Strange...

So, there is this thing that has happened in our home twice before...

Girls turn 16 and start doing some really crazy things...

Miranda is no exception!

I thought that maybe if I turned the photo black and white it wouldn't look so strange...

Nope...

Still strange...

I know for a fact that I did not go through this strange stage when I was 16!

And...

There is only one person left who truly knew me back then...

and he isn't talking...

Right, brother?

RIGHT?!

Kissable...

Aren't little baby mouths the most universally kissable thing in existence?

So. Very. Cute.

So.

Very.

Kissable!

Growing Up...

Loose teeth, baby fat history, learning to read, smart as a whip (what's a whip anyway)...

These are all signs of our little beauty growing up...

Worship...

Learning a song today... for worship tomorrow... and it is not only a great song... but fun!

Now, if I can just remember all the changes...

Worship for me has been many things... including a paying job for years... but I had to get away from that.  It became too... ummmm... about the job, if you know what I mean.  I don't ever want worship to feel that way to me again. 

I love fun, exciting, ROCKING music.  The louder the better.  The more exciting and jump up and down... the more I love it.  My kids don't know me any other way.  God doesn't know me any other way... I don't know me any other way.  But, I will be the first to tell you that worship can be expressed in so many ways.  As much as I love a rocking song... I love the beautiful, slow, totally between me and my Savior songs. 

So. Very. Personal.

I am excited about tomorrow's set.  Can you tell?!

What are you doing tomorrow?

How do you express worship?

Someday...

There is so much spunk packaged up in this little girls body!

She is going to be a force to be reconned with someday...

Someday?????????

Ummm.....

She is going to be a force to be reconned with TODAY....

No...

I tried to get a picture of this boys favorite new toy...

But, I couldn't get him to sit still long enough...

So, I will tell you that for 2 days he has been walking around carrying a box that used to hold wipes.  In this boy he is carrying a stuffed basketball.

He asked me if he could take it to church tonight.

No, I said.

He cried, fussed, begged...

I almost relented...

But...

No.

You may not take a wipes box to church.

I'm sure your teacher appreciates my hard stand on the matter.

Lol...

Mommy Guilt...

We dragged out the camera the other day and tried to get photos of all of the kids who still live in this house...

That is a lot harder than you think.

I thought we were only missing Miranda... who was at work... and when I went to look at them...

There was no Ari!

She was napping and I completely forgot!

Oh, No......

Mommy guilt!

So, now we have to find the time to get the last two kids photographed...

We Cry Out...

No Higher Calling...

As I am sitting here trying to take advantage of the very rare moment when both babies are sleeping...

I can't help but think about how some people just don't seem to get it...

They don't seem to understand what a huge blessing they have been given.

Each child that God has blessed my husband and myself with has been cherished...

loved...

wanted...

Does that mean we never made mistakes?

Good Lord, NO!

We have loads of mistakes to our credit.  Our children will be the first to tell you that.  lol.....

Those same kids will also be the first to tell you that mom and dad have always tried their hardest, done their best, and even in the midst of mistakes...

continue to pursue that cherished role as Mom and Dad.

There is no higher calling.

We work in a field that is all about bad parenting decisions.  Foster care is a mess in this country.  I will be the first to tell you this.  We have done this work for a long time and it is hard... It is the hardest thing I think I have ever done.  I am amazed at the decisions that judges and the state make daily.  Children who should never be sent home... are.  Parents who continue to pop out one baby after another... do so and really mess with those precious little ones before any help arrives.

People ask me why we do this work.

Sometimes I ask myself that same question.  Why?  When the state looks at foster parents as glorified babysitters... do you do this?  When no one will listen to the people who know these children the best... why do you go on?

I look at my own 8 children and wonder what would happen to them "if"......

I would hope and pray that someone would clothe them, care for them and love them if I couldn't... or wouldn't.

And, yes, there are plenty of cases where "parents" won't.

Self is a hard thing to overcome.

So, why?

We have parented 16 children over the years who were not ours (according to the state).

We have loved them all.

That is not to say that it was always easy... it wasn't.

There were plenty of times when it was downright awful.

God has always provided what we needed... when we needed it.

I don't know how much longer we will do this work...

Until God tells us otherwise, I guess.

For now, I am being blessed by two young fellows who deserve a better start to their life than what they were given.  We will love them will all that we have.

They may never remember all that we will do for them.  They may never even know that they began their lives here....

But, for however long we are blessed to have them...

We will love them...

Again...

There is no higher calling!

Wow, Girl...

I tried blogging my whole day...

and suddenly realized...

Wow, girl...

You are a busy lady!

Then I decided no one on the face of the earth would read all of that long business that gets me through a day...

A Beautiful Thought For Today...

I was visiting a blog I enjoy http://www.wearethatfamily.com/ and read such a beautiful post.  She opened with this thought... something we should all ask ourselves.


"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”







“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”






“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”



(Anonymous) -a quote from A Hole in the Gospel, by Richard Stearn, President of World Vision.

Spring..

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!


... and, yes, this is a photo from last Spring!  I can't seem to get down there to upload anything new...
Go figure!

In My Weakness...

Over the years, I have learned so much about being a Mama...

Some lessons learned have been hard battles to win...

Some have been learned from friends or observing people I respected...

My best lessons come in the middle of adversity.  I struggle and struggle... because I am one of those people that need to learn the hard way... I guess.  Finally, after what seems like an eternity, I figure out what God has been trying to teach me all along.

Some people tell me I am such a good mother, but...

I am just like all of you.

Having more children doesn't make me better.  I struggle with the same issues that other mothers struggle with.  Some days I want to escape to the quietness of my shower and find a few minutes to be alone... but (like yesterday) that usually only gives me 30 seconds before someone decides they MUST find me or use my bathroom for some strange reason.

