Play Date

We just got back from a play date with some other adoptive families. It was a nice time of refreshment and encouragement for me. And lots of running off energy time for the kids. I am sure the other moms there were wondering about the small United Nations Meeting going on!! It is good to see all the kids from Ethiopia, Kenya, China, Vietnam, Korea, Liberia, and of course a few home grown, enjoying one another. Knowing some of their lives would be horrible if not for the option of adoption. The blessings they have been to their families is truly amazing.

This morning Caleb and I found some pictures of his orphanage in Liberia, it got us thinking of all those to whom an orphanage is still home and praying they may find a place to call home this year!

Travel Mercies

Due to the large amount of weather problems the Northwest has experienced in the last few weeks, I was a little worried about travel.
But this awesome man of mine got us through safely in the rain, the snow or the sun! Kind of sounds like a mailman!!
You can see the kids were terribly worried too!! Actually Hannah was pretending to sleep here and as soon as I snapped the picture she started grinning!!! I guess she thought she was getting away with something.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning Mom prepared us a nice breakfast, then we opened stockings, much to everyones delight. After a few brief hours we headed up the road another 2 hours to David's brother's home for a couple of days of eating, ping pong, cards and movies.

Christmas Eve

Backing up a bit. Christmas Eve we traveled to my parents home and 1 1/2 hours away. We enjoyed a Christmas Eve service with them, then opened a few gifts. Here you see the big boys helping Caleb put together his new race track. Thanks cousin Chris and Drew. Caleb has since decided that it is lots of fun to just put it partially together and launch the cars across the room! Here we have the Dad's getting into the action. David, Caleb and Uncle David. I think this is just an excuse for the big boys to get to play with toys!

Molly was not to be outdone in all the action of the day! She decided to give Drew a good face cleaning with her little tongue. Molly is Mom and Dad's newest addition! Erinn posing with her Aunt Carol and Grandpa Fogliasso. Good times to catch up. Missed having Danielle home for Christmas for the first time. She enjoyed the holiday with her fiance's family in California.

Hannah and me with her new pop-up princess castle book. She was so funny opening presents. She would start oohing and aahing before the wrapping was off, or when all she could see was a brown box. She just KNEW it would be great! The joys of childhood innocence.

Early Presents Part 2

The blog would only allow me to download 5 pictures the first time. So here are some more.


Caleb is reading his note from Danielle. He is excited to use his gift card!


Erinn knew just about every gift she got, as she came with me and tried everything on. I found this shirt for her all by myself though and packed it with her planner for 2008. It says "My Lifeguard walks on water" Appropriate for another lifeguard!

These last pictures show Drew in his Oregon green opening his mystery gift. It contained lots of paper, rocks and a small deer. He was totally baffled! We are having his deer head mounted for him

and I thought this might be a good way of presenting it to him. It did keep him guessing for the last couple of weeks.

Early Presents

Due to the fact we will be spending Christmas with extended family we decide to open our presents a little early at home, much to the dismay of all the kids!!!

Here is Hannah with her Curious George from Danielle. I think she likes it!!

Next we have Caleb trying to put on all his new gifts at once!
I guess he is kind of a sporty, cowboy, army kind of guy! Who knew!

Then we have David and Drew modeling their
new jackets. David in Boston Marathon orange, and Drew in U of O green. And David is still in denial about Drew being taller then him, so he is standing on tip toe!!

And sweet serious Hannah with her Cabbage Patch cheerleader! She spent most of the night feeding, dressing and lotioning her new baby. Maybe she is starting to get this doll thing.


This one is so I quit getting grief about not posting pictures of me! My husband got me slippers with traction! Maybe now I can get down the stairs without falling!

Preparations

As I prepare my heart for the busy days ahead, I was looking anew at the verse we chose for this blog from Psalm 37. Trusting, Delighting, and Committing! Easy words to say, but much more difficult to put continually into practice.
As the pace around me picks up, I tend to stress, which in turn throws off my already precariously balanced hormones, which can make me a very short tempered person. There it is for all to see, and for my family to laugh at the reality!!!
So as I looked at this verse this morning and wanted to have my heart right before my Lord, He reminded me that He, who spoke the whole universe into being, cares about me!?! Do I grasp that?
As Isaiah says "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40: 28-31
So I will CHOOSE to trust, delight and commit anew today.
That He may be foremost in my thoughts and actions.
That we as a family may CHOOSE to DELIGHT in HIM this season!
That we may remember that the God whom spoke the stars into being, CHOSE to be born into this world be cause He loved us (John 3:16).

