The Sparrows Nest at Pine Hill Farm

Fall is Here!

2011-09-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

We have had an amazing summer here at Pine Hill Farm, so many friends and visitors, it has been quite busy! We found out that farming is a lot of work! But ended up very happy and blessed with a good harvest from our little experiment and we shall see how it goes next year. Fall is upon us and we are getting set to clean up the gardens and let the autumn breezes cool things off. The kids are loving the weather and spend most of their time outdoors. School is just about up to speed now that the last of the visitors have headed out and we are ready to dig into some wonderful history and art this year. I hope to post more often, but for now just a little update:)

2011-06-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have always dreamed of living on a farm, and when I met my husband he desired a place "away from it all", a quiet peaceful place to grow our family and raise our sweet kids. There have been so many things that have happened to us in these 11 years and so many wonderful surprises. It has not all been easy.....but it has been good. Sometimes the best of life results from the hard things. In regards to our move to Pine Hill Farm, I have to say it was simply God breathed, this is where He wanted our family to be and somehow He made a way. We never dreamed that we would have found such a peaceful and unique place, acreage for the kids and a new life to begin. We are so "green" in so many ways, so much to learn, and we desire to live more simply and self sustaining, but we are at the beginning of everything. So as we break up the earth and plant our seeds, it is really a reflection of our life right now, seeds to be planted and tended,weeds and varmints to fight, like "the little foxes in the vineyard", we try to set our sights on Him and fight those everyday battles of the heart. It is finally Spring here, well Summer really, already 85 degrees and it just snowed two weeks ago! I am trying to catch my bearings and navigate this new journey, with my sweet husband and our four little sparrows, a big farm puppy and hopefully other critters to come. I will try to post news as it happens, hope you will check in once in a while.

A New Chapter

2011-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here he is Jabez Joseph Meyer! I have been a long time away from my blog and the time spent with my family has been so rewarding! We survived our first year home and moved (twice)to a 5 acre farm here in CO. Jabez has been amazing! Of course adoption and creating a new branch of our family is not all easy, in fact it has been incredibly challenging, and a great test of my own faith. But God is faithful and as we continue this journey with our family complete(maybe:) I have seen the joys and heartaches of loving in a fallen world. But I do chose to love and this little boy is a driving force in joy and love in our lives. If I continue with our blog it will be a place to share all the amazing new treasures we encounter and the struggles of a new life in a new and beautiful place, thanks for stopping by!

So Long Blog World!

2009-08-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

After much thought we have decided to not update our blog while in the Philippines and I am not sure how long it will be before we are back. I love blogging, and wish I had more time to do it right. But with being unable to post pics of our sweet Jabez until his adoption is finalized, it just really takes the joy out of posting, we thought we might be able to get around the CO state law against posting pics of foster children by closing the blog to invited readers and even that turned out to be a "no-no". I probably just won't have the creative energy necessary to tell our story in a round about way over the next few months. So it is with much sadness that I write I must lay down this blog for a season. We can share our story through personal email so if you would like to email me I'd be delighted to put you on that list. dmmeyer@comcast.net

WE ARE GOING!!!!!!!

2009-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

It feels like a dream! We actually got the travel OK and now we are getting all things ready to go on Tuesday!!!!!!! Angeline woke me up with her little face close to mine whispering "5 more days to Jabez....." the sweetest joy to wake to. I will update more later but just had to let you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jabez love here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Ready!

2009-08-24T17:44:00.001-07:00

We have been given the go ahead to make "tentative" plans to leave after the 29th of August, we are only waiting for our travel invitation and we are praying that comes in the next few days. I cannot express how happy and excited we are to go meet our sweet Jabez! We hope to leave on September 1st. The kids and I are planning to read all our great books on the Philippines and eats lots of Halohalo and lumpia this week to get ready! Here are some of the books:

The kids have been practicing a Bible Song in Cebuano! This is the Day that the Lord has Made! And my dear Filipina friend Lyn has offered to teach them a few more over her video cam we are hoping to do that this week! The kids want to sing this at the orphanage they are so excited.

What Do You Do While You Wait?...........

2009-08-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

A friend who is walking this wait for word with us said the other day "Even Jesus had to wait through Saturday." Made me smile, we know He is walking this wait right beside us and that the time is in His hands. So we are again waiting for word on the next step, we called the Embassy and asked about Jabez's VISA and YES! It has been issued!!!!! That is a praise! Now we are waiting on the next step, a Travel Invitation that our agency and the social workers at ICAB put together as soon as they can. We hope next week will get us what we need to start booking flights, we are very close! So what do you do on a perpetual Saturday, when little kids need things to do to pass the time and want mama away from the computer and packing? Other than lots of prayer, here are a few things I would suggest ..........

Ride a horse...........

Climb a tree..................

Walk in the woods................

Learn to ride a skateboard..................

Take the training wheels off your bike.........

Visit grandma....................

Make funny costumes out of cellophane!

Song in My Heart and Mind Today

2009-08-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Out of the Woods ~ Nickel Creek

I wish you out of the woods
And into the picture with me.
I wish you over the moon,
Come out of the question and be.

If this is going to go
Run round in my head
I might as well be dreaming,
Run round in my head.

I rollercoaster for you
Time out of mind
Must be heavenly.
It all enchanted and wild,
It's just like my heart said it was going to be.

Still waiting and praying.............

Filling the Nest

2009-08-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

There they are, count them.... 1,2,3.......4!!!! This beautiful nest resided on our front porch this year and the eggs were this amazing blue! We are waiting for our #4, the sweet little man Jabez! This should be the week we find out new news!! We are anxiously awaiting word from ICAB about his appointments last week and pray that all went well. Our HOPE is that we can travel the first week of September, we know we need to wait for their go ahead, so we will try to do that as patiently as we can. We have worked so hard to get this far and have done all we can, it is all in God's hands and it is Him who we trust! Sweet boy Jabez, Mama and Papa are coming soon, we know this has been a long wait and we are coming soon!

2009-08-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Can you believe my biggest boy turned 8 in July!!! Jerry is amazingly bright, kind and gentle. He has a brain that works overtime and is always creating some kind of complicated and wonderful project. He has grown so much this past year and blesses us daily with his humor, his joy and his heart for the Lord. We love you Bug!

Trying to Be Patient

2009-08-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well the names are the same but the dates have been changed. Our new dates for Jabez's visa and medical are next week. We can only hope and pray that they really happen this time. We are all so ready and waiting to fly away to our sweet little man. Each day he grows and we feel like it has been an eternity since we had received the first call and picture. We are living a pseudo-normal life, acting like its just another day. But the kiddos are happy and sunshiny from days of swimming and play. We pray daily for the little brother that waits for us and hope his heart is ready for a bunch of love! We will update with any more news as soon as we hear!

Something is Missing........

2009-07-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is the hard part...really I think it is. Much worse than any of the wait so far. We know that Jabez's paperwork cable went to ICAB and they received it. We got a "tentative date" (that was never confirmed) for his visa and medical appointments. The day of his visa appointment there was a typhoon and Manila shut down due to flooding. We asked our agency to send an inquiry as to his status. They did that on July 20th. It has been over a week and no response. Tick tock, tick tock, fingers tapping...... waiting...wait on the Lord, He will renew your strength and make you rise up on wings of eagles.....I'd settle for a 747 headed west.

All I can say is "We are ready!". We prepared the kids a month ago when we decided they were coming hoping we would have word on our travel date by now. Gracey said in tears the other day, "It is taking too long to get Jabez!". For a four year old the time is forever, some days I feel like a four year old.

So, in the meantime we have to live our lives with normalcy, we need to make each day for the kids like a regular day. But they are different, something is missing...........no SOMEONE is missing and we all know who that is. Hold fast sweet boy, I promise we are coming! And in the meantime.....we wait.........

