Suprise Get-away!

To say things have been crazy at our house the last two months would be the understatement of the century!  In January, Mr C started visits with his bio-dad. 

(Bio-dad has been in PRISION for child abuse with one of Mr C's siblings, and was released early in November because of over-crowding.  I have so many rants about that part, but I will save those for another time.)

Mr C has had a horrible time since these visits started.  Horrible does not even begin to describe the extent of the behaviors we have seen in him.  He began seriously acting out on the other children and on us.  Jackie and I began to sleep in shifts so that one of us could watch him.  It was so painful to see this precious little boy suffer so much.  He was being tormented by these demons from his past that he has been working so hard to put away.  We spent many hours with his therapist in her office and on the phone.  We began the horrible process of documenting his behavior to have his level of care raised.  We knew that once we began this process he would have to move from our home.  It honestly was and is the most painful decision we have ever had to make.  His behavior was no longer just his issue, it was affecting all of us.  Jackie and I had brusies and scratches from his fits after these visits.  So many things that I can't share here.  They are too private and painful to recall.  Our house was not a safe place for the other children in our family, or for us. 

We had to admit him to the hospital for 5 days in February.  The change in our other kids was instant.  It was like they started breathing again.  The sense of peace was restored to our home.  We agonized over what to do when we were asked if he could return.  Absolutely, was our answer.  The doctor made a medication change during his stay and we showed up for a family visit and they said, "Surprise, he's coming home today!"  He came home worse than when he left.  He stayed 5 days and they were the most horrible I have ever experienced.  The medication was completly wrong.  He had the worst fit I have ever witnessed.  It lasted four hours.  Four hours of seeing him in intense anger and frustration and pain and being unable to do anything but grab pictures and things as they were flying.  We had to readmit him. 

At that point, we finally realized the decision we had to make.  Our son, he is our son in every way possible, was needing help.  He was needing help that we were unable to provide.  We heard back from his caseworker and his level of care had been bumped up to specialized.  We are a basic foster home and there is a moderate level and then specialized.  Jackie and I struggled with Mr C and continue to do so.  We pray for him and we are preparing for the day he will be able to return home.  He has been through more things than we will ever know.  He deserves a chance to get every bit of help he needs because he deserves a safe life far away from the abuse and neglect he suffered.  Once those visits began, he began spiraling out of control.  The difference in him after a visit was unlike anything I have ever witnessed.  He became a different boy.  Since January, he became consumed about worrying if it was a day he had to go to a visit.  We miss him more than I can ever express.  We are still active in his case and we are still considered the adoptive placement for him.  The process might take a few months, it might take a few years, we don't know.  We are praying he will be able to have all the help he needs so that he can heal and become the man God designed him to be.  Please pray for him!!

This battle for Mr C has left us all exhausted and in need of some fun focused attention.  Our other children are so resilent and brave.  They have been so dilligent to pray for Mr C daily and to be very honest about their feelings and fears.  God has protected them so many times.  He covered them and while they were exhausted and worn out from the last months, they were not regressing or acting out.  We all needed a break, desperately!  So, Thursday night Jackie and I secretly packed their suitcases while they were all sleeping!  We surprised them the next morning with a picnic.  We started driving, after about an hour in the car Taylor says, "Mommy did you forget the picnic?"  We busted out laughing and told them we weren't having a picnic, but a mini-vacation!  They yelled out in delight! 

We drove to Oklahoma City.  We stayed in a nice hotel and went swimming as soon as we got there!  Then we all got dressed up and went to see STOMP. 

Of course I snagged the moment where we were all dressed up and happy to get a few pictures!  The kids have the biggest smiles on their faces!!

The kids all looked so nice!  They really liked getting all dressed up and not knowing what we were doing.  They were all sure we were going to a nice restaurant.  They were so confused when we drove through at Wendy's and had nuggets for supper!

We sat way up at the top, like two rows from the very top.  The seats were ok, we knew that we didn't want great seats because we weren't sure how the kids would do at the show.  The boys did awesome!  They loved the show and were SO well behaved.  The girls did great for being late at night, after a swim and a long drive, and only being 5 years old.  Now, don't ask the people around us, they might have said something else.  I only got to snap two pictures of us before the show.  The usher was really mad I took those two pictures.  It was even 20 minutes before the show started, but she didn't care.

