The BIG SURPRISE

If you read my last post, you may know that Papa has been out of town for 5 days. And, if you know Papa, this is quite unusual for him. Over the years, I have been the one much more likely to fly off around the country for a weekend (for speaking engagements, etc...), while Papa stays home with the kids. This year, however, Papa got a weekend away ... and he didn't even know it was coming.

Papa phoned home on Wed., during his lunch break, to ask what our plans were for the day (how many baseball games, etc...). I told him that we didn't have much on the calendar ... just one ball game at 6:30. He let me know that he wanted to go work out at the fitness center after school ... I said, "That's fine with me."

Upon his return from school, I nonchalantly said, "Oh ... plans have changed. Janie phone and asked if we could meet them in Seattle for dinner. They're going through some tough stuff, and I thought it would be good to talk with them about all of our adoption stuff, too." (They have adopted 3 children in the past 5 years.) "So, Jeremiah is going to get Elijah to his baseball game, while we head to Seattle for dinner."

We usually meet our Puyallup friends (where we used to live) for dinner in Everett, which is about the 1/2 way point. But, I told Jim that since Larry had to work later than we did, that we would actually drive to South Seattle (2 hour drive) for dinner. While driving there ... I said, "I hope this is okay. We have talked for so long about meeting them for dinner ... and tonight happened to work for both of us." Papa's response ... "Well ... it wasn't exactly what I had planned for this evening." I smiled ... Jim still had absolutely no idea what I had planned for the evening. :)

We enjoyed a WONDERFUL dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. (We'd never been before and ... WOW ... they serve amazing food!) After 2 hours of great food and fellowship, I asked Jim if I could borrow his phone for a minute. I placed the call ... got an answer ... and handed Jim the phone.

On the phone was our dear son, Gregg ... just returned from Iraq, but still at his base in Georgia. Gregg asked Papa what his plans were for the weekend, to which he replied, "Well ... we're going to play a little paintball, and do some things around the house." Gregg said, "Maybe we could do something this weekend." Jim laughed and said, "That would be pretty hard, with you there and me here." To which Gregg responded, "Why don't we go to a Nascar race?" Jim had a complete look of confusion on his face, until he looked around the table and the 3 of us were grinning ear to ear. Gregg told Jim that he'd better head on over to the airport, because Gregg was planning to see him in the morning.

Well ... the restaurant we "happened" to be eating at was just about 10 minutes from the airport and I had a suitcase all packed and stashed in the back of the car. So, we said our good-byes to Larry and Janie, and I took Jim right up to the airport and left him standing in the security line (still a bit unsure as to what had just taken place). Five hours later ... Papa arrived in Atlanta, caught the shuttle to Ft. Benning, and was reunited with his eldest son (after a 14 month deployment as a sniper in Baghdad).

Papa and Gregg spent all day Thurs. "hanging out" in Columbus, GA. On Friday, after Gregg had attended a mandatory class (or meeting?) in the morning, they drove up to Charlotte, NC. There, they have spent the past 2 days fully engrossed in Nascar.



This photo was taken yesterday, on Gregg's iPhone ... and sent to me via. email while they were still watching the race. They had GREAT seats!

Tonight ... as I write this ... they are driving all night back to Atlanta, to catch an 8:00 a.m. flight to Seattle. "The Boys" have had a VERY fun weekend. While I was the one that pulled off the "surprise" aspect ... Gregg was the one that fully planned and funded this amazing time with his Papa. I can't imagine how much fun the two of them will have this summer, when Gregg returns to live at home, after being gone 4 1/2 years. Welcome Home, Gregg!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Papa is out of town for 5 days ... and Mama has been pretty busy. So, today I decided we needed a fully fun focused day.

We attended church last night, so the younger kids and I were home this morning. We waited patiently for Ben and Hosanna to get home from working 2 services in Kid's Place, quickly fed all of the kids lunch, and headed out for a day of fun.

First ... we headed back to the beach. The first time we went (a few weeks ago), we only took the kids for about 30 minutes at sunset. So, they had not yet had the opportunity to really explore and play at the beach. Here are a few fun pics ...

These are the two that their older sister describes as "The 6 year olds that are going to change the world some day." Rachel and Elijah are ... independent, strong-willed, determined, and ... a whole lot of fun. They have become great "Virtual Twins" (since they are just 6 months apart).




