And now we wait...

Leah's severance trial finally wrapped up last Thurs. If you can believe it, the trial actually started January 20th...and ended April 7th. Grrrrrrrr...the system can be so lame! (Soap box moment!)

Anyway, the judge now has her fate in his hands...Our Lord always has had her in His hands. We are praying that the judge will weigh the best interest carefully and that fact that she has been in our home since birth as a big reason to rule for severance...because it IS in her best interest. Also we are praying for God's will not ours. Sometimes that line is blurred in my mind. I want her to be ours...I love her deeply. But more importantly, I want her to be where her Lord wants her. His plan is ALWAYS best, even if it cause us some heartache in the end.

So now we wait....we wait on the Lord. The judge promised to give a decision by April 29th so hopefully we will know something before her birthday May 7th. If you get a chance, please lift her, Judge Brain, and our family up in prayer as we wait.

Home Opener!!!

With my favorite baseball partner in hand we headed off to opening day at Chase field on Friday night! We have probably the best time we have ever had at a game together. We were kid free and the energy in a packed house is infectious. We were chilly since it was 55degrees by the 6th inning but that did not ruin our fun! Thanks to our wonderful sister and brother in law for taking 4 of the 5 kids and our great friends the Williams, (Jacob had a great time!) for the evening...we appreciate it.

Oh and the Dback killed the Reds...13-2! Good 'ol slug-fest!

Chris Tomlin "And If Our God Is For Us" Tour

Had a wonderful night out with my Mom worshiping our Faith Lord. Can't really explain the passion and deep feelings I had while worshiping with thousands of people. A real blessing to be part of the Body.

Pretty Baby!

House Rules

After we spent the day at the Love and Logic seminar we have been approaching many things a little differently than before. One of those things was actually posting the house rules for everyone to see. I feel like a broken record most days as I repeat the same old things to the kids and I am determined to "talk" less. The kids know what is expected and while there are going to be plenty of times some or all of them may need reminding I am praying it is not every day. For the big kids who can read, when I see them 'breaking' one of the rules I send them in to read the list and tell me which one they have forgotten...works great! And for the twinners (that's what we call the 4yr olds), I just point it out and read it to them. It seems to be going well so far.

I bought all the supplies at Michael's and spent the better part of Friday afternoon last week making each person specific for each child. It was a fun little project for me, (I miss being crafty).

His expression tells so much

Thanks to Rilie Dee Photography I have this awesome picture which to me tells the whole story of the experience. A little bit unsure but confident enough to look at the camera and with that look a thought like "Mom, what have you gotten me into?" (Heeeheee, I just brought them to the event, they made their own choices.)

One at a time

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

I was blessed my a very special friend with a gift of this Starfish necklace to celebrate our adoption of Hannah. She told me about the story above and how this necklace was to thank me for making a difference in one little girl. It touched me deeply...this is a moment I will not forget. It is a special reminder every time I wear it I will know that while there are so many children in need of loving homes I followed God's heart and a making a difference in one. (And hopefully by next summer two more!)

Thank you Miss Joy!