Egg Nog Run!!

The 1st annual Egg Nog Run!!

I will endeavor to describe the run my son organized today!!

I do know more graphic picture are floating around out there and may at some point show up here, just a warning for those of you with queasy stomachs!!


Today's run entailed drinking 2 cups of egg nog
then racing a lap and drinking another cup of egg
nog, then another lap and so on till a mile was run and 5 cups of egg nog were consumed. Drew was dubbed the winner when he was the first to complete the mile (6:15) and not loose the contents of his stomach!?!

I must say that an hour or so later, I believe he wished he had gotten sick. I am not sure I will ever understand boys!!!

Indescribable

If this works, this is part of the awesome video that moved Caleb so much last Sunday evening. Trust is a big thing for him. I think it probably is for most adopted children. So for him to see part of the greatness of God, allowed him to open his heart in trust to the ONE whom will never let him down. Awesome!!
Indescribable by Louie Giglio - Part 2 of 5

Small Group Pizza

We enjoyed making homemade pizza with our home group last night. This was a first for Hannah and Caleb and they were really into just throwing it on without thinking what it might taste like. But it was good. Drew was busy with Devon and Brenna making a very heavy meat lovers pizza. Good stuff and good fellowship!!

This and That

Yesterday entailed a long unproductive trip to try to fix Grandma Mae's glasses. Now we have an appointment to see the eye doctor again. It would have been nice to have them for her for playing cards at Christmas. Then I got to enjoy an afternoon shopping with Erinn and Hannah. Then David and I and the little ones went with the grandparents to a Christmas program to enjoy the singing and fellowship.
Today I had the wonderful blessing of over an hour at the gym, which gave me enough time to soak in the spa. What a treat! We are praying David's leg will soon start feeling better, so he can enjoy his running again. These flare ups with his arthritis seem to be more frequent. We are so thankful for the medicine that give him so much mobility. After the gym my sweet husband took me out to get fresh muffins and scones! While we were gone Erinn took out Hannah's braids and washed her hair for me. So I had time to grade school work and get Hannah's braids done. We did have a rough time of braiding today, hoping they stay in for a while to give us both a break for a couple of weeks. David blessed me by doing some errands and Drew got caught up on some papers. Then Danielle called and said she found a new, used car. She was so thankful for all the help of others in helping her find a good deal. It will make a mom's heart feel better to know she is driving something that has not been in too many accidents (at least not yet) HA HA Danielle.
Off to warm up those left overs and take a quiet evening!

Waiting.....

So what do you do when your mom tells you when you go to bed, that there should be snow to play in when you wake up and you get out of bed to find NO SNOW!?!?! Well, you wait patiently with your dog till it comes!!! Though you can not see it through the very dirty sliding door, it is snowing in the picture.

Can you guess who?

Here are yesterday's helpers. I needed all these boxes taken out to the recycling and all 10 boxes went at once--one in each hand, one on each foot and one on the head. The picture does not do it justice as you can not see the feet. And sometimes I worry about their thinking skills!! Quite ingenious I thought!!

Praying for Friends

Today I spent the morning at the speech therapist with Hannah, we are working on L's. Then I got my hair cut and last minute running around done. I was feeling a little frazzled, as I do not like shopping, especially at this time of the year with the crowds. Then my wonderful husband called just to see how my day was going, what a blessing! Thankfully this helped me to refocus on the important, so by the time I was home I was ready to face the rest of the day.
When I checked my email and saw a request from a friend to pray for their adoption, I thanked the Lord for checking my heart earlier in the day!! Lord continue to mold and make me into your vessel. Thank you Lord for your gentle leading on what is important!!
Please join me in praying for my friends, that they may have wisdom and peace in their adoption decisions.