A Beautiful New Picture of our Son!

2009-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

We are unable to post any photographs of Jabez due to the nature of our being classified as Foster Parents for Colorado, until the adoption is finalized. That takes place almost one year from now. Therefore the need to be creative and clever in sharing our story and yet following those guidelines has been a bit challenging. My beautiful and amazingly talented 6 year old daughter Angeline created this wonderful portrait of Jabez! And for now unless you email me privately, this is what you get! Enjoy!

Gone Fishin!

2009-07-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

Bill is a great Dad! And one of the things he loves (and has since he was a kid) is fishing. This year he took all the kids to a fishing derby at the lake down the road from our house. They all got loaded up with free gear! So he has taken them out quite a few times and they all LOVE it! We love the outdoors and nature around here, so any excuse to get out in it we take! Each child has caught at least one fish so far and they really look forward to this time with Papa. We can't wait for Jabez to join the crew!

Big News, Big Plans

2009-07-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Not one........

Not two.........

BUT FIVE MEYERS ARE GOING TO THE PHILIPPINES!

Yes that's right 5 of the Meyers are going to be traveling together to get number 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so excited, to be bringing the whole family to get Jabez! We have had plans for a while and that included having our dear friends watch Jerry, Angeline and Gracey while we traveled to get Jabez. But as the time is coming closer we began to put all the pieces together and we added up time in country, and the time to travel and the 1-2 days to get our kiddos to and from our friends in Montrose the time away from from our sweeties was getting LONGER and LONGER. The fastest we could do this all was looking like at least 12 days, and I had no peace. We prayed and prayed about direction and it began to look like only one of us would be traveling, and it would be me. It made sense, I had been there before, Bill could work from home and have the kids. But it made us so sad, I really didn't want to be with out my husband, let alone my kids and Bill was already grieving the loss of the first moments with his son. There really wasn't much else we could do. So we put it all on the table. A friend asked, "What about bringing all the family?". Could we? It was financially impossible. It was logistically scary. It would be beautiful if we could. Bill half heartedly said, " Well if God wants us all to go then he will just have to make it happen." We went and applied for their passports and we left it at that. A few weeks later I received a voice mail from a very sweet person I know, it went a little like this -" I have a friend who is a part of an organization that likes to help adoptive families, if you would like to bring your children with you they would like to make that happen.'' WHAT?!?!?!?!?! We were and are extremely humbled. We are grateful and excited and shocked. In a matter of days we had all the finances we needed and the passports arrived in the mail. Still I am in shock. Happy Shock. Now I have traveled overseas only once before as a single woman. I know it won't be an easy task with my lovely 5 more along. But I know this is what we are supposed to do and we are doing all we can to prepare in every way. More about that to come!

Another crazy adoption update from the past few weeks: We had been waiting on USCIS immigration approval...and waiting....and waiting. 8 weeks. I finally got my adoption agent to call and see where we were. COMPLETELY STALLED. Our paperwork had apparently been sitting there due to what was thought to be an error by ourselves and our agency by having some earlier paperwork mistakenly sent to the US Embassy in Manila. I was told of about 50 hoops I would need to jump through to remedy this ONLY to find out in the end that we did nothing wrong...it was actually no problem where our paperwork was......someone was just misinformed. Phew! Well all this did actually get our paperwork sent right out from that day. Yeah! And we now have our tentative Visa and medical appointments dates for Jabez Joseph Meyer!!! PRAISE GOD! July 13 and 17th, so please keep all that in prayer. What this means is that the Meyer Clan could be leaving for the PI at the end of July or early August!!!!! WOOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Sun, Fun, and lots of Luv

2009-05-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We took a vacation to San Diego and it was an amazing time! We have never taken the kids on a plane before and rarely ever vacation in hotels. In the past we have camped or rented a cabin in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, but we wanted to combine a bunch of birthdays and celebrations all in one and this was the perfect time. After a few weeks of a "Beach and Ocean" unit study for Homeschool, we asked the kids what they wanted to do for Papa's week off, and they all wanted to go to the beach. Well, luckily we had already planned that, and they felt like they were a part of the big idea. We left a few days later and stayed at the most amazing place ever! The Pacific Terrace Hotel http://www.pacificterrace.com/ at Pacific Beach, right on the boardwalk and water, so family friendly and if you hit the time just right a great deal for all you get! Simply paradise! We walked to restaurants, taco stands and coffee bars, played and laughed in the sun, one trip to Legoland all were satisfied. We felt such a joyful presence of the Lord and a sweet memory of our family, just before we add number 4, our sweet Jabez. We stood at the ocean's edge and knew we were closer to our boy than ever......next time he will be at the beach with us all.

When In Rome.....

2009-04-22T09:50:00.001-07:00

So, I have not blogged much about homeschool but lots of changes and good stuff going on. One of our Big changes has been to focus most of "school time" on the 3 Rs, for PreK-2nd Grade we can crank that out in about 2.5 hours. So while the kids think school is done pretty quickly, well it actually goes on almost all day. In the past I have spent alot of time on planning and preparing Unit Studies and History, Science etc, but this season I prefer child led, delight directed "fun school" for these things. So this AM Jerry was watching Drive Thru History(great stuff BTW) "Rome If You Want To" and the girls colored while it was on, but when it finished.....well the Roman Drama began to unfold. They spent the next 2 hours(and still are) acting out "Geraldus Maximus and the Twin Empresses", LOVE IT!

Mmmm, Maple Syrup!

2009-04-22T06:43:00.001-07:00

Well I don't post much about products and such here, but if you are one of the few who read my blog and you at all like pure maple syrup, you've got to check out Mom and Pops! The Gendron family has been making pure Vermont maple syrup since 1918."We think it's the best in the world. Try some and you'll agree." http://www.momandpopsmaple.com/index.html

My sweet friend Rebecca just ordered like 12 gallons for a bunch of families in our homeschool group and it is "Such a deal!", great price, great taste and Pop's just seems to be cute as can be! They sent us samples and have been just precious, what better way to support sustainable family farming! Getcha some!

No News is Good News, I Suppose

2009-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

So not much to update about sweet boy Jabez. We are doing LOTS and LOTS of new paperwork. Immigration, affidavits, sign here and there, etc, etc. We are not permitted to contact the orphanage so, no new pics or updates until we actually get there. We sent our little photo book over with the Philippines Rep from our agency a few weeks ago so he should have it by now. and we were told that when they received it they would try to tell him about his family. He is 2, so I am praying that his little heart would understand. I have been doing a bunch of reading about bonding and attachment. I thought I knew what we should be expecting, but I am finding through my research and reading of blogs and books that attachment is SO much bigger than following the right steps, that we as adoptive parents are committing to an altogether new style of parenting. It is really fascinating and really hard. I of course have no idea what Jabez will bring home with him in the way of grief, trauma, and heartache....but I do know that the many parents who have and are presently walking this road are deeply passionate and brutally honest about all that it takes to do this and give God the total control. My cyber friend Lisa has truly shared her heart on her blog in a way that ministers to me daily. Visit her blog and be blessed at http://abushel-and-apeck.blogspot.com/ .

Beagle or Bunny?

2009-04-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

So funny… we don’t do the E bunny or Santa around our house, but we don’t boycott the holiday festivities completely, we just use every opportunity to try to point our babes to the true meaning of the holiday. So for Easter we focus on the glorious resurrection of our Savior, but we do some Easter Egg hunts, and things like that. We assumed they knew full well that we hide the eggs and leave a little treat basket for them, no Easter Bunny talk here… well the 3rd kiddo gets some of the trickle down effect and I guess I didn’t make things quite clear to Gracey. Tonight she said, “Mama I know now who hides the eggs for me….it’s not the Easter Beagle, it’s the Easter Bunny… It’s a rabbit not a dog!”. Guess I should have clarified “It’s the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown” a bit more! The Son rises in the morning! Hallelujah!

