padawons... Jedi SkyNater... a present from his big brother Jedi Nolan...always the jokester, he got Nate a huge can of Ravioli...Nate's all time favorite lunch. We now have enough for a week long lunchfest.

The council and their Padawons...ready for a 3-D experience...

The birthday boy...8yrs old Waiting to blow out the candles... Light Saber training...

Who can be the one to break open Darth Vaders mask...a pinata Light Saber agility training...keep the droid in the air...

Good job...young ones... Blaster training... shoot the Storm Troopers, the Death Star, and the Tie Fighters...(water guns) Have I mentioned that I love,love, love to have parties? I love to create, plan, and give fun-filled parties. My favorite parties have to be birthday parties for my kiddos. I love planning for that special day and making them "prince" or "princess" for the day. It used to be that I would plan and give a party for every year; however, as our family has grown, we have had to revise the plan. We have had to alternate parties, so every other year our children can have a "large" party and invite friends. This was Nate's year, and he chose a "Star Wars" party. The fun thing about this party was that everyone in the family got excited about planning it. Mom researched and found ideas,planned the details with Dad, and then Daddy and the boys went to work. They designed a "Jedi Training" headquarters, planned the "training"(game ideas), decorated, and ran the party games. Mom put together the food including "Wampa" hot dogs, chips, cake and "Yoda" punch(green sherbert,frozen limeaide, and lemon/lime soda). Training took place outside in the Jedi headquarters, and they came to the Cantina for food. Dad and the big boys ran all the activities, and kept everyone busy. Aside from getting the food ready, mom had little to do but watch and enjoy. It seemed like their was lots of excitement,joy and fun for all.

Happy Birthday Nate

A Birthday Breakfast...a breakfast of champions...M&M pancakes with chocolate syrup...YUMMY!!

8 years ago today our third child was born. It was a day very similar to today, full of the sights and sounds of fall. We were so excited and thrilled to welcome this little one into our family. We had another wonderful, delightful boy! His birth made me the momma of three boys, and his daddy and I were thrilled that he was born happy and healthy. I remember the first time I held him in my arms and the way he snuggled up. He looked up and his gaze locked with mine. This was my baby boy. He looked so much like his older brother...it was almost as if God had cloned him. He was just perfect and beautiful!!

Nate has always been strong and a fighter. You see, his birth was against all odds. My pregnancy with Nate was considered "high risk" because his twin had miscarried early in the pregnancy. Throughout the remaining months, he would prove to be strong and would stay put until very close to his due date (a feat in itself as I tended to have preterm labor and early deliveries with my other two). This wouldn't be the end of his fighting... when he was 15month old, he would face major surgery on his digestive system and two more surgeries would follow. He amazed us all with his courage and strong will to survive.

Today he is a terrific young man and brings joy to our home. He is excelling at school especially in Math(which he just seems to have a knack for). He enjoys reading too, and it isn't unusual to find him in a quiet place reading a book he has found. Nate is sometimes very quiet ,and then, sometimes, he just has to make him self heard(not too frequently). He likes to play by himself and can stay entertained for hours; however, he plays well with others too. He is easy going by nature and most things don't bother him...except that he is "picky" about his food. We laugh because in many ways Nate is well...just Nate! He is unique, happy, compassionate. He is quick to anger, most often at what he considers an injustice, but he is just as quick to calm. He forgives easily and loves most anyone he meets. This year we have enjoyed watching him grow, watching his sense of humor develop and watching him turn into an amazing child of God. We look forward to watching his continued growth, laughing with him a lot, enjoying his love of life and loving him throughout the next year and for his lifetime.

Happy Birthday, our wonderful,lovable Nate!!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the cooler temperatures and the vibrant colors that are transforming our yard this week, for God's rejuvenating rain showers, and for the promise of a wonderful autumn. I'm also thankful for my bloggy friends...

...Like sweet, always joyful Kimi who just happens to be hosting a giveaway on her blog. You mom's of little girls don't want to miss it! Go HERE to read all about it!

Wordless Wednesday

Breakfast for Momma...

Momma woke up Saturday morning to find daddy and Levi cooking breakfast. They were hard at work fixing omelets and toasting up waffles and a variety of breads. The omelets were especially good...

Here is the first dozen eggs that our chickens have laid... we have been collecting 2 or 3 a day over the last week and finally had a dozen ... Daddy and Levi used our eggs to make the delicious ham and cheese omelets.

Levi was the "toast master"...gotta love it!!

A Day at the Fair

We were invited to spend Friday at the fair with friends. We all (10 kids & 4 adults) piled into their van and made the trip to the Fair. We had such a great time sharing the adventure with our friends. We spent lots of time exploring and even more time eating. After all, what's a fair without trying all the "yummy" food. Good times, Lots of fun and good friends.... what a great day!
In one of the exhibit halls they had a large sleeper truck cab. The girls thought they could handle it on the road...good thing it was sitting still. Of course, what's a truck driving adventure without "cheering" it on....

We got to explore the emergency vehicles...and better yet, we got a coloring book and stickers to bring home.Not the first time Nate got to "take a ride" in one of these... he got a much faster ride to the children's hospital when he was about 14 months old....(not so fond memories for momma and daddy)Nate's favorite part of the fair...the Dog Show... He got to meet and pet the stars of the show...

What did we all like the most?...Eating,of course...

The girls saw this play house and thought daddy needed to make them one at home... it made for a great photo op... Mia loved the goats...she told us that we needed to bring a couple of them home with us...

All the kids loved the petting zoo... They were discussing how to feed a camel...Helping each other feed the animals...