Josiah




Rachel




Elijah




Jacob




Sarah and Hosanna ... reading God's Word




The Boys




The Girls



The Younger Half of the D Family ...

Ben (14), Jacob (12), Hosanna (11), Sarah (9), Josiah (8), Rachel (6), Elijah (6)

The kids think it is fun that all 7 of them are in a White/Black age pattern ... definitely God's creativity.




(The turned around baseball caps is not a fashion statement, but one of the tricks I have figured out to get a better shot of dark faces ... we can't have any shadows on the faces.)

After 3 hours at the beach, the little ones began to get hungry. So, I phoned Jeremiah (the only "big kid" home this weekend) and asked if he would like to meet us at our favorite Mexican restaurant (which J, S, & R had not been to yet). It was the perfect day for dinner at Chihuahua's ... the Sunday Special was Steak Fajitas (which Jeremiah and I both ordered), and the children's menus is only $3.95 on Sundays (very important, when ordering 6 children's meals). Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel were introduced to crispy tacos (we always eat soft tacos at home). They enjoyed them, but were a bit surprised by how messy they were. And, they LOVED the deep fried tortilla chips w/ cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, and chocolate & strawberry sauce for dessert.

After dinner, Jeremiah and Ben headed home, while I took the younger kids over to my friend Sarah's house (my ONLY friend that also has 13 children). We hadn't visited them yet (we see each other at our homeschool enrichment classes), so her children were thrilled to see our big van pull up. A 2 hour spur-of-the-moment playdate ensued, while Sarah and I had a chance to catch up.

We got home in time to do a quick house cleaning before bed ... since we get to drive to Seattle in the morning to pick up Papa at the airport.

Random NOT fun happening today ... it cost me $117 to fill up the gas tank on the van and it will probably be near empty when we return from the airport tomorrow. Yikes! The upcoming price of our annual summer road trips is kind of scary this year.

A Trip to the BIG City

Last weekend, we surprised the kids with an International Trip. For some people, an "International Trip" means a long airplane ride. For others, it means a 2 or 3 day road trip. But ... for the Big D Family ... an "International Trip", means a 10 minute drive North. We didn't tell the kids where we were headed for the day, just that we were taking a little trip to see some place NEW. The border crossing was so quick today, that the children didn't even question what we were doing. So, a couple of minutes down the road, I turned to the back of our BIG van and said, "Oh ... Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel ... we are not in America anymore. We are now in Canada." They said, "Is this where Louvee lives?" (Our friend from the Guest House in Accra) "Yes, Louvee lives in Canada, but he doesn't live near here. Sorry." After arriving in Canada, we headed West for about an hour, until we arrived in ...

Vancouver




Cassie was home for the weekend, so she was excited to go to Stanley Park with us.



When we arrived at the park, I told the kids that we had a surprise for them ... they were going to see someone they knew from Africa. "What???"""

Yes ... when we were in Mole National Park (in Ghana), we met a group of young ladies that were also traveling that weekend. Two of the young ladies were from Toronto, Canada, and they told us that they would be traveling to Vancouver for a cousin's wedding in May. So, last week, Kelly contacted us to see if we could get together. Thus ... the surprise trip to the big city.

They got to the park about 5 minutes after us ... we showed them our African Adventure Scrapbook ... and then we all took a walk along the walkway bordering the bay. But ... it wasn't just Kelly that showed up to see us, she brought many members of her family also. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her dad & mom, uncle, and several cousins as we walked and chatted for over an hour. It was a beautiful day, at a beautiful park, with wonderful company.

When Rachel's little legs got tired ... Hosanna offered a piggyback ride.




When Elijah's little legs got tired ... he decided to rest for a bit.




Papa and Jacob ...




After our beautiful walk, and saying good-bye to Kelly and her family, we drove around the park until we found a place to play.

Cassie wanted a picture of the kids ...



JUMPING!




Then we found the swings ...






and did some more JUMPING!




We also found flowers ...




and Dandylions ...




A fun day was had by all ...

(Can you believe this is only 1/2 of our kids?)




On our way home, we explored Vancouver a bit more, and had a yummy dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory, in Gas Town.