A Special Kind of Birthday For a Special Kind of Girl!

2009-03-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I wanted to take a moment to let you all know about what we didfor my daughter Angeline’s 6th birthday. A few years ago my amazing friend Cheryl, gave me the idea of what our family has come to call “Give-away Birthdays.” The kids have asked very often to have a big party at one of those Bouncy Places or Amusement Parks and we as a general rule, don’t do those every year or have big parties at home with tons of kids etc. But when Jerry turned 6 he wanted so many kids and a Bounce Town Birthday, that we gave him the option to choose a big party where (in lieu of gifts) he could have everyone bring a gift for a special cause, or the usual small birthday with presents and gifts. He choose the big party and, it was a few weeks before school and we decided to gather school supplies and back packs for Boulder County Foster Kids, and it was great, we got tons of stuff from so many gracious friends and Jerry was able to come with me to bring everything to Social Services. And the ladies from Social Services were SO wonderful and thankful to him and we could tell it really impacted him. So after that, we decided at ages 6 and 12 we would give the kids this option. I am continually amazed and humbled by my children's generosity and empathy for others. I learn a lot from them! Angeline turned 6 this year on March 27th , andwas SO excited about her “Give-away Birthday”, what made this extra fun is that she wanted to gather some things for us to ship to Jabez’s orphanage! And what made it extra, extra, super-duper special is that Jabez’s birthday was March 24th ! So many dear family and friends joined us in blessing Angeline and this children’s home that has cared for our sweet little boy so far! I was told about ½ of the children at the Children's Home are special needs, so we are excited to be able to provide for some of their needs. We gathered books and DVD's and donations towards the shipping cost. Thanks so much for all the love and encouragement Angeline received and we hope Angeline’s special day was something that will bless Jabez and his orphanage too!

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-03-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

SO a few days ago I posted about my kids running through the sprinklers in their bathing suits.......Today they did this..........

WOW! You just gotta love Colorado! Over 300 days of sun a year and all 4 seasons! As I mentioned in the past posting, lots of people I know think the winters here always look like this.........

Ahhhh, this is how I remember Buffalo,NY winters where I grew up..so lets keep our little secret.

He Gets To See His Family!

2009-03-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

We made a special photo album that our adoption Rep brought with her to the Philippines this week. We hope it is a wonderful birthday present for our boy! Our Rep will give it to ICAB(Intercountry Adoption Board) and they will then forward it on to his orphanage. The album I sent is a children's soft and cuddly album that says,"My Family" on it, perfect! Here is a digital album I created with the pictures we sent, hope he likes it!!!!

Playing Catch Up!

2009-03-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have few things to catch up on on my blog, But I must confess, life and someone talking me into getting on facebook has completely distracted me. I am surely convicted to get back to my blog. I have Christmas, Grace's Birthday, Homeschool and a few other things I want to document before I put up some really special posts, but for today I had to also post pictures of my kiddos on March 1st: Still winter for us:

One of the great things about living in Colorado is everyone else thinks it snows like Buffalo,N.Y. all winter long....shhhhhhh.

Happy Birthday Sweet Jabez!!!!

2009-03-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today is our son's birthday he is 2 years old! We made him a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday! Oh how we wish we could be there, how I want to kiss his sweet little face. We prayed for him and for all the rest of his birthdays, where he will be with us. Home where he belongs. A happy day and yet my heart is in 2 places. I pray he was blessed today and always. I know he does not yet know how his family loves him and yearns for him to be here. We love you Jabez!!!!

Gracey Got an Owie!

2009-03-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hi all, Well the excitement never ends for mommies does it? We were at Children’s Hospital tonight because sweet Gracey fell when running to her dad in the parking lot at a restaurant and broke her arm! It is actually a fracture where the bones have bent to the point of near cracking, so her little forearm is actually bent. The orthopedic surgeon gave us 2 choices, cast it bent and with her being so young it should starighten out in 2 or 3 years…..OR… they could sedate her and actually try to bend it back or rebreak it to grow straight…..um no. So we opted for the cast and bent arm. She was a total trooper! She didn’t cry at all at the hospital and was actually quite cute and cheerful, praising God for his intervention in that! And thanking Beth and her husband Chris for taking Angel and Jerry while we were at the hospital! Please pray for her and for her arm to straighten on its own soon!!

I think I can, I think I can!

2009-02-26T14:15:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Corn Bread

Mmmmmmm, they almost look good enough to eat don't they! And they were! I think I am finally over the Gluten Free hump after 6 months and although I will probably never be a "true believer", for my sweet Gracey's sake we are going all the way! Lots of changes coming up with Jabez on the way and I need to nest and be organized! I was almost getting good at menu planning and freezer cooking and such when we found out about Gracey's diet restrictions. So life has since then turned upside down. I have to admit it was through pure hope and a little skepticism that I googled Gluten Free menu planning today and found this: https://www.gfreecuisine.com/index.htm . It is called GFree Cuisine and I am sold! Weekly menu planning, grocery shopping list and recipes. We have also been getting this: http://www.doortodoororganics.com/ , recommended by the great Chef David, delivery organic veggies and fruits every 2 weeks and very reasonable! Had to pass on the love!

The Big News!!!!!!!!

2009-02-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

IT HAPPENED 2/06/09 at 11:40! I just cannot express the joy and peace we feel with the beautiful little boy that we have been matched with! We began this journey nearly 2 years ago and it was very close to the time he was born. He is 22 months old and has big beautiful brown eyes! I will be posting a lot on our blog, but we have been told by our Social worker that we CANNOT post pictures of him on the Internet until he is officially ours, that means almost another year!!!!! Here is a portion of what his file says:” Jabez is a very sweet child and loved by everybody in the center. He is a very active and outgoing little boy. He is playful and energetic” I think he is going to fit right in!!! We are praising the lord for our dear little one and see the hand of God in this entire journey. We were all in tears as we shared with the kids about their new little brother. Bill is glowing!

His given name is Jabez: it is perfect: because we love the Filipino names we did not pick a name for him and we are glad we did not, here is a verse from the Bible that talks about the man Jabez:

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

We wonder if our Jabez’s mother knew of this verse. Of this prayer for his life. His orphanage sounds nice with cottages and five children assigned to a couple per cottage. Please pray for our sweet little one! For our family and all that needs to take place in the next 4-6 months. We hope to travel this summer to bring him home!!!!

NOW the hard waiting begins! I want to go today! I will be writing more as the days go by. We are blessed!

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:5

Jerry(aka. The Baby Master) Obviously carrying Jabez(the brown baby) in the front of his sling.

Due to CO state law for foster parents (we are considered that for up to a year)I cannot post his picture on the Internet. Now that makes writing his story on the Blog a bit harder. Open or closed, public or invite I can only give his first name, age and that he resides in the Philippines! Everything else we will have to be very general and vague about. So it has taken me a few days to think about how all this will work. And as the days go by.....we receive more and more gifts of information about our boy and where he is. I am able to personally email more specifics so contact me at : dmmeyer@comcast.net if you want to be in the know! So much more to say and more to come! I have found it difficult to live in the here and now for the past few days

The kiddos love to play orphanage, perhaps I will have them act out all the pictorial information! It kind of goes like this:

"All the babies are crying!!!! More milk! More milk!"

Doing Better!

2009-01-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note that Gracie is really improving. Thank you Jesus! The Specialist put her back on dairy and eggs and we are now getting a good handle on cooking Gluten Free! She is also on supplement and vitamin therapy that has made a tremendous difference in all of her health issues. The pediatrician saw her a few months ago and was very concerned, did a boatload of blood tests, all of which came back negative. So we are continung down this road and hope to see great improvements and general bouncey, giggly girl stuff real soon!

Just to make you smile!