The next morning we slept in a little bit and then dressed and headed for the next surprise.  We met up with Uncle Wes and Aunt Tiffany (they were on a mini-vacation there too) at the Oklahoma City zoo.  This zoo is awesome, huge, but awesome.  We packed a picnic and snacks and began the hike to see the animals.  We started about 10:30 and we stayed until 4:30.  There were so many cool animals, and SO much walking.  We let the kids feed the giraffes.  It was so awesome.  They got to see the tongue up close and we were the very last ones in.  It was one of the highlights of the day.  Now, my husband is not a fantastic photographer.  That is his finger in the top left corner of the picture.  I'm still thankful that he was willing and available to snap these pictures.  Plus, I'm glad he's ok with me making fun of him for it!  He's a great sport!

They have lots of statues of animals around the zoo, of course we took pictures on all of them.  I'm just too lazy to black out the other kids' faces, so if you will turn your head to the left, you can see Taylor and imagine the 43 other ones on my camera!

Another statue picture . . .

If you go to this zoo, you HAVE to see the sea lion show.  It's so awesome!  The kids loved it.  It reminded me of a mini version of the shamu (sp?) show at Sea World.  They did tricks, made jokes, splashed people, and had great music to dance to.  Taylor was loving on her Daddy and I got this great picture of it!  They have so much fun together!

Jackie and I had so much fun just enjoying the kids and getting away from all the junk that comes along with what we do.  We really needed this time to reconnect and remember that at the end of the day we are so blessed and we really like each other and our family!!

We did get a few group pictures of the kids.  Mr C's bio-brother is the little boy in the green.  He's so adorable.  It's been amazing to see the change in him over the past few weeks.  He's running, talking up a storm, and has really blossomed out of his shell.  We are so glad we are such great friends with other foster parents. 

So needless to say, it was an awesome trip.  We stopped at Jackie's sister's house on the way home and introduced the kids and spent a few hours visiting.  It was so good for Jackie.  He was so happy.  I think sometimes he tries so hard to move on from his past that tries to block out all of it.  Even the good stuff.  We had a great talk on the drive home.  We got home about midnight.  It was just what we needed.

So where are we with the other kids??  We are officially moving to the adoption unit April 1st.  We hired our attorney today and we are just waiting on April to get here and to start the mountains of paperwork that are headed our way.  So, we are praying that by the end of May we will have three more kids who share our name and we can share their names and faces with you! 

Pinewood Derby

For the last few weeks we have been all about the Pinewood Derby at our house.  The boys built some awesome looking cars!  They had a blast working with Jackie and the tools.  They are so stinking cute with their saftey goggles on!  Melts this Momma's heart to watch them doing awesome activities like this with their Daddy. 

We had the big race on Saturday.  The boys stayed up late putting the final touches on their cars.  They didn't win, but it was a great time.  They got some great ideas for next year.  It was so fun to hear everyone so excited about the race and their cars.  Boy scouts has been an awesome thing for our boys.  They have learned so much, plus they just go crazy for the extra one on one time with Jackie.  It's helped them bond even more!  I can tell you there's nothing as adorable as a boy in a uniform!  They put them on and they stand even taller.  They kinda puff their chests out.  PRECIOUS!!

What have we been up to??

Life has been more than wild for the seven of us.  Things have been busy, wild, crazy, fun, terrifying, worrysome, hilarious, but most of all unpredictable!  I will go back and do a recap of the holidays and then I will share what is ahead in the future for our clan. 

November:

The kids told us they had never had a Christmas tree all decorated and pretty before.  Of course I LOVE Christmas, and this absolutely broke my heart.  So we put up our decorations way before Thanksgiving.  We decorated every room in the house.  The kids all had trees in their rooms.  We even have a Santa toilet seat cover (thanks, MOM!).  The kids loved every minute of it.  We wrapped a few presents right away and put them under the tree.  To my surprise, the kids never messed with the gifts.  They loved having more presents added.  They made sure to show everyone who came over that we had to remove the back half of the tree so all the gifts would fit! 

We had a great Thanksgiving.  The kids didn't really care for the food that much.  My mom's oven broke while she was cooking.  That's a shame too, because I look forward to my mom's dressing ALL YEAR LONG!  Then the kids wore my dad out on the Wii.  They loved playing the race car games with him.  Jackie and I were able to sneak off and do some black Friday Christmas shopping.  We started at 9:00 on Thursday night and shopped all night.  We finished about noon on Friday.  Then we went home and wrapped and hid presents so the snoopy kids wouldn't find them!  It was so much fun!  I love Black Friday and the excitement of finding that perfect gift.  I don't like waiting to do all the shopping then.  I always start in the summer time buying a few things here and there. 

