Just saying...

I haven't been writing on my blog much lately. It's so much easier to post cute pictures. To be honest, I am often too tired or too "emptied" to think of deep thoughts (or otherwise!) to share.

I am SOOOOOOOOOO thankful for this phase of our lives & John & I really feel like it is our honor to live it, but it is hard. We have, of course, all the normal challenges of parenting & homeschooling three little ones. ..the multiple milk spills, the squabbling, the HIGH activity level, the in-home business, the mess!!!!!, but then we also have some other issues to deal with that pierce my heart frequently.

I see my kids' pain & I somehow "upload" it into my own Mommy-heart. I carry it like an aching weight. Am I blessed to be able to do it? I honestly think I am! ...but I long to see my beautiful, beautiful kids experience more healing & restoration.

And you know what? They are! It is so cool to see the little spring buds of healing slowly emerge & prepare to one day bloom. I love it!

But...it is really hard. In between the successes & the healing are many attempts to reach out, to pour in the love, to re-teach, to teach truth. Sometimes it seems like our efforts make a difference & sometimes it just doesn't . I'm not writing this to whine or complain but in an attempt to communicate what our life is like right now. I wouldn't want to miss it for the world - our achingly painful, awesome, beautiful journey. Just saying...

Boys & Dogs

Spring At Last

Mark's new trick

Funny faces! :)

Boys in action

It's hard to get cuter than a little boy wearing shorts & boots together. I LOVE it!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

My "baby" turned five & he spent a lot of his birthday party playing in the sink with some bath toys friends had given him. He loves water play!

Cute boy/cheesy grin

Nathan loves horses!

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

New & Improved Chicken House

We (well, John!) have redesigned our hens' house. It's all on wheels so we can move it to fresh grass every day. We are also expecting 15 more chicks in May but they will have a new & different home. We will have Cochins, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Black Austrolorps, & Mottled Houdans. The boys are very excited about new chicks & are already considering names for each of them.

Hunter

Hunter & Fluffy hanging out on the back deck.
He is so good to guard the chickens but it looks like she is watching over him here!

If you don't think it's weird to pray for a dog, please pray for us & our dog, Hunter.
He was a licensed Therapy Dog (licensed to visit people in hospitals etc. with me) when he was younger & a loved family member but was also diagnosed with mental illness about a year + ago. Never heard of a dog with mental illness? It's unusual but it happens & is thought to maybe be caused by in-breeding. This could be the cause for Hunter since we rescued him from a kill shelter (so we have no idea of his origins) & he has poor German Shepherd Dog conformation. Anyhow, his condition has gradually declined & we are now trying our last viable option (another medication). This is a hard time for all of us.

Adoption Seminar

This past Sat. John & I were able to attend a "Connected Child Conference". The main speaker was Karen Purvis, who is an amazing expert on helping children who come from difficult places, such as adopted kids & foster kids. We learned so much & came home feeling like we have a few more parenting "tools" .

The bottom line is that we are in a fight for our beautiful & beloved kids. For their healing. For their wholeness. Even if things appear "normal" when we are out in public, be assured they are not. We really appreciate all the prayer, encouragement & understanding that we can get!

Thanks! :)

1 Bucket + 2 Boys = Fun

We Got Creative!

This past week we put some of our regular school work aside & got really creative.
Luke made a cool snake that hangs from a string in a spiral.

Nathan loved cutting up a cardboard box.

Luke painted this portrait of me.
Love it!

Mark practiced his sewing skills at his request.
He's working on a banner to enter at the Fair this Fall.

Matching T's & One Funny Face

This One's For Papa!

Papa, Mark specifically asked me to take these pictures so you
could see that he now has slippers "just like Papa's!".

Silly Faces & A Frog

Nathan is really concentrating with those scissors.

He is in the "cheesy smile" stage apparently. I remember when Mark did that.
It seemed like all his pictures for months on end included that silly
(but oh so cute!) face.

The "King of Silly" with his paper plate frog.

Our Sunday Evening

I love simple family outings, times when we haven't really planned ahead, but we just get in the van & go. Tonight, we decided to go hiking at a nearby park. We had to stop at a store on the way & at first I couldn't figure out why the boys were all giggling. Then I saw the dog in the truck parked next to us. It kind of looked like he was driving. ":)"

Here's the gang (minus me) at the park.

Last came story-time before bed. John has been reading Laura Ingles Wilder's "Little House in the Big Woods" to the boys. They are very wiggly but they enjoy the stories.

Today...

I notice a cooking pot on our back steps.

Me: "Why is that pot there?"

Mark: "It's for us boys to pee in."

Hmmm....OK...of course that's what it's for!

The pot has now been removed from the back steps.

Another Tooth Bites The Dust