2009-01-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet and amazing friend Angela allowed me to post this from her blog . Her beautiful babies were home from Ethiopia about 4or 5 weeks when they took this video. I LOVE IT! I often visit it when I need a bright spot in my day... visit her blog at: http://hopefullyandanxiouslyexpecting.blogspot.com/

Doin' Their Own Thing

2008-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Someone said to me the other day,"I just love how you let your kids wear whatever they want!"

Now, the free spirit, artistic, gypsy type side of my personality took this as a great compliment, as if I had given my children a precious gift of freedom to be who God created them to be. And the self conscious, doubting, insecure side of me(Oh,yes she is in there too) piped in with "what does that really mean?... does it mean this person admires this, or that they would never let their kids go out looking like that....Hmmm". Well my kids do have a certain style, flair if you will, for clothes. They like what they like and once they decide they like it, that is that. Angeline is the most colorful and creative she figures," if it has the same colors in it, it matches."

And Gracie, well, she likes socks

Jerry has his own thing going on too, but if we can get his shirts facing forwards and not inside out, its a good day. The day he wore his pants backwards to church and I asked him if he wanted to fix it and he replied,"no this is fine", I knew it was another kind of fashion quirk all together.

But really folks, what is the harm in letting them be who they are and encouraging their individuality? I adore my kids and it really isn't important to me that they wear the right clothes, or even matching clothes. It matters that they are confident in who they are, know they are loved unconditionally, and they use the gifts God has given them. Imagination and creativity are two that overflow around here and I am so happy for that. Independence and dramatics are another, so there are battles that need to be fought and others that are not so important. And anyway we homeschool, that gives us some license to be a little odd doesn't it?

What happened to November?

2008-12-12T17:50:00.001-08:00

Hey Look ! A family photo, who would've thunk!

AHHH! I knew I would drop the ball on this blog thing, but I am going to try to get in our Fall homeschooling days and Thanksgiving before my Christmas post I promise!!!!

"....like a little child"

2008-10-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Had to list some quotes from my kiddos today:

Angeline,"I heard God tell my heart when I grow up I will help orphans!"

Jerry,"I am going to be a Lego designer who makes bible story Legos!"

Grace,"When I grow up I am going to be a girrafe!"

Funny:)

Grace,"Why did God have to die on the cross?"

Mama,"God died on the cross because he loved us so much and wants us to be with him forever in heaven, if he had not done that we couldn't be."

Grace,"oh, OK....I love God."smile.

Remember Lorega

2008-10-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

After posting about my sweet friend's trip recently, I had a few questions about what I did in Cebu Philippines when I was there. Cebu is one of the richest islands in the RP, also one of the most beautiful, but scratch under the surface and you find Lorega, a baranguy with some of the most beautiful people and the most unbelievable suffering I have ever witnessed. This is where we lived. It is 3rd world urban poor, it is also a place in the full view of Jesus and dear to the heart of our Savior. I recently connected with a woman serving there now, please visit this link to read about what they are doing and in your prayers, remember Lorega.

http://loregadiaries.wordpress.com/2006/10/25/not-your-another-church/

Feeling Sad

2008-10-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

A quick update on Gracie. She was doing pretty well the first week or two, once she got past saying she didn't love us anymore:( This diet would be tremendously hard for an adult let alone a 3 year old.
She must avoid a list of over 20 foods! Here goes:
She was highest reactive to: Egg,Cow's Milk,Wheat,Yeast
The others are: Asparagus, Avocado, Kidney beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cheese, Coconut, garlic, Goats Milk, Papaya, Peanut, Pineapple, Rye, Sesame, Soybean, Tomato

While we have had to adjust the majority of all our diets to avoid these, simply because of the sadness involved when we are eating her "No,no foods". Some of the food has stayed the same and the recipes I have tried and adjusted have been doable, except the exploding brownies.

Then we got the stomach flu and she threw up and had diarrhea for 5 days. My little 27 lb girlie lost quite a bit of weight and then just refused to eat. We actually reverted to way beyond the first week experience. We kept hearing "she will eat when she's hungry" but she didn't, a week later and every bite is a battle, she now refuses the vitamins and supplements she needs to get better. I know she is exerting some kind of control in her little out of control world. But she is sad, today she said,"I just don't like it here anymore Mama." I really wanted to give her all the ice cream she wanted. This is the girl who goes with the flow, never really complains and is so easy going. Some of her response is disobedience, some of it is rebellion, most of it is just plain grief and sadness, but 45 minutes of crying and pleading to get her to eat one digestible enzyme is wearing us all out, she is a whole lot of tough wrapped up in a teeny tiny ball!

Praying and praying for God to intervene and just make her hungry and happy. I think I will go give her some marshmallows now.

"Me and My Rights"

2008-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who has a blog......She has 10 children and an incredible perspective. Please visit:

http://urbanservant.blogspot.com/

My Friend is a Gift!

2008-09-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

We recently had a visit from a very dear and special friend of mine Lyn Ramirez. She and new husband Nelson stayed with us for 4 wonderful days here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! I cannot begin to explain the blessings we received while they were here. Lyn and I have a little history. In 1998 I traveled to the Philippines to work with a group of amazing ladies I had never met. The people I met and the relationships that came out of that experience changed my life forever. Working and living with strangers in an urban setting with one of the highest levels of poverty in the country accelerates friendships. I was working with a group called Mercy in Action, here is a portion of their vision: "We believe God's heart is for us to care for the poor, especially the children of this world. One of Mercy In Action's main goals is to provide midwives and medics to meet the felt needs of the poor, while also educating midwives, primary health care mission medics, and children's workers." http://www.mercyinaction.com/index.html

I went to help another very special friend Mary(another of the most amazing people know) start up a Baby Home for abandoned infants. It was at the very beginning stages and Mary was herself a midwife so we lived and worked with the maternity and child health clinic that was set up in Lorega, Cebu City, with other young women from the west who were studying and learning there. The clinic was also training and employing Filipina midwives. And that is how I met Lyn. We connected instantly and spent lots of time giggling, dreaming, crying, and reaching out to so many of the beautiful pregnant mamas and children we served daily. Lyn is one of the truest and most humble women I have had the honor of having as my friend. I saw God work in her and through her in ways I never have experienced since. She relies on God in ways I could only ever wish to, and her story is an amazing testimony of God's grace and a life lived to serve Him. I could go on and on but I know she will read this and I know she wouldn't say these things about herself:) When I left the Philippines, I also left many pieces of my heart there and Lyn has one of them for always. She went on to work with Glory Reborn Maternity Clinic, another amazing ministry in the spirit of Mercy in Action. Please visit this site and see what they are doing in Cebu. http://www.gloryreborn.com/

Lyn and I kept in touch while she worked for Glory Reborn and years later she sent me the news,she had met a wonderful man and they were getting married(here's the surprise) he is an American and lives in Miami! So while my plans were to visit her when we went to get our baby, God's plan was to move her here, be reunited sooner and meet her husband. We fell in love with Nelson and are so very happy for them both!

It was a great visit with the Rockies game, Rocky Mountain National Park and a visit to my friend Rachel's historical farmhouse where another amazing woman is doing her thing! They truly got a taste of the West and we enjoyed a special time of fellowship.

The kids just adored them both and we can't wait to see them again! I never thought my Island Filipina would be hiking with me through my beautiful Colorado mountains but God is so much bigger than we ever imagine! Thanks Father God for a wonderful gift!

Pic of the Post

2008-09-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Finally getting to some of the pics in my file, sweet Angel on her Birthday!

Adoption Again in the Mainstream

2008-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal had a very positive and informative article on adoption and the Christian community. Have a look!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121996442316481379.html?mod=taste_primary_hs

News about Sweet Gracie

2008-08-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

My kids are in general healthy kids. We are fortunate to be free of any life threatening or major life altering diseases right now. Praise God. But over the next few posts I am going to share the very odd, rare and unique issues each of them have. It may take a while, but I am hoping the information and links I have may provide other families with questions some help. For each of these issues we have first tried the conventional medical pediatricians, specialists and then were guided by God and "mommy research" to alternative treatments when the consistent response from the medical community "was there is nothing else we can do".