I also got to the point during my student teaching where I wasn't quite sure if I would finish.  We have great friends and neighbors who helped us in so many ways.  We have so many wonderful friends who kept praying us through this super stressful time.  In these moments, God spoke so clearly that Jackie and I are a great team.  It was so hard on our family, but it made us realize how important it was for me to stay at home for now. 

Chick-fil-a is the most awesome place in the whole world.  They had a Daddy/Daughter date night in November.  The girls went with Jackie.  It was so cute.  Jackie told them they had a surprise.  They came home and all got dressed up.  He rang the doorbell and brought them both flowers.  He helped them with their coats and opened all the doors for them.  They went to Chick-Fil-A where they had decorated the place with name cards and tablecloths.  They had a great time.  After the meal, they got to ride in a LIMO.  Now, I have only been in one limo, the Big Texan free limo, so I don't even think that counts.  They were so excited when they got home!  Jackie was just beaming too.  It was so sweet to see them enjoy each other so much.  They are so blessed to have a Daddy that shows them how ladies are supposed to be treated.  The boys and I went for pizza and played cards, so we had fun too that night!

December:

We drove around and looked at lights so many different nights. The kids loved it and we came up with a great plan for how to decorate outside the house next year. We even got the kids their very own "grown-up" hot cocoa mugs. Each one in a different color! They had so much fun wrapping up in blankets with the hot cocoa, singing Christmas songs, and ohh-ing and ahh-ing over the light displays.

In December, I actually gradutated from College!  It feels so good to have that degree.  I actually finished something!  My ex was so unsupportive and told me so many times that I couldn't do it.  It was so refreshing to actually do it, and with honors!  It was amazing to celebrate this time with Jackie.  He did so much to help me finish.  He stayed up late helping me study, let me read speeches and papers to him, he babysat before we were married so I could go to class, he provided for our family when I could no longer work and do school, he was amazing.  When I told him I wanted to go back to school, he looked me straight in the eye and said "do it!"  He promised to be here with me every step and he did.  He never questioned me and when I was up late and crying and stressed, he sat with me and helped me push through.  He really had unwavering support and I am so thankful to him for that.  It was hard for me to take those steps of faith to trust in someone again after being burned so badly in the past.  However, Jackie proved himself trustworth and faithful and loyal.  God absolutely brought the perfect man to me at the perfect time! 

I love you honey!



We also had family pictures made.  We had a great time and for the most part the kids did great and really cooperated.  Miss T got worn out at the end, so we didn't get an individual picture of her, but we got awesome ones of the others.  They turned out so good.  I had a hard time narrowing them down. 

The girls act more and more like sisters everyday.  They laugh together and play together very well.  They also fight and argue.  They are amazing to have around.  I can't believe how much Taylor has adapted to these kids becoming a part of our family.  She is the most amazing girl in the whole world.  Miss T has learned a lot from her.  They both have funny personalities and lots of expressions!  It's HILARIOUS to listen to them play together.  They love their Barbies and to play dress up.  They are both very girly.  I'm really not that girly, so it's been a lot of fun playing tea parties and going to royal balls with these two. 

 The funnest part of the last year has been getting used to boys in our house.  I had lots of friends that were boys, but never lived with one unless I was married to him.  These boys are so funny.  They are also messy and stinky!  However, they are the sweetest most loving and thoughtful kids I know.  They are rowdy and loud and I LOVE IT!  It's so nice to see them relax, let their guards down, and just be kids.  It has been amazing to see the large amounts of healing God has provided for these boys, Miss T too, but it's so apparent in the boys. 

 Here is hopefully our last family picutre with just three faces in it. 