Then ... we got to experience the U.S. Border crossing (MUCH more difficult than entering Canada). While the border guards were very nice and helpful (not always the case) ... we did encounter a PROBLEM. Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel's Ghanaian passports were missing a critical stamp which validated the visa, that should have been applied when they entered the country at JFK (airport in New York).

After spending a significant amount of time with the guard at the booth (thus creating quite a back up of cars with correct passports), we were finally directed to go inside and re-tell our story to the inside border guards. They confirmed that the passports were valid, and that the children were in the U.S. computer system ... and finally decided to just add the stamp that should have been added in March. Oh well ...

Mother's Day ... a New Perspective

My family has celebrated Mother's Day for me for 24 years. Some years brought beautiful gifts ... others years were celebrated with homemade preschool cards. Some years the family took me out to dinner at a nice restaurant ... other years we stayed home, and they cooked and baked for me. Some years we went on adventures to a park, a beach, or the zoo ... other years we stayed home and played games. The constant has been ... my children have always known that their Mama loved them ... and Mama has always known that her children love her. No matter what type of cards are received ... no matter what type of gifts are purchased ... no matter what type of food is made ... the question of a mother/child love has never arisen. As soon as my children have been able to speak in semi-complete sentences ... they have been able to say, "I wuv u mummy ... happy mudder's day."

This year, however, I have seen Mother's Day through 3 new sets of eyes. I have seen Mother's Day through the eyes of the orphan ... through the voices (though they are 6, 9, and 12 years old) that are just learning to say, "I love you Mom." The children who are just learning about the American version of mother/child love.

I have thought much this week, about the mother of Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel. All I know of her, is that she gave birth to 6 children (3 girls and 3 boys) ... she got sick with a stomach tumor ... she died on July 4, 2006. We have no pictures; so there is no reference point as to what this woman was like. Since Peter is 28 years old, I would expect that their mother may have been about my age ... interesting to ponder the similarities. She and I lived across the world from each other, never expecting our paths to cross into each other's cultures. During the same time she was raising 6 children (born over the course of 22 years) ... I was raising 10 children (born over the course of 18 years). Our 3 youngest children were each born within a year of each other. (coincidence?) Who, but the Lord, could have orchestrated such a miracle, as to bring our children together?

I wonder ... what was their relationship like with their mother? did they know their mother's love? did she tell them she loved them? did they say, "I love you Mom." to her ... was she ever able to fully care for these youngest three? Jacob had 10 years with his mother ... but instead of living the carefree life of a child, he became his sisters' primary caretaker. Sarah only had 3 years with her mother, as she went to live with her older sister (across the country) after Rachel was born. Rachel only had 4 years with her mother ... so young to watch her mother die. I don't even know if the girls have any memory of the woman that gave them birth. Jacob has many memories ... filled with the pain of being his mother's caretaker through her illness.

Now ... many miles away from the village where they had to say good-bye their mother ... they are learning that the Lord has given them a 2nd chance to have a "Mom" ... a 2nd chance to say, "I love you, Mom." ... a 2nd chance to celebrate Mother's Day. (I don't actually know if they had ever heard of the holiday before this year.)

While my children have always made Mother's Day cards for me, which have said many versions of, "I love you Mom.", the cards I received this week brought a new dimension to the mother/child love equation. These cards said more than, "I love you." Each of the children took the time to really spell out WHY they love their new Mama. Here are a few excerpts ...

To Mom.

I love being with you because you love me!
I love you because you make me happy.

Love Rachel



And a fill-in card from Rachel ...

My mom is as sweet as ... a butterfly.
My mom is as beautiful as ... a flower.
I love my mom because ... she loves me.


Happy Mother's Day!

Mom I love you. I hope you will like this thing I am giving to you. May God bless you. Thank you for all the good things you have done.

Love Sarah D.


Hi mom. Happy Mother Day.

I love you. You are the best mother in this house. I hope God be with you and God like you because you treat us like the way God want you to treat us. God love you very very much because of that. Do you know that I like the way you treat me?

I am sorry that I can't buy something nice for you. When I grow up I will buy something nice for you.

Do you know that when you walk, God is with you?

Jacob loves Mom.
Mom loves Jacob.