I will start with Grace because hers is the most recent diagnosis and the most prevalent on my mind. Over a year ago she began to get these white patches on her backside, they were growing and symmetrical in shape. The first 2 Peds did not know what it was and then referred me to a dermatologist, who took one look and said "Vitiligo" http://www.avrf.org/ , handed me a pamphlet (The (skin disorder) disease is characterized by the appearance of depigmented patches (milky white) white patches, light pink patches) on the skin, common in sun exposed areas like hands, feet, arms, face and lips. Other common areas include armpits, groin, around the mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel and genitals.)and said it is untreatable, "but you can try this steroid creme"(no thanks). Over a few months she also had a consistent low grade fever, diarrhea, and fatigue. After research we looked at the possibility of heavy metal toxicity, while she showed no other symptoms of this a a home test twice revealed a high incidence of Cadmium(quite common in our soils here). We started some detoxifying clay baths for kids, http://www.evenbetternow.com/autism-clay.asp?s=gaw+15&gclid=CNvrtd-6s5UCFQJNagodzSJUPg but were at a loss. the other symptoms continued. Then we were referred to Dr. Roger Billica, and his brother Bill Billica from TriLife Health in Fort Collins. They are not your regular conventional medical doctors, a little background on Dr. Roger Billica,"In 1990 he joined the NASA space program and from 1991-2001 served as the NASA Chief of Medical Operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas." So this is a really a "smart guy". He and his brother work together, and we have been able to get an appointment with Bill (9 months to see Roger). For more info on their very "unconventional way to treat disease through science and natural health" see articles below. They also work with many Autistic patients(for families who are in need of this). Go to pg two of the site for his Bio:

http://www.designsforhealth.com/seminars/MOB_WA.pdf

http://www.trilifehealth.com

http://www.fortcollinsnow.com/article/20080401/NEWS/230841362

After meeting with Dr. Bill we had quite a lengthy discussion about Gracie's symptoms as she sat quietly and played. He was so genuine and helpful. He has had some success with vitiligo patients (Good news). Yes, toxicity could play a part , but it is because of "blocked neural pathways", she may not be processing much of anything very well including toxins. So a blood draw had to be done (ouch!), and a urine sample. They did a very comprehensive lab test on all this and we just got the results a few days ago. We had a phone consult with Dr. Bill , the diagnosis: a fairly large number of food sensitivities, Celiacs Disease http://www.celiac.org/ , a bacterial issue in her intestines, and various blocked pathways(she is not processing much of anything properly), and the obvious Autoimmune issue with Vitiligo. She has Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome, basically what it states: more than one Autoimmune Disorder. SO we are following Dr.'s orders and eliminating all the foods that she is sensitive to, we are doing a Celiac's diet for her(and going to try to conform the rest of us to it). Any help from my Celiac, Gluten Free friends is greatly appreciated:) Also he has her taking quite a few supplements and vitamins for the next 3 months. There is quite a high occurrence of Vitiligo and Celiacs, and there does seem to be some correlation to being Gluten Free and a reduction in Vitiligo skin patches. So there you have it, we will follow the instructions of the only direction we have been given. we are praying, we are grateful to God for leading us to Dr Billica, we are blessed by our sweet Grace and her funny personality. We hope that we can help her.

Life gets going!

2008-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

So we have gotten behind again on posts and I do apologize for that! We have had a bunch of things happening all at the same time and I guess that is just how life goes sometimes! Quick update, Bill has accepted a great new job with the software company he has been specializing in for some time now and it is going to be a huge blessing to us. They finally offered him a position that requires only a little travel per month and we can stay in Sunny Colorado!!! He gets to continue to work from home and that is our preference!Yeah! The only glitch is timing..... he needs to spend about 6 months finishing up a former contract job so his 40 hrs with the new company then turn to 60 hours. Plus this happens to be our busy wedding season and we have 6 weddings in 4 months to photograph, edit, photoshop and present to clients ASAP! All that makes a very busy husband who is working about 70+ hrs a week at 3 jobs ! While most of the work time he is at home (praise the Lord), it still is a very stressful time for us in that regard. Prayers needed and accepted for his situation right now.

In addition to photographing weddings I have just started teaching Art at the Options program for homeschoolers. It is a full day of school and electives for homeschoolers in the community through the public school system. Quite a nice program. All homeschoolers attend and it is at a local church with certified teachers. Angel gets a day of Kindergarten with the best teacher ever(my friend Beth) and I get to teach the cutest 1st-3rd graders 2 periods of Art including my big boy! Then he gets some fun electives and sometime with his friends. This all started with me getting my Colorado Teaching certificate updated(which was quite ridiculous) and I have yet to take and pass the content exam in November. I just spoke to another Art teacher who has taken it twice and not passed! I am a bit nervous!

We have had 3 sets of visitors in the past few weeks, which has been wonderful! But it has put my start to homeschooling off until after Labor day. My dear friend Lyn (who I met in the Philippines) was here and I intend to blog about that with pictures soon!So hang in there with us I have quite a bit to catch you all up on!

Boy, oh Boy! Pic of the Blog!

2008-08-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Just HAD to post this photo my friend sent from Jerry's playdate today. Such a goof ball!

Lessons from home plate!

2008-07-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

So we posted a slideshow below of Jerry's T-Ball Season and it was really as fun as it looked. We really enjoyed watching the kids make dirt angels and travel in packs to get the ball! As many of you know my sweet guy is spirited and just a tad bit impulsive, and team competitive sports have not really been his thing so far. He feels there is a terrible injustice in soccer; no one shares or takes turns and everyone is trying to take the ball away with out saying please! Seems understandable to me! But often in his cries for "justice" and "fairness", he simply just....well cries. So trying T-ball was a big step of faith for us all and we really worked hard to give him a successful and fun opportunity. I must say prayers were answered and lessons learned. The first few weeks were a little shaky, but he did a tremendous job and the last game was just awesome! He really played his little heart out and tried with all his might to stay focused and have a good time. He had the opportunity to be the pitcher(the only position that really gets to do anything in T-ball) and made some great plays for a 7 year old kid. His Coach was a really nice and incredibly patient guy, he was always very encouraging and kind. The year ended on a terrific note and we couldn't be more proud of out little trooper! The best part for me was after the awards were given he gave one of his medals to Angel and his hat to Grace, they were thrilled!

Jerry's Fun Tball Season

2008-07-25T20:29:00.001-07:00

He's Growing up Fast!

2008-07-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

This month it is my little man that has a birthday. Jerry turns 7 and it is almost too hard to believe! What a special and precious boy he is! He has always had such exhuberance and life in him. Truly from day one he has been on the go and always keeping us on our toes! How we love him so! He is courageous and brave. He is gentle and sensitive. He is crazy and funny. He is bugs, swords, treasures and dirt. He is invention and excitement, adventure and triumph. He loves people, he loves justice, he loves the Lord. We are so anxious to see where the Lord will lead his life.

Here is a list of the things he has expressed he would like to be:

Age two: Train Engineer, Superhero, Truck driver

Age three: Train Engineer,Superhero,Paleontologist, Archaeologist

Age four: Train Engineer,Paleontologist, Archaeologist, Scientist

Age five: Paleontologist, Archaeologist, Scientist, Inventor, Missionary

Age six: Scientist, Inventor, Missionary, Pastor, Doctor "who invents things to help sick people and cure diseases"

Little Bug we are so proud of you and all God made you to be!

Happy Birthday!

Little Bug we are so proud of you and all God made you to be!
Happy Birthday!