Snow Day

We were blessed with about 2 inches of snow this
morning. Hannah and Caleb made a bee line for the jackets and gloves. Drew headed out to get salt on the paths at the retirement center where he works. And Erinn and David slipped their way to their offices. The little ones and I enjoyed a warm house and hot chocolate.
I have had people watch my older kids help out in the kitchen and say they can't wait till their kids are older so they can help out too. Well if you wait till they are older they may not be much of a help. Here is Hannah helping me make turkey pot pies. She loves working in the kitchen and the praise Dad gives her for a good meal.
When this picture is bigger you can see her new teeth, which have come in before the others came out. We have to keep reminding her to "wiggle" them.

Boys, Bikes & Mud

Drew has been enjoying riding from our home to the top of the peak by our home. It is about 7 miles to the top from here. I guess there are definitely worse things teenage boys could do with their free time. Here Blake, Drew and Nick are getting ready to go. You've got to love those green and blue tights. And yes Drew is wearing shorts, though I believe it was only about 40 degrees.
Next you see his muddy face, after riding it again while it was snowing the next day. The crazy face is that his hands were frozen and the warm house was causing them to start stinging.

A New Birth!!

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Last night Caleb gave his heart and life to the Lord!! What an exciting time in our household. This child we prayed for is now our brother in the Lord!! We had seen hints that his heart was being moved in this way, but last night as we watched "Indescribable" by Louie Giglio he started crying and when I asked him why, he said "It made him sad that people don't want to love and obey Jesus." After the movie David took him upstairs and had the privilege to lead his son to the Lord.

I can not write this without crying, as we have prayed so much over this child. When Caleb came home from Liberia 3 years ago he had the same dream about demons every night. He would wake up screaming, sweating and crying. Once David and I realized the battle being fought we prayed over him for deliverance and the Lord relived Caleb of this burden. But he still showed little desire to follow the Lord, though he was learning much about Him. Watching the Lord draw him in the last few weeks has been such a faith booster for me especially.

Now we have the privilege of training and growing this young man into the faith warrior for the Lord! Praise God for His unending mercies!!

MRI Results

We just were notified that Drew's MRI scan looks great. We are thankful that there is nothing structurally wrong. What this leaves us with is growth plate pain. Drew has dealt with this in his heals, his knees, and now his hips. Basically there is a lot of pain, but it is doing no damage. So he will finish a 4 week break then back to running and ignoring the pain as much as possible. It does give us a peace of mind to know that he is not doing damage by continuing to run on it. I am sure he would appreciate prayers that the pain would abate soon.

Cross Country Awards

Last night Drew had is cross country awards banquet. Here is the whole team gathered for one last group hug!

Congratulations North Medford Black Tornado Cross Country 2008!!!


Here we have Drew and Head Coach Voskes! Thanks for all your hard work coach and putting up with Drew's antics!! Also for your confidence in him as a leader and a runner.

Here is Drew and Coach Voskes Sr. Coach nicknamed Drew "Huckleberry", I think because of the trouble he thinks up! Like showing up to practice in a leg brace!!
Coach Palmer was Drew's track buddy. Kept him pushing hard on the hard work out days. Thanks for really getting out there and pushing Drew to the limit!

Drew was named Southwest Conference Runner of the Year, Dairyman Assoc. Academic Athlete, one of Qwest's Athlete of the State Meet, and State Champion!!

I pray for you son, that all you have learned from your love of running will translate into you faith, that YOU will RUN the RACE that GOD has set before YOU!!

Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

A Day Hike

David has ended up with some extra vacation time here at the end of the year, that he must either take now or loose. So we were blessed to have him home yesterday and hopefully more this week. I can not remember him ever having time off when we did not have something planned, except maybe when we adopted the kids. So the day started with a husband who does not know how to just relax, encouraging us all to help him fix the hand railing on the stairs (that might be because of my latest fall). Now you all know that home improvement projects are just lots more fun when the whole family is there to encourage you on!!! I am very thankful for my hand rail, now when I fall down the stairs I can hurt my shoulder again instead of my backside, at least till I tear it out again in one of my falls. Maybe I should learn how to walk down the stairs without falling, now that is an idea!!
Now with the hand railing fixed he had a whole afternoon to burn! So up the mountain we went!! I must admit that this picture of Caleb is from last year about this time, but we headed up without our camera and I like pictures in my posts. The view of the valley from the top of the mountain is incredible and worth the hike, especially on a beautiful December day like yesterday.
Our hike took about 3 hours to go up and down. Last week David, Drew and Drew's friend Jon biked from our home to the top (an extra 5 miles or so) in an hour and a half. They came down the whole thing in 19 minutes!!! Now that is totally crazy and I am very glad I was not there to witness it.