Which brings me to where we are now.  Tomorrow is a huge day in court for our family.  One of our kids has a regular review hearing tomorrow.  We are praying that parental visits can stop or at least reduced.  Then we are praying that their final termination hearing can be set.  CPS is looking at that hearing being in March or late February.  Three of our kids are having a final termination of parental rights hearing tomorrow.  That means CPS has enough evidence and the birth parents are not doing what is required of them to have the kids be reunited with them. The birth mother has signed relinquishment papers.  However, these kids have been to a final hearing and the mother has signed relinquishment papers before and it did not go well.  The judge actually allowed the mother to take back the relinqushment papers she signed and then he sent them home.  We got to talk to their previous case worker and she was just floored when it happened.  Because of that decision, our kids went through so many awful things that I can not fully understand or grasp.  But, because of the chain of events after that decision they are ours.  We have a different judge this time around.  The last time we were in front of him, he showed a great deal of frustration towards the birth parents, which was deserved.  As a mother I can't imagine making the decisions these parents have made.  Twice they have said, I don't want my kids.  Then they hurt them in the most horrible and disgusting ways.  I know I would do anything for my babies and to protect them.  I am prepared for a fight.  However, as I'm ready to jump out and shout and bang on that judges's door and call the case workers daily, I hear God telling me, "Heather, be patient, I've got this."  God has moved mountains and worked miracles on behalf of our kids and us.  He has been faithful and never fading.  I know He is working and is well-aware of what's going on with our family.  I can't stop crying out to Him to continue to move in this situation.  No matter what happens tomorrow in court, I know we serve a powerful, compassionate God.  He is perfect where I am not at all.  We have been studying the book of Mark.  We just this week studied the passage where Jesus fed the 4000 in the dessert.  These people had been following Jesus for three days.  He was well aware of their needs, both physical and spiritual.  No one was complaining and begging, He was so focused on the people that He knew just what they needed.  I can only imagine how crazy people thought He was when he told the disciples He was going to feed the people with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish.  The situation looked hopeless.  People today think we are crazy.  Taking in 4 kids with such a brutal abusive background, severe behavior issues, with nothing but the clothes on their backs into a very small (less that 1000 square feet) 3 bedroom one bath house with one income at a moment's notice.  Our situation looks hopeless to those look from the outside in.  However, we are not hopeless but hopeful.  We are praising and rejoicing at every momentous occasion our kids celebrate.  Some are small things like using a napkin instead of a shirt, saying please instead of gimme.  Other are large things, like being able to use words to talk about their abusive backgrounds and do self-checks to keep themselves calm.  Every need we have had the Lord has abundantly provided for.   I am confident He will do so in the future.  Our battle is long from over.  We get worn out and exhausted, but I am so THANKFUL that God doesn't grow weak or weary.  We are still believing Him for HUGE things.  We are waiting for miracles and for deep healing.  It will come, in the mean time, we wait.  We enjoy each hug, kiss, laughter, and the sweet sound of five precious angels saying, "Mommy, I love You.  Daddy, you are the best Daddy in the whole world."  We are praying and hoping that the rest of our family pictures will have at least these special faces in them and that soon I will be able to share their beautiful smiles with you!!



Pray for tomorrow and that God's will for these babies will be done!

Lately-chaos, but lots of fun too!!

 Time for the quarterly post!  Seriously, the past few months have been so incredibly busy I can't even begin to describe it.  Only 21 more days of student teaching!!  CAN'T WAIT!!  It's been a great experience, but it's had a lot of sacrifices along with it. 
   Lots of fun things have happened too!  My Granddad and Aunt Allene came down this past weekend.  I always LOVE to see them.  This was the first time for them to meet all the kids.  It was so much fun, but it made me miss my Grandmother so much.  It was the first real visit without her.  It was so sweet to remember all the amazing memories and get to share them with my kids.  She would have LOVED to see them all laughing and playing and acting crazy.  She loved kids.  I know I am so blessed to have known her, but I do miss her a lot!
   Taylor was the most excited to see "Other Granddad" and "Aunt Al."  The whole drive over to my parents she kept telling the other kids how cool they were and how funny they were. 

 I love this picture because we actually have some kind of a smile on all our faces! 

You can definately tell that I look a lot like my dad here!  Actually not a bad picture of me! :)

The kids had to get in on the pictures.  We always have to have a silly face picture.  They have the funniest faces.  The best part was Mr O was CRACKING up!  The picture was hilarious!

The picture shows just how much Taylor LOVES her "Other Granddad!"

I love this picture of all them.  They had a great time meeting him.  Mr C really liked "Other Granddad." 

At the beginning of October, we went to Lubbock for a birthday party.  Of course we had to stop at Texas Tech and take some pictures.  It was a beautiful day.  The pictures turned out pretty good.  Especially since I'm a complete amature. 

The kids are not mooning you, I promise!  They were all looking into the water and it was the perfect chance to snap a picture that I didn't have to block out! 

I so wish Taylor was looking at the camera because everyone else has great smiles here!