Twenty-five years ago, I was told that I needed to have a hysterectomy ... I was told that I would never bear children ... I wondered if I would ever be able to celebrate Mother's Day.

Oh what miracles the Lord has done! How good and how faithful He is, to give us the desires of our heart.

I Have Been Pampered ...

Pamper: To gratify to the full; to furnish with that which delights; to feed luxuriously; as "to pamper the body or appetite"


This week I have been fully pampered ... my heart has been gratified to the full ... my body has been taken care of luxuriously ... my appetite has been fed luxuriously ... my home has been furnished with that which delights ...


Tuesday ...

Two close friends of mine had been discussing pedicures with me recently, and one friend was quite surprised that the other two of us had never been pampered with a pedicure. So, last week, this friend suggested a late lunch date and afternoon pedicure for the 3 of us. Sounded good to me. But, what do you do with all of the children (total of 14 kids under 15 years old ... 4 of them being 6 year olds.) when 3 homeschool moms want a mid-week "girlfriend time"? You pass them all off to my amazing 21 year old son for an hour, who then is joined by my amazing husband. Not only do these amazing men "watch" the 14 children; but they load them all into the 15 pass. van and take them to the local dairy for ice cream cones.



So, in only a few short hours, my body was "taken care of luxuriously" (pedicure), my appetite was "fed luxuriously" (lunch at the Olive Garden, my favorite restaurant), and my heart was "gratified to the full" (by friendship fun ... and by my amazing husband and son).

I came home relaxed, thankful, feeling blessed, and ... totally not expecting a BIG surprise. Come to find out ... it was NOT my girlfriends that planned this amazing afternoon; it was my husband (who had overheard our silly pedicure conversation). He arranged the lunch date and pedicure, in order to get me out of the house. Because ... he had workers come in to pamper my house for Mother's Day. After 6 years of being frustrated with an unusable kitchen counter space (due to an ugly and awkward 1970's JenAir grill), I had finally come up with a solution (other than the very expensive solution of replacing all counter tops). I had suggested to my husband that maybe we could replace that one counter top with a Butcher Block counter, since it was right next to the stove, and the perfect place for cutting and chopping. So, for Mother's Day, my kitchen was "furnished with that which delights".



Well, that day alone would have filled my tank for a looong time ... but the week wasn't over yet ...

Saturday ...

The dear 21 year old son watched the 8 younger siblings for several hours in the morning, and then passed them off to amazing husband ... so that I could go to a "12 Hour Scrapbooking Extravaganza" ... from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. (I actually got there at 8:00, and had to leave at 6:00, to get home in time for church.) I had 10 full hours of scrapbooking (pampers my heart) ... girlfriend time (big time heart pampering) ... and good food (more appetite pampering).




(Does anyone have any tips on photographing scrapbook pages?)


After church, my 2 precious pedicure friends and their wonderful families came for dessert (my amazing husband and children had not only arranged the dessert date and cleaned house, but had baked a yummy dessert while I was gone). So, our 15 children played and we visited until 11:00 p.m. (more heart pampering).

Sunday ...

A wake up call from my dear son, Gregg, in Georgia ... the first time I had talked to him since he RETURNED FROM IRAQ. YEA!!! Definitely a Mother's Day gift ... to hear the voice of her favorite soldier, and to know he is out of the dangerous war zone.

Breakfast ... planned and prepared (helped Papa) by precious Sarah.

Afternoon phone calls from ...

Jeremiah in Arkansas (yes, the same 21 y.o. that helped with the kids yesterday morning). He caught the midnight flight to Arkansas to help a friend drive home from college (Arkansas to NW Washington ... via Fresno, CA ... in 4 days ... Yikes!) Before leaving for the plane last night, he left an amazing gift on my bed ... a Digital Photo Frame with MP3 player. Wow!

Cassie in Oregon ... telling me she HAD bought my Mother's Day present before today; but that rather than mailing it she would bring it to me next weekend, when she is coming home for 5 days.

Then ... cards and letters from Elijah, Rachel, Josiah, and Jacob ... a necklace from Hosanna ... a dozen roses from Ben ... flowers and a Woods Coffee gift card from Lindsey ...




And ... a late night dinner at Black Angus with my dear husband, after getting all of the young ones ready for bed ... more heart and appetite pampering.


