The Zoo and our latest pet

We got to the zoo first thing so we could take advantage of the whole day.   We had a blast and were worn out by the end of the day.  

Moses was the only one who didn't have a totally positive experience.  I didn't think about how overwhelming this could be for him.  Really, the only live animals he has seen are dogs, and farm animals from afar.   He could not grasp the concept that the animals were behind a fence or glass.  He was scared to death if we got close at all to any animals.   He begged the whole time to see "Elpans" (elephants).  We went by twice and they were always inside with the vet.  SO, 20 minutes before closing we tried one last time and they were close to the fences!  Yay!   Well, he was so scared of them.   When we got home he kept saying, "scared elephant, scared snake, scared lion, etc".   He could not sleep last night and kept having nightmares.   I felt so bad for him!   He was fine today though...maybe next time will be better.  

He did enjoy the show, but, the animals were mostly birds and were all at a safe distance :)

Luke was grumpy for some reason, so Moses gave him kisses to try to cheer him up.

He looks happy here...that's just because Chad stepped several feet away from the fence before he would stop screaming.

  

Today as we drove through the bank, Ethan spotted a praying mantis.   We happened to have a cup and lid so he jumped out and grabbed it!  I kept it up in the front with me.  I was having visions of the boys letting it out and it attacking me...so I wanted to keep an eye on it and out of their hands.  

They are really such cool animals.  We'll probably put it in the garden tomorrow so it can help with the pests. 

Family Time

Chad is off work this week so we are enjoying every moment of it.    There has been a lot we've needed to get done around the house, but, wtih Chad on 3rd shift it's been hard.   We're still adjusting to  him working nights.   Thankful we have this week to just spend time together, work hard together, have fun together, and relax together.   The kids did the Knox Co. Library summer reading program and we have free passes to the zoo.  We're all really excited about going in the next few days!

Around the house, Christy is always wanting to pretend she's getting married.  I got out my veil and let her play with it for  a little bit.  SHe found a white dress in her closet and walked around the house slowly with a smile on her face.   She tried to get on of her brothers to marry her, but, they refused to cooperate.   

Then, a couple of the boys wanted to play along too.  Moses thought the looked really cute. 

Luke thought it looked like fun too. 

We worked for hours outside and felt like we didn't really accomplish much.   Our power tools are not really meant for big jobs...so, we didn't get very far on this tree.  It's going to be a long process.  But, we are excited to have some firewood for this winter. 

Everyone pitched in to help cleaning up the yard.

Then Moses had fun making funny faces and then seeing the results on the camera.  

And then, of course, Chad and the kids had to take a break to practice their jedi moves.   My kids haven't even seen Star Wars, but, somehow they know exactly what to do.

Luke learned to ride without training wheels!

They caught lots of little critters and put them in their aquarium.  

Time to cool of in the water hose!

And find more critters!

Yes, those are tears in his eyes.  He couldn't believe I actually meant it when I told him to stop spraying things on the porch.  

Four Months Home

It's been 4 months since Christy and Moses finally came home from Ghana!  It seems like so much longer than that.   Things are really going so well...way better than I had anticipated.   We still have issues, but, we had those before :)

Moses is such a smart little guy.  He's saying new words and phrases every day.  It blows me away.   I love the stage he's at.   He's so sweet, and still so dependent on me.  I treasure that time.   He has really bonded so well.   His older siblings all stayed the night with Gramma last weekend.  When we got home and he realized they weren't with us, he sobbed.  It was heartbreaking.  He kept looking at the door saying, "Yook coming?   Etan coming?  Citty coming?".   It made me thankful that he's so close to all of the already.   His little temper has come out.  He's got a stubborn streak.   He's so cute it's hard not to laugh sometimes.  He doesn't realize that he's not "one of the big kids".  He joins in and tries to follow them no matter what they're doing and gets so upset when you stop him.   I'm so thankful for him.

Christy is such a beautiful little girl...inside and out.   It amazes me that she can be so joyful and full of life after what she's been through.   She has been through so much, yet everywhere we go, people say, "she has the best laugh".    She makes people smile.  She knows how to push your buttons like nobody else, but, she also knows how to melt your heart.   We're working on the "why" of obeying.   It's hard when someone has been programmed a certain way for 6 years.   Her whole life, she knew to obey out of fear of what would happen to her.  Now, what happens isnt' really that bad in comparison and she knows we love her.  So.....the result?   Disobedience.  It's worth whatever will happen in her mind.  So, getting to the heart of the issue is going to be so important with her...not that it's not with all of them.   Her english has really come a long way in 4 months.    I love this girl!   I wish I had gotten a picture the other day.  SHe came out in her tutu, ballet slippers,  Ghanaian soccer jersey and all her necklaces.   That about sums her up!