Mr M and Mr O are both in Cub Scouts this year.  Jackie has been in charge of helping them.  Mr M earned his Bobcat badge!  He was so proud of himself!  It's so neat to see them so happy and proud of themselves.  We are praying it really helps build some self-confidence in our boys.  On Saturday, they were in a Veteran's Day parade.  They did so good and looked so sharp in their uniforms.  It was their first time to really wear the uniform.  They were freezing, but looked so handsome!

We are exhausted, but we are doing good.  We had a really rough patch for a few weeks.  However, I really feel like we are headed for happier days.  Jackie and I have been working so hard and have been staying swamped.  However, once school is over we will be so happy.  I can not believe that I'm actually 4 weeks away from having a college degree!  I never thought it would happen.  My husband has been so amazing through this whole process.  He has went to bed alone while I worked, changed dirty diapers while I was right in the middle of a paper, folded the laundry so I could go to the library, cleaned the house so I could spend time observing in a classroom, and believed in me when I was so discouraged I didn't think I would ever finish.  Without him and his amazing support, there is NO way I could have done this.  Thank you, Jackie!  You are amazing and I can't wait to celebrate this accomplishment with you and hang that silly piece of paper on our wall!  :)

Summer Fun!

So, we have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  However, if you might think that do to the complete lack of blog posts.  We all know that I am not the best at posting frequently on here.  Now that I have to block out the kids' faces, well, it makes it even harder!  I hate that I can't show you their smiling faces or share their names.  I know it's for their protection, but I really want to show them off!! :)

How are we doing?  Well, it's constant going and going at our house.  It's constant noise.  It's constant . . .We have case worker visits, and therapist visits, and CASA visits, and counselor visits, and phone calls, and constant interruptions.  It gets overwhelming.  I have felt at my wit's end more in the last 4 months than ever in my entire life.  I have questioned God over and over as to why He brought us here.  The hardest part is in dealing with our 5 year old boy.  He has suffered the most abuse.  He has such fits of anger, they are scary sometimes.  I get so angry at his birth family for all the things they did to him.  I don't even pretend to understand why this happened.  It's so hard when he asks me why they hurt him.  I just tell him I don't know, but we are going to protect you and keep you as long as possible.  There are so many what-ifs.  They are overwhelming.  I can't even think about them.  The other Mom's in our "family" are such an amazing support system.  We have all had panic days, but it's so helpful that we have each other to talk to.  There is no possible way we could do this without their support.  We never seem to have panic days at the same time.  I know that's God's helping hand! 

The kids have made amazing progress in the last 4 months.  They are getting along better and not physically fighting all the time.  They make their beds, pick up their toys, take showers, clean their plates, and use their manners (most of the time).  This is a HUGE deal!!  We have got to do some awesome things this summer, had to miss out on a few things because of behavior problems, but overall we had an awesome summer of adventure and laughter!

 June was spent just getting used to being at home all together.  We spent a lot of time at church delivering lunches.  The kids worked so hard and had a blast helping Jackie.  The loved getting to know the groups and spending time with the youth.  I spent most of June trying to come up with a system for keeping our house somewhat organized and clean.  I actually have very few pictures from June.  The kids got to go to two summer camps.  The first one was Angel Tree.  They loved it.  Then we took 60 kids for a week long camp in Oklahoma.  It was crazy because we had to drive back in the middle of it for a very important doctor visit and for two CPS classes.  It was a very fun camp.  The very best part was the Friday night baptism service.  Taylor and Mr. M both were baptized.  Taylor has been talking with us about getting baptized for quite some time now.  She has been asking and asking questions and wanting to be baptized.  At camp, she said, "Mommy I'm ready.  I know what I'm doing."  So, Jackie and I talked with her some more.  Honestly, I know she was ready.  She was so brave and excited.  She still talks about it and remembers it.  It was the best moment of my life!  I am so proud of her and the example she is already, even at such a young age. 

July was AWESOME!!  We started off the month with a great vacation to Oklahoma.  We went camping for 5 days.  We took our 5 kids, plus one other.  It was crazy, but so much fun!  We would get up, make breakfast and then go swimming.  Then we would eat lunch, drive around to cool off, then get back into the water.  We found the perfect swimming hole that was shaded and also had lots of places for the kids to jump into the water.  It was a perfect getaway.  I did not take pictures because we were too busy enjoying the kids!  The weather was HOT, but the water was so nice. 

When we got home, Jackie and the kids finally finished the porch!  It's amazing!  Jackie hung a swing and got a big table.  It's perfect for enjoying outside.  He also built me a pergola!  It's in the back corner of the fence and we have some plants, a firepit, and a swing out there.  It's so nice when we actually have a free moment to have a place to relax.