Ballet Beauties (click the arrow for a sweet show!)

2008-07-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Our Tiny Dancers

2008-07-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well here they are, our lovely girls! We posted a slideshow above of some of the dance recital photos from this year and it was such a sweet and lovely recital! Angeline has been taking dance for two years and this was Gracie's first time. We feel so fortunate to have found a wonderful dance studio in our area called Reverence. The owners and teachers are so committed to the girls and to dancing in a way that respects women and glorifies the Lord. The jewel of the studio is Mrs. Theo, she has been the teacher for the girls for both years. She is one of the most gentle, kind, lovely ladies I have had the pleasure of knowing. She just radiates joy! She is in the pictures with the girls and you can see how much they truly adore her. We love you Mrs. Theo!

Angeline has been able to have one of her best buddies in class with for both years and she is the other little cutie in the pics. There is something about little girls in tutus that is absolutely priceless. I started dancing at the age of 5 and truly loved it. It has been one of my creative outlets all my life. It is very heart warming to now watch my little girls in all their pink and pastel flurries. I hope that it captures their hearts as much as it has mine, but if they never put pink slippers on again that is fine too. One of the things I think they are truly gleaning from these early classes and specifically from Mrs. Theo is understanding grace and femininity. These precious little pearls of ours are often muddy, fuzzy haired, and unkempt( often while in tutus!), so seeing them embrace and really love the girliness of it all is so very sweet. Our prayer is that they will grow to be confident in who God created them to be, in their femininity and their giftings and that their beauty will truly shine from within. But I think a little sparkle on the outside is OK too.

Zachary David-"God Remembers His Beloved"

2008-06-19T07:13:00.001-07:00

I have lots of pics of dance recitals and T-ball to blog and post about, but I need to share some news that happened this week. I am so continuously amazed and blessed by courageous and faith filled friends that are part of our lives. This past week has humbled and broke my heart. But the unbelievable grace and love of God has been so evident through it all. Dear friends Derek and Erin delivered beautiful Zachary on Monday afternoon. Late that night Zachary left his brief but precious moments here with us to be with our Lord. Months ago the couple found out that their baby had a disorder where no skull was developing, within the womb he was growing and safe, once he entered the world he would be in eminent danger, the doctors said there was no chance for him to survive, and there were rarely any cases of these little ones delivering full term. Erin and Derek had a choice to make, they chose life. The months that followed they sought the Lord without ceasing and were always so open and vulnerable about what was happening. We all prayed for God's grace, strength, mercy, courage, that His loving arms would hold them close and in hope for the miracle that God would heal Zachary, we know that He can, and yet it is not always His will or for us to understand. Even so we pray. It has been so deeply touching to walk through this with Erin and Derek, they have two little ones who love, understand and prayed for their brother, knowing that in heaven he would be running, jumping and playing with them. I cannot really express all that I have learned this week, it is still happening as I write this. I know that sometimes we feel God asks the impossible of us, that we are following His leading to make choices that the world doesn't understand. We must have faith that Jesus knows our hearts, lives, and sorrows and that the day will come when we fully understand and fully know the confusion and the pain that this world can sometimes bring. Without that hope, there is only emptiness. Thank you Jesus for hope.
Zachary arrived at 3:45, Monday afternoon and all the unknowns began. Their prayer was for time enough for moments with their boy, for strength and courage to face whatever lay ahead. My husband Bill volunteers for an organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, it is a truly incredible service to families who have lost an infant early in life. Photographers donate time and services to come and minister to that family and capture whatever moments they have with their sweet little ones. We had planned for months for Bill to be there and he spent much time talking with the couple about it. Zachary was with his mama and papa for a gift of 13 hours, so much more time than anticipated, and Bill was able to spend some time there capturing memories of the family. It was truly a blessing to us. In the midst of their devastating pain and sorrow, there has been a peace, a light and a comfort always there, you can see and feel it, I believe it is the tangible presence of the living God.

Eternity
I will be yours
You will be mine
Together in eternity
Out hearts of love
Will be entwined
Together in eternity
Forever in eternity
No more tears of pain
In our eyes
No more fear or shame
For we will be with you
Yes, we will be with you

Below is a link to a blog dedicated to Zachary with the above mentioned slideshow-

http://isaiah6520.blogspot.com/

For more about infant bereavement photography please visit:

http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/start.php

It's a bird, it's a plane..... IT'S A HAILSTONE!!!!!

2008-05-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, we were very fortunate to be south a bit of the terrible tornados that hit last week but as I was coming home from the grocery store, the sky had that "purple-brown" look and then the hail started and things seemed onimous. Here is the "Big Daddy of the Backyard"! (In Angel's sweet little hands)
Please be in prayer for the families hit the by storm and the devastation in Windsor.

Squeaky Clean!

2008-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

My two "big kids" now can't even fit in here! Love this photo! Enjoy my "Pic of the Blog"

A Broken Wing

2008-05-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Adoption fills alot of my thoughts and prayers. I can almost physically ache for little ones who are alone, lost and afraid. My cries for Jesus' return are for the least of these, for the end of their suffering. I have been so blessed and humbled to watch friends and families bring these little ones into their lives forever, but mostly in awe of homes open to the "special needs" or "hard to place" children. Our own adoption is a mystery at this point, we are open to a vast list of medical needs, but the Philippines only places kids with what they consider "very severe" needs on a special list, all others are in the mix with "healthy kids". Most kids who in other countries would not qualify for adoption are regularly open in the Philippines. So we wait and see who are little special guy will be. That said, two of my dear friends are on their way home from China, each with a "special" little girl. Micayla is still a miracle as to why she was even listed as available, according to Chinese regualtions, and Elizabeth is happy and healthy as can be, they removed a large hemangionma and has scarring-therefore she was listed under "special needs". I wanted to list their amazing stories for those of you interested you can find them at:
http://www.journeytome.com/index.cfm

Log in-railsback
Password-railsback

Log in -finnegan
Password - finnegan

Also a link to a wonderful and convicting post about kids just like these:
http://urbanservant.blogspot.com/2007/10/pondering-reasons-we-dont-adopt.html

Delightful Delight Directed Day

2008-05-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ways to homeschool is what is called "delight directed". It is very off the cuff and spontaneous and happens "in the moment". Some days this goes pretty well and sometimes the moments are just a gift! Last winter we had a little red fox walk right upto our sliding glass door while we were having breakfast and it turned into a wonderful little unit study on foxes. A morning this past week, again at breakfast, we were watching a little robin outside gathering up grass and strings and quickly flying them off to some secret place to construct her little home. The kids and I started to discuss what she was doing and I remembered a wonderful little book we just picked up called "Why Do Birds Build Nests?". So we all sat and read that, which then led the kiddos to create their own version of a nest, then we ventured outside to see the birds and observe what they were upto. They then became little birdies themselves and we flew around the block. When we were done ,they each built nests for themselves with pillows and blankets and we watched the ugly duckling and ate worms(string cheese)! That is my kind of schoolday!
Angeline's meadowlark nest of sparkly pipe cleaners.
Jerry's LEGO bird in nest complete with bionicle balls as eggs.
Gracie's little Peep in a bowl nest(yellow of course).
Jerry went on to create an owl nest and here they are posing for a shot with all their little birdies.
Angeline found some candy eggs(yikes from Easter!) and added them to her little bundle and we decided to go outside and visit the birdies on our sweet neighbor Miss Judy's porch.

Mama bird keeping those little eggies nice and warm.
Angel wants to fly and Jerry being an egg rolling out of the nest:)

My sweet little birdies flying off on their own!