My tank is FULL ... my life is BLESSED ... my heart, mind, soul, and body have been PAMPERED beyond measure this week.

Thank you LORD for my amazing, wonderful, romantic husband ... who would have guessed, 25 years ago, what YOU had in store for us!!!

Thank you LORD for blessing me with 13 beautiful treasures ... to train up for service to YOU!

Thank you LORD for these 2 precious friends and their families ... priceless gifts, more valuable than gold or silver!

Interesting Blogs

Since writing my post last week, about Appreciation vs. Entitlement, I have found that others are processing the same issues.

"Crazy Dad" wrote a post yesterday about "A Grateful Orphan". You might be interested to read it at: http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com

Gina wrote "Expectations" on May 1st (with a link to my post). You can find her ponderings at: http://enoughellerbees.blogspot.com

The blogging world has become an unexpected and much appreciated source of support in our Adoption Adventure.

Thanks ... all of you blogging friends.

Wait Until Monday

In the past month, we have started all of the American medical appts. for the children. They have all begun their immunization series, and tomorrow I will be making their appts. with the dentist and the optometrist.

Another step that we knew we needed to do, but had been too busy to even think about starting the process, is the Stool Sample lab work. Not only is this a little awkward for children this age (as we don't ordinarily watch them use the toilet), but it has to be accomplished at the right time to get the samples to the lab within a designated timeline.

On Wednesday, we explained to the kids what needed to be done. They immediately began laughing and said that they had had to do that while in Accra because they were told, "You can't go to America until you do this." Good ... at least it was something they were familiar with. Then, we told them to tell us when they needed to "go", so that we could cover the toilet with saran wrap, to collect the sample. (Sorry for the graphic description.)

Thursday came and went ... Friday came ... no one mentioned the "poop test". Then, on Friday evening, Sarah came to me and said, "I need to go poop." "Okay ???" (The purpose of the announcement slipped my mind for a minute.) Then ... I turned to Jim ... oh no, is the lab open on Saturday? ... what if it isn't open in the morning? ... my look conveyed, "I don't really want to go through this process and miss the critical timeline." So, I turned to Sarah and said, "I think we'd better wait until Monday."

A look of horror crossed her face, as she said, "Wait until Monday?" Oh my ... "No, Sarah. You don't have to wait until Monday to use the toilet. We will just wait until Monday to collect your poop for the lab." "Okay." she says with a big grin, as she hurries quickly to the bathroom.

This afternoon, Jacob tells Jim, "Dad, I need to "go"." We look at each other. It's 1:00 on Sunday afternoon. The lab said the samples are good for 24 hours. Okay ... let's get this process started. A few hours later, Sarah accomplished the task. And, this evening, Rachel came through for us too. So ... we now have 6 cute little vials of "poop" on top of the refrigerator, awaiting the opening of the lab tomorrow morning.

I can't imagine all that was going through Sarah's mind, when she actually thought that she must wait 3 days to go to the bathroom. Too funny!

Praising Jesus!

Our big boy is out of Iraq! Yea!

The phone rang last night, at midnight. I turned to Jeremiah and said, "I bet it's Gregg." Yes ... Gregg was calling to tell me he made it safely out of Iraq. He is relaxing in Kuwait. He is done with the army. He has put in his time. He is coming home. We are REJOICING!!!

Gregg left home in February 2004 ... headed for boot camp in Georgia.

Papa and Mama flew to Georgia for graduation in May, and got to spend a couple of days with Gregg.

He came home for 2 weeks in December 2004.

He left for his first tour of Iraq in January 2005. He lost his Lt. on their 4th day in Iraq. He lost 2 more friends in June 2005, watching them burn in the street in front of him (as their humvee had been hit by an I.E.D.). Gregg was the gunner on the humvee directly behind the one that was hit.

Gregg was flown home for 3 weeks in August 2005, as his baby brother lay fighting for his life, at Children's Hospital in Seattle. (It was great to see Gregg, but certainly not a family vacation.) He returned to Iraq just 3 days after Elijah was released from the hospital.

Gregg finished out his first tour as a humvee driver. He completed his first tour in January 2006, and returned to Georgia.

Papa and Mama flew to Georgia and spent 5 days with Gregg.