After the kids worked so hard roofing, we set up the water slide and they had a blast!

I know it doesn't do justice to the great time we had with the blocked out faces.  Hopefully someday we will be able to share their smiles with you!  Jackie and I went to a wedding for my long-time friend Tobi.  It was a quick trip.  We were so tired when we got home.  I had a great birthday!  Jackie arranged for some friends to come spend the night with our kids so we could have an all-night date!  We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse (where we had our first date).  And then we went out for dessert late at Applebee's.  It was so much fun.  Too bad birthdays are only once a year! 

Then I took off to Colorado with the youth group for youth camp.  It was amazing.  I'm so impressed with our youth and I LOVE getting to spend time talking and hanging out with them.  Our camp was in Pagosa Springs and it was beautiful.  I have decided this is our next vacation spot for sure!

This week is the last week of summer.  We have decided to make the most of it!  Saturday we went to Wonderland.  It was crazy expensive, but it was so worth it!  The kids had so much fun! 

We closed the place down.  We rode so many rides it was crazy.  The kids were great sports and waited patiently in line.  There were only two times we had to get on to them.  It was an amazingly fun time and the weather was perfect!

Sunday night we went to the drive-in and watched Smurfs and Cars 2.  We went with another family and we had a great time.  The weather was awesome and the movies were both good.  We got home about 1:15 and every single one of our kids were still awake.  So much for getting used to going to bed early to get ready for school. :)

Today we went to the zoo.  The kids had a good time.  It was so hot that the animals weren't really doing anything but laying around trying to stay cool.  The tigers were really moving around so that was the best part.  Then we went and played at the playground for a little while. 

Who know what the rest of the week hold for us, but we are going to soak up every last minute of summer for sure!!

A Very Special Time

On Easter Sunday our oldest, "Mr. O" made the decision to be baptized.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves the Lord.  I know that Jesus is living in his little heart and that he is looking to the Lord for guidance.  It was the most amazing thing I have witnessed.  It was amazing to see him stepping up and making a profession of his faith.  It was also so sweet to see my husband be able to tell the church about him and to baptize him.  I don't know if there is a sweeter moment in the life of a parent!

Yesterday was almost as sweet.  I still remember the first time I was able to take communion.  I had grown up in church my whole life.  All my grandparents went to church.  I had seen it hundreds of times and passed the plate right by.  I remember feeling so nervous.  At that time, our youth group sat at the very front of the church (like the VERY front three rows).  I was sitting on the very edge of the aisle.  When the plate came, I reached in and broke off a piece of a cracker.  I remember thinking I have something special now.  I also remember thinking ok, now what do I do?  I was scared and excited all at the same time.  It felt like every eye in the church was on me looking to see if I made a mistake.  The first time for me was more about "doing" it right, than focusing on the Lord and what He did for me.  I wanted to be with someone who would guide me and show me what to do, even though I had seen it hundreds of times.

Yesterday was "Mr.O"'s first time to take communion.  When Donnie got up to talk about what communion is, Mr O was sitting with some friends.  As Donnie started talking, Mr. O rushed across the auditorium to sit with us.  He wanted to be near us.  (I remember feeling the same way, but you didn't dare get up during communion at our church!)  He stood right by me as we listened and prayed together.  Then we walked up to the front and got our juice and crackers and sat back down. 

***Yesterday was another day that I was so thankful that we are a part of Citychurch.  Instead of just passing the trays around like traditional churches, we take communion by families.  Each family gets their juice and crackers and then can go to whatever part of the room they want.  We all get a chance to talk to our kids about what communion is and what it really means.  This gives parents a chance to be the spiritual heroes of their kids.*** 

Jackie and I got to talk to Mr O and the rest of our kids about what the significance of each part of the Lord's Supper is.  It was such a sweet time.  At that moment I really felt God's presence.  I hope Mr O will always remember that time.  I hope he will remember the sweetness of the moment and not a sense of fear.

Easter 2011

Oh how I wish I could share the beautiful faces of my kids with you!  They are so wonderful and we are so blessed by them!  Everyday they say things that suprise me and make me smile!  This Easter was the best one ever!  It was so much fun to get dressed up and share the special day with my family!  We sang so many of my favorite songs!  The lyrics, "He has brought me out of the pit" and "He has heard my cry" have a whole new meaning while my arms were wrapped around two of my precious boys. :)