Some Questions Only A Father Can Answer

2008-05-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I truly love having Bill work from home is that there are things that come up during our day that really only a father's wisdom, insight and sensitivity can address.
Moments ago my dear boy came to me with tears in his eyes and tearfully said, "Mama, I have been thinking about something really sad.".
Alarmed that there was something so upsetting that he would come to me this way I said,"What is it sweetie?".
Between sobs he replied, "Would Luke Skywalker really kill his father?".
Fighting back the smiles I drew him into my arms and said, "I think Papa can help us with this one."
We walked to Bill's office and he said"what's wrong?".
I replied, "I think Jerry has a question you can answer better than me."
Jerry fell into his arms and repeated his question and I left my dear husband and son to walk through this together. Jerry has only just begun the Star Wars series and Bill is quite the Star Wars buff himself, so it is something they share. Bill went on to explain in the story Luke doesn't kill his father, but they do battle and it is Luke's love for his father that wins in the end. Who would have thought Star Wars would be used to explain some of life's biggest lessons and help build relationshp between father and son. While this is a somewhat comical instance, I do really enjoy having Bill here and I am blessed by his willingness to turn away from his work and allow the kids access to him anytime anyplace. He is a great Dad!

Happy Little Artists All in A Row!

2008-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

My big endeavor this Spring (and what has kept me busy for the past few weeks) was to organize and put on and Art Show for our homeschool group. It was actually my sweet boy's idea after we painted with watercolors one day and he titled his painting Sunset In The Meadow, he said, "I sure would like to hang this in a museum somewhere!" and after thinking for a moment I replied, "Maybe we could have an art show or something like that?" and we were off! I have a teaching degree in Art Education, and if I ever have time, I love to create myself. So this was a pretty good fit for me I think. After a few email discussions with moms from our homeschool group, plenty of interest and commitment from families we announced the "Spring Pneuma Creators Art Show"! The name of our group is Pneuma(greek for of the soul or spirit) and we had almost half of the families participate and 31 kids enter their beautiful creations! What a wonderful time to celebrate their individuality and unique talents. I encouraged them to enter anything that the kids had created that past year from babies to 10 year olds( that is the oldest age of our group at this time) and we posted them all on display boards and tables, and were able to hold our show in a wonderful gallery space that one of our members church uses as a meeting facility! Each child received a special certificate for their outstanding creativity and imagination! A friend of mine, Ann Candler, is a local artist who is nationally recognized and she graciously offered to come meet all the children, share her art, and give a demo. It turned out spectacular! Here is a link to Ann's work:
http://www.anncandlerfineart.com/

Jerry was so proud of all he did, you could see all the kids were.

Everyone spent time looking and all the creations and projects.

The children really enjoyed seeing and sharing their work with one another!

Our little painter Angeline, sat by her board and waited for visitors to discuss her original works!

Here I am chatting with a boy about his beautiful artwork.

Jerry really enjoyed discussing all his detailed drawings, lots of moms and dads took a real interest in encouraging the children.

Angeline knew all the titles of her paintings and drawings, I especially like " Valentines for Uncle David" right behind her:)

Grace and her "Best Frwend" Elsa.
Here is Gracie's beautiful board!

Jerry's "Serious Artist" Portrait

The kids waiting for Miss Ann to begin her demonstration.

All the kids were really wonderful and very interested in Ann's presentation.

Ann did a great job with the kids! Thanks Ann!

Angeline and Jerry waited right by their boards to show Ann all they had done. She was so sweet to spend time to talk with the kids, they really felt special.

Here is a group picture of most of the kids who participated and made our Art Show a huge success!

We're Back!

2008-05-06T17:38:00.001-07:00

Well, for those of you who are still with us, I have finally found time to get all the backlog of posts and pics up on the blog! We have had a busy few weeks and we are winding down for school now. This year I am trying to continue a light schedule from now until July, take off for July and begin again in August. This keeps us all a bit more consistent although my flesh really wants 3 months off for the summer! I will be adding a few new posts over the next couple of days, hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy the Pic of the Blog!

JERRYBUG!!!!!!

Can you believe he is almost 7!

A Birthday "Bear"ell of fun!

2008-05-06T17:15:00.001-07:00

Well here she is the Big Birthday Girl! Angeline turned 5 and had a wonderful birthday! You just can't beat a little girls big day! Lots of pink and pretty sweet, cute stuff! We had her party at Build a Bear and we went there for the first time! She had her first "party dress" and tiara! Many of her very special friends came from near and far. It was just a joy for all of us! What a special girl and she really seemed to be filled with a happy glow!
As I watch my little girl grow up I am so touched by her sweet innocence. She often dances, almost floats, from room to room. "Look, Mama, look Papa watch me dance." At what age does it become inappropriate to skip and flutter from place to place?

Here is the whole gang ready for bear stuffin!

Sweet Gracie picks a bear!

What will I choose!

Gianna joins the fun!

Pretty Bear Cake made it to the mall with special bow intact!

I wish I wish!

Lots of fun and thoughtful gifts!

All the very tired new lovies!

My favorite picture, Angeline and her pink leopard Angel! What a happy day!

Waiting

2008-04-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

If you have checked in lately I know we haven't been here for awhile. My dear husband's computer CRASHED and that is basically our livelihood YIKES! This week we are back up and running! Lots to share so hopefully I can catch up soon! With pictures too!

God's Little Princess

2008-03-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Why God made Little Girls
God made the world with
towering trees, majestic

mountains, and restless seas.
Then paused and said,

"It needs one more thing....
someone to laugh and
dance and sing.

To walk in the woods and gather
flowers....to commune with
nature in quiet hours."

So God made little girls with
laughing eyes and bouncing curls,

with joyful hearts,

and infectious smiles,

enchanting ways and
feminine wiles.

And when He'd completed
the task He'd begun,

He was pleased and proud
of the job He'd done.

For the world, when seen
through a little girl's eyes.
greatly resembled Paradise.

Father's Hands Christian Inspirational Poems and Stories

Our sweet Angel turns 5 and we are so blessed and truly see God's hand in her life. She is funny and creative, gentle and kind. She sees beauty in so many things. She loves her siblings and treasures others and often creates beautiful things to share. She dances for Jesus and whispers her prayers, and she fills our lives with joy and sunshine! We pray for God's blessings on her all her days and may she grow strong and confident in who she was designed to be.

Meet the Sweeties!

2008-03-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest pics of our kiddos, granted they are almost 6 months old, but these are the newest prints we have for family and finally for our walls! I am so excited!

Jerry, aka: Jerrybug, Jerbug, Tuggie, and Jer

He is 6 and a Legomaniac! Loves science, adventure, he is all boy and a really sweet guy!

Angeline, aka: Angel, Little Boo, Angelcakes

She is nearly 5 and loves painting, princesses, ponies, and chocolate:) She is our cuddler and the family comforter!

Grace, aka: Gracie, Graciecakes, and Peanut

She is 3 loves giraffes, drawing and all her snugglies. She is a source of joy for us all!

Highlights from Treasures Academy

2008-03-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”
Proverbs 24:2-4

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:20-22

When we began homeschooling this year a dear friend suggested praying about mission and vision statements for our school, a name and verses that reflected what God put on our hearts for this family adventure. And that is how Treasures Academy came to exist. It is still and will probably be forever evolving and changing into what God has for us, but after 2 years of wading through a tremendous amount of information, philosophies, curriculum, and those cute little personalities I think we are starting to figure out what direction our family is headed. Don't get me wrong, I love researching all that stuff, I am a "Curriculum Junkie". I have a background in education so this is something I am very passionate about. One of the things I love about homeschooling is how it challenges me to really examine who I am and my own personality, how I am designed and in the same respect discover my kids unique quirks, bents, and beauty. It has definitely stretched and molded us all. Each family whether your kids are schooled at home or not has to find their core values, mission and purpose and it is going to look different for everyone. I love embracing that and embracing what others are doing in their own little nests. Raising a family is never easy. Marriage and family has been the greatest tool of transformation I have ever experienced. But in this blog it is my desire to share our joys and triumphs, snapshots of what our days are like, celebrate ordinary lovely things and when there is a time for it maybe cry with us a little. It is not my plan to put my personal struggles and musings here, I hope that doesn't turn some away from me being "real", if you know me off line being real is usually not a problem:) Just randomly stop by my house anytime! But I want to use this blog as a kind of digital living scrapbook, something I can archive for my kids and they can look at and smile and say, "I remember that! That was fun!". Well I rabbit trailed so back to Treasures!