He flew home for 2 weeks in February 2006.

The whole family took a cross-country road trip in August 2006, and drove all the way to Georgia to spend 2 days with Gregg.

In December 2006, we all flew to New Orleans, and Gregg joined us for a 2 week missions trip.

In February 2007, Gregg flew home for a couple of days, just before his 2nd deployment to Iraq. This time, he was heading to Baghdad as a sniper.

Gregg flew home in August 2007, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, but had to return to Iraq 10 days later.

Now ... we are preparing for his homecoming. It's been a loooong 4 years. Gregg has been home for only 9 weeks of the past 4+ years; and 3 of those weeks were spent traveling back and forth between the hospital. Oh how we have missed Gregg! Oh how excited we will be to have him home! (Elijah asks, almost daily, "Can I sleep with Gregg when he gets home?")

It will still be a month or so before Gregg is actually home (as he has to take debriefing classes in Kuwait, and complete paperwork in Georgia) ... but he is out ... he is done ... he is safe ... We would love to fly to Georgia for Gregg's homecoming, but after taking extended leave for our African adventure, Jim and I can't ask our employer for more days off. Sad!

What next ... you may be asking. For right now, we have suggested that he just come live at home for the summer ... to relax ... to rest ... to play ... to return to the fellowship of our church ... At first, he was quite hesitant about returning to actually LIVE at home ("um ... mom ... you just added 3 more kids to the house ..."). But, when I explained that he could actually have his very own bedroom (since Carissa is in Argentina), he jumped at the chance.

Gregg is coming home ... we are preparing a room for him ... he is shipping boxes and boxes of his stuff home (yesterday, I thought the mailman was going to collapse as he carried the big, heavy box up to the front porch) ... he is buying new toys to play with when he gets home (a paintball gun that will "dominate" his little brothers and their guns) ... he is looking forward to meeting his new brother and sisters ... he is looking forward to painting houses with Papa ... he is looking forward to taking road trips with friends ... and, while he hasn't said so, he might be looking forward to some of Mama's home cooking (chicken alfredo lasagne, fresh homemade bread, apple pie .... we will be preparing a Welcome Home Feast ...)

Thank you JESUS ... for taking care of our eldest son these past 4+ years ...

Rachel's Smile

For 8 months, we waited to meet our Ghanaian children.

For 8 months, we received pictures ... and we tried hard to see into their hearts through their smiles ... and through their eyes.

Jacob's smile was expressive and his eyes bright.

Sarah's smile was sweet and her eyes warm.

Rachel's smile was ... hardly every seen, and her eyes ... filled with fear.

In a short video clip from last summer, that we watched over and over, we saw a very short glimpse of a carefree child with a smile. However ... the majority of pictures that we saw of Rachel (over the course of 8 months) only showed fear.

On the day that we picked the children up from the orphanage, we were told of some of the tough stuff that Rachel had encountered in the past couple of years. We were also told that the orphanage workers were most worried about Rachel ... worried that it would be difficult for her to open up ... worried that it would take a lot of time for her to respond to our love ... worried that with so many children in the home, Mama might not have enough time to show the love that this little girl needed. We listened closely to the concerns, but they did not diminish at all the love that the Lord had already given us for this precious one, and the knowledge that the Lord had chosen our family to bring this little one through the tough stuff ... it would be our privilege to watch her open up and bloom into the beautiful little girl that God had created.

During our time in Ghana, we again saw very short glimpses into the beautiful smile ... and heard occasional laughter from her ... but the majority of our pictures from our 6 weeks in Ghana, still are void of a smile on Rachel. So much so, that friends looking at my scrapbook comment on the lack of a smile.

However ... now, after being home for 6 weeks, this little one has begun to bloom and blossom. She loves to jump onto my bed in the morning to "snuggle" before I get up. ("Snuggle" was a new word for Rachel to learn.) She loves to hide from me and giggle. She loves to sneak behind my computer chair and crawl under my desk while I am working. She loves to play "Monkey Baby", where I bend over and hold her onto my stomach as I walk around the house (just as we saw the monkeys do at Mole National Park). And, she loves "Tickle Chats".