Ethan and Luke are the best big brothers.  They're the best at antagonizing, aggravating, and getting a rise out of their little sister.   No, really, they have been awesome.   Moses is now sleeping with Ethan and it's so sweet.  Moses fell asleep holding Ethan's hand.   Christy and Luke are always having the cutest conversations and running around having fun together.   They all really love each other.  It's such an amazing thing to witness.   God has really been good to us!

I feel like I can finally start to think about school and I 'm getting excited...and nervous!  I'm used to 2 pretty independent kids.   This year we'll be adding a toddler and one for whom english is a second language, so it will take much more time and patience on my part.

We all have so many opportunities to grow these days.   I hate to admit that I pass them on by too many times instead of letting God change my heart.   The kids and I have been talking about love a lot.   Verses about not just saying you love someone, but, letting your actions show it.  And...if you say you love God but have hatred in your heart for a brother (or sister), you are a liar!   I think it's such a blessing that they have each other and can grow and learn in ways that they wouldn't if they weren't in each others lives.

God is so good and I'm so thankful!

Goodbye Facebook!

I finally deleted our Facebook account!  I've known I needed to for some time.   But, I finally did it!  It sounds so silly, but, it was so hard!   I feel like I'm going to miss out on so much.  Being a stay at home mom...sometimes I feel like it's my only connection to the outside world.   We don't even watch tv, so sometimes it's the only way I know a storm is coming or if something serious is going on in the world.   It's a great way to keep in touch with friends from other states.  I have loved it.   But, there have been weeks that I've looked back and seen that I have spent way more time on the computer than with my kids.   Then, I think about all the stupid status updates I read...was it really worth it?  Is knowing what kind of bagel someone got that morning more important that a conversation with my son or daughter?   Seriously...no wonder sometimes I feel like I'm losing brain cells by the second!  I have had so much useless information going into my head that it's like I'm on overload.   Not that I don't love these people that I'm "friends" with, but, I don't need to be sitting in front of a computer to keep up with hundreds of people I'll probably never see again in my life.    I am not saying Facebook is bad or wrong...but, it is for me. It's given me a fake sense of community...all the while I've been missing out on the real thing.   Have you ever been with someone who could not quit texting and checking emails on their phone?  It makes me feel horrible...like they don't really want to be with me.  I have realized that that is probably exactly how my kids feel.   I'm embarrassed to admit that.   It's not like I was on the computer all day long...but, it was  way more than it should have been and it was on my mind way more than it should have been too.

After I shut off our account, Chad told me about this article!  As I read, I totally related.  I have felt such a huge sense of relief sense shutting off our account.   I've been a nicer person because I'm not irritated that someone is keeping me from seeing what all of my "friends" are doing.   I wasn't anxious to get my kids in bed so that I could plop down in front of the computer.  We cuddled, read books, and talked.   Now that they are all asleep, I'm so excited to start a new book I just got from the library.  It's the last in the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.  It's SO good!   I would highly recommend it.   It's changed my life!

We are glad to have power again after the storm on Thursday night.   We don't have our tv hooked up to cable or anything so we didn't know that the storm was coming.  I had some food on the grill and we were doing some stuff outside when it kicked up very suddenly.  Before we knew it we were grabbing everything and running inside.  Chad could barely shut the front door because the wind was so strong.   We huddled in the hallway for a long time.  Our house is surrounded by huge trees so I always get worried one will fall on our house.   We lost power shortly after the storm started and it was out for 48 hours.   We lost one small tree and then a huge chunk of our maple tree fell.   Luckily they didn't do any damage.   It was really hot so we let the kids play in the water and hung out outside and then took COLD showers and went to bed.  The rest of the time we hung out in town or at Chad's mom's house.  I also went to a laundry mat and did every bit of dirty laundry.   

The whole time I was reminded of our friends in Ghana.   They are thankful if they have power or running water at all at this point.  There is really no where to go to escape the heat.   There is no laundry mat to go wash your clothes at when your water is not running...or if you're just completely out of water!  

This family challenges me so much...even when they're halfway around the world.  Check out their blog HERE.

My tomato plants were all completely on the ground.  We worked for a long time and were able to get them up again.

Chad and Ethan got this snake down out of a tree and fed it a frog to pass the time. :)  Much better than watching Jeff Corwin do it!

Sitting at the breakfast table, Christy says, "Jesus is white because I want the white bowl!".  Luke, very confused says "Jesus is white because you want a white bowl????  Jesus isn't white because you want a white bowl!".    We all laugh and explain that she wants a white bowl because Jesus is white.

Christy loves to wear fancy clothes. She calls them wedding clothes.   This morning she had on her fanciest dress and I told her we were not going to a wedding.   She says "how many days until the wedding? "    Luke said very seriously, "You're a kid, we don't do that in America."