Thursday, October 28, 2010

Nathan's Shoulder

The other night, our little Nathan somehow got his foot stuck in a soccer net & pulled the whole heavy goal down on top of himself! We are incredibly thankful he wasn't hit in the head, (Thank You God for Your angels!) but he was hit on the shoulder & his collar bone was broken. Ouch! :(

After seeing several doctors, he now is in a sling as well as a figure eight brace that wraps around his shoulders & pulls them back so that the bones are in the right position to heal. The sling is for a week. The brace is for up to six weeks!! 


So far he doesn't seem to be in much pain at all (although I am giving him pain meds just in case) & is possibly even enjoying all the extra attention. He needs help dressing, brushing teeth, fastening seat belt etc. 


Pictures to follow...

 

Monday, October 25, 2010

These Days

So...these days I mostly just post pictures. There's a reason for that. I am tired. I need all my brain cells for each day & have few left for blog writing or much else creative.

It's been nearly 13 months since we became a new family of five & we have come a loooooong way! Really! But, the truth is we still have a long way to go. 

I keep considering writing in more detail what issues we deal with daily but I just can't. Some Moms do & I appreciate that. Reading their stories helps to encourage me so much! But I just can't seem to let myself cross that line of confidentiality regarding my kids. (If you are a Mom needing encouragement just contact me personally & we'll talk privately.  :) Anyhow, please know that we do need your prayers & encouragement, that we are fighting daily for our precious kids - for their healing, for restoration. Our friends & family's love & hugs have meant A LOT to us! We do need & appreciate you so much! 

On the flip side, (or maybe the crazy side?!) guess what? We are hoping we'll be able to adopt again! Yeah, really! It won't be any time soon - our kids need all of us right now. But maybe in the next few years....?

Yes, it is soooooooooo hard! It is crazy frustrating! It is exhausting! It does break my heart! It does sometimes turn me into a whimpering puddle of goo on the floor! 

But............there's nothing else I'd rather pour out my life into, than the lives of the precious children God brings into my life. 


So, please love on us! We need it! Please pray for us! We need it! Please rejoice with us! We are so thankful we get to be a part of our kids' lives! 


(Does that all make sense?)



Thursday, October 21, 2010

Recent Back Yard Sighting


I had to laugh recently, when I looked out to check on the boys & saw this scene. It was a 90 degree day & the clothing choices were "interesting". One was in nothing but underwear & rubber boots & the other was in long sleeves & thick fleece pants! 
"Yay" for individuality & "Ugh" for fashion sense! :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Friends


"Ben", our 11+ year old Pit Bull mix & "Tirian", our 3 month old Siamese. I love unexpected friendships!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

More FFD ("Forever Family Day")





I finally got my pictures loaded... We had a great day hiking all together. There were lots of wild ponies & it was perfect weather. 



 We decided to keep celebrating on Sunday, so we all packed up & went to the Fair. Luke's "monster with wings" was there on display (see above.)




We got to meet various farm animals & were excited to see that our chickens had done really well with lots of first & second place ribbons!


I love this shot I got of Nathan.


The Fair wouldn't be complete without the racing piglets! :)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Forever Family Day - Fun Stuff


We all love hiking, so one of the things we did on our "FFD" weekend was to go hiking with some good friends. It was a gorgeous day up on the Appalachian Trail - one of our favorite hiking spots. 

I have many more pictures to upload but my computer is not in the mood, apparently. I'll try again later.  


Saturday, October 2, 2010

The BIG Day

Today is a really special day for us. Can you guess what it might be?
It's our very first ever:



FOREVER FAMILY DAY!! 
 
 


It's been exactly one today year since we had a special ceremony at Beacon House. All the children gathered around the five of us & prayed, sometimes tearfully, for our family. It was a joyful, sweet & also heart breaking time. Great joy for us & great sadness for all the dear ones still without families. 

It was the first day we were able to take Luke & Nathan back to our house in Accra. We all slept in the same room that night & I remember lying awake like a Mom of a brand new infant, listening for every sigh & movement. Joy - deep, thankful joy. 

We're going to "party" all weekend, as I told the boys, so I'll try to get some good pictures to post. Today includes Luke's soccer game & a family hike on the Appalachian Trail.  Tomorrow - the Fair! Big fun! :) 


 

Friday, October 1, 2010

"Tirian "






I really wasn't looking for another pet (honest!). My friend needed a home for this cutie pie Siamese kitten though & I fell in love... John didn't think it was a great idea at first but then he told me to go for it. He explained that he had been thinking about how he could save up $ to buy me gold or diamonds but that he realized what I really wanted was a cat! So...do I have a wise, kind & cool husband, or what?! :)

We named Tirian after the brave & good Prince in CS. Lewis' Narnia stories. He is a nice blend of sweet & feisty - a cuddler with me & tough enough to be great with the boys. 

Our dogs are adjusting pretty well to him. Ben is fascinated with him & follows him around wearing a goofy doggie smile. Juneau is afraid of him! She is only  70lb heavier than him, after all! :)

Happy Grubby Kids




The boys love to "create" in the back yard, and that's only because I won't let them try it in the house! This was a garden they were building that was also a fort & is now....?