Not only does Rachel smile with me ... but with the whole family. Rachel loves to run around at the park and play with Elijah. Rachel loves to jump on Papa. Rachel loves to ride bikes with Josiah. Rachel loves to listen to Hosanna read to her every night when the 3 girls go to bed.

Rachel ... loves life.

Rachel's ... eyes sparkle.

Rachel has found ... her smile.

Spring Sports with the "D" Family

Spring is a crazy busy time for our family ... but we have a LOT of fun. With 6 kids taking part in spring sports, March to June brings more ball games and track meets than you can imagine. Now that we are in the full swing of things (different leagues get going at different times), here is our weekly schedule:

Monday:

Josh - track practice
Ben - baseball practice


Tuesday:

Josh - track practice
Ben - baseball game
Hosanna - baseball game
Josiah - baseball game

Wednesday:

Josh - track practice
Ben - baseball practice
Elijah - baseball game

Thursday:

Josh - track meet
Ben - baseball game
Hosanna - baseball practice
Josiah - baseball game

Friday:

Jeremiah - baseball game
Josh - track practice
Ben - baseball practice
Elijah - baseball game

Saturday:

Josh - track meet
Hosanna - baseball game

Sunday:

REST ... RELAX ... PLAY ...


While we can't make it to every game or meet, because we might be at someone else's game or meet, we do not sit at home and send our kids off to their sporting events. Every afternoon, Jim and I load up 2 vehicles and head off in 2 directions, with a car load of cheerleaders for whomever is playing/running that day. Last night, we had 4 extra kids with us, while their parents went out to dinner for their anniversary, so Ben got to have 12 cheerleaders rooting him on. Go, Ben, Go!

This year, Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel arrived too late to sign up for spring sports, but I'm sure they will all be adding baseball to their schedules next year. So, we will then have 8 kids in spring sports (Jeremiah will be off to Amman, Jordan, so he won't be here to play baseball.) Crazy ... busy ... but FUN!

Two New Treats: The Beach and D.Q.

After a looong day of homeschooling, running errands, misc. appointments, a trip to the library, and baseball practice ... I would have ordinarily been ready to get the kids home, to take some time to relax. However, at Elijah's practice last night, we actually enjoyed the first semi-warm spring evening. I didn't have to put my winter jacket over my sweatshirt ... we didn't get out the blankets ... we actually felt a little warmth from the sun. It was quite relaxing to sit with close friends and watch our little t-ball boys (while Papa worked on softball skills with Hosanna and a friend).

After practice, Jim suggested that we take the kids out for ice cream. However, when I saw the beginnings of a nice sunset in the distance, I asked Jim, "How long until sunset?" He responded, "About 30 minutes. Why?" Well ... we haven't taken the kids out to the beach yet (being that we have had several snow showers in April) .... it's only a 20 minute drive ... and it looks like there will be a nice sunset ... "

So, at 7:30, when all good parents should have been taking their children home to get ready for bed ... we headed West, towards the sunset.


Papa & Hosanna enjoyed pointing out the little crabs and sea critters ...






Josiah & Elijah were excited to race down the beach to show their brother and sisters their favorite piece of drift wood for climbing ...







While Mama enjoyed taking pictures of the kids ... and the sunset. I am still learning the ins and outs of taking pictures of cute little dark faces (it is, actually, a whole lot different than taking pictures of cute little white faces). The task gets even more challenging when taking pictures of dark faces at dusk. But, I'm still experimenting and learning. I think I need to purchase a larger flash for my Nikon D70. Any photographers out there ... to give me some tips???






At 8:30, when we popped all of the kids back into the big, red van ... they definitely thought it was time to head home to bed. But, just as I climbed into the van, the big boys called. They had just finished up an evening of paintballing and asked if we had eaten. I whispered, "Well ... we were thinking about eating ice cream. Why don't you all meet us at Dairy Queen in 20 minutes." Off we headed towards home. D.Q. is just a short ways from home, so the kids got a very nice surprise when we pulled into the parking lot and told the kids it wasn't bedtime yet. Ice cream treats were a great finale to a long, fun day. (Sorry ... should have taken my camera in.)