So with the help of a friend's definitions I am currently calling myself a "relaxed, delight directed, eclectic, curriculum led, unschooler":o Meaning: Although we have a schedule, it is simply a lovely decoration, I pull teaching and activity ideas from a myriad of places. When my kids show a passion or interest in something I try my best to "go with it", and then get as much info and resources on the subject as I can find. What we do is usually hands on and messy. I DO FOLLOW A CURRICULUM!(though sometimes loosely) It is Charlotte Mason based, with a little Ruth Beechick (teaching philosophies I like)here and there and full of great literature. We teach a lot out of everyday life, as do all parents, I can just log it in on my school hours:) It has taken me awhile to accept who I am as a homeschool teacher. Coming out of a classroom situation I expected those little buns to sit on those carpet squares, for the first few weeks we did it! Now I so much more like being snuggled on the couch under blankets reading Charlotte's Web. (I don't know where my carpet squares are!)

So that is a little introduction to our school. I wanted to start there and then show you all a bit of what we have been doing. From our curriculum we studied the life of Moses and the Israelites the past few weeks. The pics are of some extra activities we added in:

Mummifying Dolls - They were supposed to be Barbie's and GI Joe, but the dollar store was out so I found these great anatomy dolls and we could actually take out the plastic innards and put them in tin foil canoptic jars! Science and History all in one!

Hieroglyphs: Jerry writing his name in Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

A Sugar Cube Pyramid

Our Egyptian Costumes: Traditional for Jerry, flowers and princesses for the girls:)

The other pictures are a Delight Directed experience we had today. After reading a little reader called My Robot, my little boy's active imagination took off and he ran to the cabinets searching for the recyclables to create his Robot that would give water to the thirsty in dry lands! I monitored the glue gun and he was off! Hence why my schedule rarely is followed exactly! But what fun!

Hope you enjoy the little snapshot of our day!
Enjoy yours!

Love,

Dawn

Angeline's special month!

2008-03-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Angeline turns 5 this month and I am hoping to get to share some special pictures and memories of her over the next few posts. She is just a precious little girl and truly blesses our lives.

Recently she has had some adorable quotes in regards to our new baby arriving from the Philippines. There is a tremendous amount of adoption and orphan talk going around our house and one of the kids favorite play time activities is "orphanage". Jerry usually is taking care of Grace and Angeline along with numerous babydolls and stuffed animals, it is all very dear! While driving along one day Angel thoughtfully asked me,"Mama, when did you get me from the Philippines?", although she has seen pictures of me pregnant with her and knows she "came from my belly"! She also asked "Who is my real mama?", "Me silly!" I replied."Oh yeah, I forgot!". The kids are all very excitied and anxiously awaiting the arrival of a little brother or sister!

Bill's mom and stepdad spend part of the year in California and part of the year here, we often drive Grammy to the airport or pick her up. Last time we were approaching the airport Angeline called out,"There's California!". I think she imagines Grammy spending 4 months at the airport!

How we love our girl!

Blessings,

Dawn

Love Your Neighbors

2008-03-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

We have had a dream for awhile to move to the country or mountains and have a few acres. It became almost obsessive. I would dream of space and gardens and kids running through the grass. Every time we drove somewhere new we'd go home and start looking at real estate(really EVERY time:). The thing is, we live in a great home, just had it built a few years ago. It is perfect for our home businesses and homeschooling, plenty of room for us and any more kiddos the Lord brings along. The yard is small, but we do have open space behind us and near our residence, but being a homebody has just made me yearn to be away, to be "rural". I think that may be changing, at least for now. I decided today, I love our neighbors. I always have really liked them, they are a terrific group of people. When the weather gets warm everyone is out chatting, visiting and playing with the kids. Even the couple without kids comes down and plays sports with the littleguys. My next door neighbors are older empty nesters and they actually asked us NOT to put up a fence so our kids and the neighbors could run back and forth, can you imagine! This weekend a group of dad's went down to the open space at the end of our street and hung two swings in a beautiful old cottonwood tree for the kids to ride on. Here are pics of Jerry and Angeline Swinging away! (Notice Angel in the background behind Jerry swinging and Jerry climbing in the background when Angeline is swinging!) It really blessed my heart to see everyone down there working together and pushing the kids. For the first time in a while I didn't find myself pining to get away. Suburbia has its perks.

Love to all today,

Dawn

I have been pregnant 12 months already!

2008-03-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Saw this and loved it!
YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN ADOPTIVE PARENT IF ...
1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.
2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love & family.
3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.
4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.
5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who've experienced the blessing of adoption.
6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.
7. You've been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)
8. You'd no idea how you'd afford to adopt, but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing He'd provide. (& He does!)
9. You've taken an airplane half-way around the world with a child you just met.
10. You believe God's heart's for adoption.
11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart & family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.
12. You know what the word "Dossier" means & you can actually pronounce it correctly!
13. You've welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.
14. You shudder when people say your child's so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you're the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

So this is all new to me!

2008-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, after 9 months of wishing our family had a blog, I finally did it! So I am not certain exactly how to do this and what the focus will be. Some people have various blogs that cover all different areas of their life, family, motherhood, adoption..........I'm certain I could not maintain more than one, so I am hoping this blog will be a bit like homemade soup: a little bit of this, a little bit of that, sweet, savory and occasionally a little spice. I feel it will be a little like me, somewhat eclectic and scattered, with a huge desire to TRY to be organized(only by the grace of God). We have quite a few things going on in our lives and I think I'll try to fit it all in somewhere. I hope to use this for friends and family to drop in and get a snapshot of what our days are like, because I know that even though we have a photography business, we don't get pics out much at all, and I get REALLY behind on catching up with people, hopefully this blog will redeem that a bit:). Bill is in the process of somehow linking all our computers together on some kind of magic connection that will give me access to all our pictures on his computer, which I have not had for our wonderful 8 years of marriage! So it takes the pressure off him to "please get me some pictures!", and gives me the ability to get some on the web and up in our house!

Here are some of the areas of our life we would like to share:
Our walk of grace and mercy with Jesus: A little bit about how we are navigating this life with the help of our Lord.
The life and times of our growing family: Our joys, treasures, triumphs and stumbles along the way.
Our adoption journey: Sharing our journey to the next little Sweetpea!
Highlights from Treasures Academy: Sharing what we do and how we do it here at our sweet little homeschool.
Our hearts for the orphans: I love to share information and stories about little ones around the world.
Bill Business Central: Now that Bill has 2 home businesses, it really has become a big part of our life, we hope to share his love for photography, our business venture together in that, and a look at some of the ways he uses that to minister to others.

Thanks for joining us!
Love ,
Dawn

Building the Nest

2008-03-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

Our family was so excited the day "Cherry Robin" (affectionately named by my kiddos), came to our front porch and began the process of building a home for her family. It was wonderful to watch her come and go with little sticks, string and fluff. It seemed an arduous unending task, and when we decided to take a look into her creation it was filled with softness and comfort. I felt the Lord speaking to my heart that it is His desire for our home to be a place of comfort and softness, for whatever place or stage in life we come home from, we always have a soft place to land. But I often feel like Cherry Robin flying here and there, trying to get it all done and never feeling like it is ever complete. This blog will just be a place where we tell our family's stories and how we try , through the strength of our Dear Lord, to have grace for each day, joy in the ordinary and look for the beauty in unexpected places.