All I Want For Christmas

I just came across this today and really enjoyed it.

The Christmas Tree

So here is what Hannah thinks about Christmas tree decorating!!! Show a little more emotion Hannah!

In days of old this was an all night project with popcorn, hot chocolate and movies. Now a days with college finals, track practice and work; we were just thankful to have us all in the same room at the same time. No matter, the memories were made anyways! And we did get at least the hot chocolate!




Here is Caleb and Hannah enjoying the evening. It is amazing to think three years ago they had never had a Christmas tree. More importantly they had never heard the story of the birth of their Lord and Saviour! Pray that they will both come to know his saving grace and grow in the knowledge of His love.


This picture shows us Erinn, Caleb and Hannah getting those ornaments up on the tree. You might notice Hannah's precarious perch on the stool. Just moment after this she totally lost her balance and grabbed hold of the tree trunk to regain it!! I do not have to explain the swaying and tipping of the tree at that point. Hannah was directed not to use the stool after that.

Here we have Drew and Hannah playing "jungle gym" in the front room. I do not have any idea what this has to do with decorating the tree?!? But it is a cute picture and is typical of Hannah trying to get some attention from her big brother, whom she adores.

And last, but not least we have the big crew of the evening. Drew scratching his head as though he is trying to decide what is going on and Erinn looking sweet and inocent.

What a fun evening! Good memories with each unique ortament removed from boxes! Most of all lots of love and bonding time!!!

Thankfulness

It all is a matter of how you look at things!!
~Drew had an MRI on his hip which took 2 hours (but we are thankful for the technology that allows us to see what is wrong inside of us).
~Caleb saw the doctor, only to be told that there is not much to be done about the opened up wound, and he will just have a bigger scar now (but we are very thankful for good medical care).
~I woke up very sore and tired from having fallen down 7 stairs last night and landing on my backside, I now have a wonderfully large bruise (but thankful God made our bodies to heal themselves)!
~Hannah has the doctors stumped as to what is causing her symptoms (but so very thankful for the vibrant health she has)!
~Erinn finished her first final, and is exhausted with all the papers and studying (but thankful for a sound mind and the opportunity of a good education).
~David is working today and tomorrow after planning vacation days this week (but thankful for a good job and the ability to provide for the family)!
Ephesians 5:20 "giving THANKS ALWAYS for ALL THINGS to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Wrestling

So I guess there comes a time in every man's life when he ends up in this position! I can remember when David would fake letting Drew knock him over and "pin" him. Well I think those days may be coming to an end.
What a blessing to watch my wonderful husband and my incredible son! Thank you Lord for your amazing blessings to us!!!

Caleb leg update

After church today Caleb mentioned his pant pocket was wet, I did not think to much about it. When we got home he came down and showed me a gaping hole where his lump had been removed. I guess the skin did not hold together to well after having the stitches removed last Monday. Anyways, I could not get it to stay together to well, hence the large pieces of tape till we can see the doctor tomorrow. Incidentally we will already be there tomorrow morning for Drew's MRI. Isn't that convenient! LOL!

Light Keeper Pro

I can not believe I am going to promote a product here, especially one I just heard about last night. We were out friends last night and I mentioned having to throw away a bunch of strands of Christmas lights because some of the strand was out. She had just bought this little gadget and was anxious to see if it would work. You take a bulb out that is not working and hook it into this little gun thing and pull the trigger a couple of times and presto the lights come on!! Seriously!! Then you can find the burnt out ones and replace them. It really worked. I pulled 5 strands of lights right out of the garbage, used this then hung them on the house! Anyways if you are interested, go to http://www.lightkeeperpro.com/
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Tree Hunting

Our tree hunting crew: Drew, Erinn, Baylee, Caleb and Hannah.

Do take note of the beautiful day we had for our excurssion.

No, Drew and Erinn, this tree is too big!!
















Caleb and David cutting down Grandma Mae's Christmas tree.

Drew taking a break from all his hard labor!!