A New Use for Masking Tape

A few nights ago, Ben headed to bed awhile after Jacob. He immediately ran back upstairs and said, "Mom ... Jacob's mouth is taped shut!" Hmmm ??? I contemplated whether or not to find my camera (this could make a good blog post), but, instead, just told Ben to take the tape off of his mouth, and that we would ask Jacob in the morning why he would tape his mouth shut before he went to sleep.

Well ... he actually had quite a logical explanation ... and we all had a good laugh ...

The following night, just before bed, I remembered the incident and casually asked Jacob about this new usage for masking tape. He explained that while he is sleeping his mouth hangs open and he drools on his pillow. He does not like to awaken to a drool soaked pillow, so he thought that taping his mouth shut would be a good idea. I asked him what he uses his mouth for, to which he responded (with a big smile), "Breathing?" I laughed, and told Jacob that he should thank Ben for saving his life ... since it is pretty important to be able to breathe while you sleep.

We all had a good laugh, as I explained to the kids that taping our mouths shut was not the best use of tape.

Follow-Up to ... Entitlement vs. Appreciation

(Read post below ... first ... if you haven't yet.)




Great comments ... thoughts ... ideas !!! Thanks ... and keep them coming. I'm appreciating the dialogue.

Barbara said, "I wonder if it is somehow tied to them not having had the opportunity to give sacrificially to someone else yet? To know what it means to put a lot of yourself into a gift and appreciate that someone else has done that for them?"

Great thought! We will definitely provide opportunities for that. They all went to a birthday party and I should have / could have had them make presents, rather than me going to the store to purchase presents. Hmmm ...

dkt said, "If they were "entitled" to a change of circumstance (their adoption and rescue out of poverty) ... why aren't they entitled to great material wealth? With no heart change, greed is a logical conclusion."

So right. Powerful comments.

dkt also said, "it is possible to train your adoptive children to glorify God by denying themselves, just like you did your bio chidren a long time ago (probably when they were two years old and wanting everything in sight!)."

Sooo ... true. MUCH of the parenting that is taking place is the training that we did with our bio. children at ages 2 & 3. In many ways, it truly has been like we were handed 3 year old triplets, rather than 3 children ages 6, 9, 12. Surprising? Yes. Tough? Yes. But ... we are all working and growing through each situation.

Michelle said, " ... garage sales ... teach her to be careful with the money that we are stewards of ..."

Love it!

Kate said, "In many orphanages, there is no personal property and no personal responsibility. When you are not responsible for anything, when nothing matters to you, you do not learn how to care for things. Meals, clean clothes, and donations arrive on schedule. The children rarely see the work that goes into these events."

Absolutely. This is definitely something that we were quickly aware of. The children did not "own" their own clothing at the orphanage. (We had to take clothing for them to change into when we arrived at the orphanage. We had to take all of the clothing for them to wear while we were in Ghana with them.) Thus, they were not responsible for it. So, they had no understanding of the huge financial output that we had made to purchase full wardrobes for all 3 of them. And, they had no concept of taking care of the things that had been purchased for them. As Kate said ... new donations would arrive when clothes got ripped or torn or soiled beyond decent. I'm sure that they just assume that their "wealthy American parents" can just replace anything that needs replacing.

I was also very interested by all of the personal stories of meeting people from other countries ...

Jim met the man from Kenya ... who said that he was surprised that Americans had to work. He thought America was MTV.

Ericka has the neighbors from India ... who were shocked at how hard American mothers have to work.

Kate tells of the Russian orphans ... who believe they are entitled to special privileges, because of their orphan status.

Again ... we so appreciate the dialogue. We are NOT in despair over the situation ... just wanting tips on how to walk through it.

Yes ... the children are doing chores with all of their brothers and sisters. And, we tell them how much it is appreciated.

Yes ... the children have learned (some of the time) to say, "Thank you." ... but the heart attitude is just not there yet.

I will continue to do my shopping by myself. (We live 25 minutes from "the big city", so going to Wal-Mart, Costco, and the mall are not daily or weekly events for us anyway.) Mama likes shopping to be her "quiet time", so the other kids don't go shopping with her all the time, either.

We will continue to seek wisdom from the Lord (and from all of you) ... as we train up our children in the way they should go.

We will continue to train ... to teach ... to encourage ... to appreciate ... ALL of the blessings that the Lord has filled our home with.

Thanks for your love and support as we walk this new journey.