I don't know how people do anything without God's help.
He helps me to be a better mother, friend, wife, woman, human...

In my weakness, He is strong.




But he said to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you,
 for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Oh My Heavens...

I found this recipe on a blog recently and now I can't remember where I found it...

So, if it was yours let me know and I will give you credit!

You deserve it!

Baked Potato Soup

4 to 6 potatoes (baked, peeled, and cubed)

½ c. butter

½ c. flour

2 tsp. chicken bullion

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. minced garlic

6 c. milk

16 oz. sour cream

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 can corn, drained

shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan melt butter on low heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk and turn heat up to medium. Add minced garlic. Bring to a boil, cook and stir 2 minutes until thick. Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream. Add potatoes, corn, and bacon. Serve in individual bowls topped with cheddar cheese.

 

 

Oh my heavens, this is sooooo good!  All of my children loved it.  We made some homemade breadsticks to go with it and they devoured it all.  This will become a regular addition to our menu around here!

 

What I've Been Living With Since December...

This is what was hiding under the manger looking think above my fireplace!

So embarrassing!

My hubby is in the process of fixing it now...

I love him.

This looks so much better... and hopefully...

it will be finished soon!

Did I mention that I love that man?

Grandma Did Soooooo Good...

12 years ago today...

the worst pregnancy of my life came to an end!

The beginning of such a beautiful and blessed life began...

Sydnee (Debra- after her aunt) entered this world... to the delight of her parents and three older sisters.

She was our tiniest baby.  She weighed only 5 pounds.  Her start was scary. We had many issues facing us... dire warnings about what her future held... but God is so good.  She is perfect and healthy and absolutely normal.

We took Sydnee out to breakfast this morning.  Yummy!  She picked the restaurant and enjoyed the one on one time with Mom and Dad... and when the waitress called her a teenager (not yet, lady!)  she nearly glowed!

We like to say she is our leprechaun, since she came to us on St. Patrick's Day.

I remember the nurse putting those cute little green socks on your tiny feet so you wouldn't get pinched... as if Mommy would have let anyone hurt you!

I love that Sydnee is always full of smiles.

You can totally read her mood by looking at her face.

She hides nothing!

Grandma and Bampa sent her the always anticipated "big bucks".

Her sister Miranda gave her some hot pink heels... a major hit!

Her sister Cheyenne took her out to lunch and icecream yesterday for the occasion.

Cadi and Galen sent her this awesome purse!  She loves it, guys!

Mom and Dad gave her a new mp3 player and a Bible with her name imprinted on the cover.

But...

The biggest hit of the day...

was this "totally cool" shirt from Bampa and Grandma!

Syd put it on and said, "Grandma did soooo good!"

Good job, Grandma!  You get the prize for this birthday!  If you were here right now (instead of on your way to Israel) you would get the biggest hug from a very happy 12 year old girl!

Happy Birthday, Sydnee!

We are so blessed to have been given the gift of...you!

God is Good...

Last week was one of the craziest, weird weeks for this family.

We noticed something strange going on with one of the babies toes...

and very quickly things went downhill.

We called the doctor on Wednesday and told him what was going on.  He told us to IMMEDIATELY get the little guy to the ER.  Nothing scares you more than when a doctor says, "Do it immediately!"

So, off we went.

The ER doc acted like, oh yeah, we see this all the time.  She grabbed a scalpel and scissors and literally dug into this little guys toe.  Apparantly he had a hair wrapped so tightly around the toe that it had cut into the flesh.   The back of the toe was almost cut to the bone!  Yikes!

She dug and dug and finally pronounced that she had cut the hair and we would be good to go.  We asked about getting an antibiotic.  She told us that he didn't need one and we should just watch him... he would be fine.

I woke up with him at 4 a.m. and knew that he was hurting.  The toe still didn't look too bad so I got him back to sleep and waited for daylight.

Early that morning, I unwrapped his foot and was met by a really ugly sight!  the toe was so swollen... and you could almost see it getting bigger by the second.  I tossed him in his carseat and headed straight back to the ER.  This time there was a doctor there who seemed like she had actually been to medical school...

She went into action immediately.  She told us there was a chance... a very good chance that he would lose his toe... maybe his foot!  I started praying!  The took x-rays and blood and tried to get a IV started, but it blew.  They told us that we needed to get him to primary childrens in SLC right away.  They shot him full of antibiotics and gave us the option to take our own vehicle or an ambulance.  I chose my car.  I grabbed my hubby from home and off we went. 

As soon as we walked in they rushed us into a room and started all kinds of stuff.  They put Nair ( the hair removal stuff) on his foot and started going for another IV.  They tried his hands, arms, head... Finally, they got one in his hand... and it did not blow.

They started more powerful antibiotics and said we would be staying overnight, at least.  They said we would know more about saving the toe as time went by.

This is what the foot looked like when we arrived at Primary's...

Remember, this is an 8 pound babies toe...

We continued to pray...

And, the Lord was soooo good.  He will keep his toe and foot and we are home!  He is on some pretty powerful antibiotics still, but that is okay.  His toe is only about one size too big now.  The drainage has stopped.  He is eating better and sleeping better.

God is sooooo good!

Thanks for all of your prayers while we were battling this.  It was so appreciated.

By the way, the docs all said that this is a pretty common occurance in babies.  So, check those fingers and toes... frequently.  It can go bad really quickly!

More than 30 seconds...

Sorry I haven't been posting.

We have spent the last few days in the hospital with one of the babies.

I am now trying to get things back in order around here.

I will let everyone know what happened when I have more than 30 seconds on here.

Just Loving People...

Some friends of ours from church help run the state food pantry... I'm sure I'm getting this all wrong... but I think that is what they do... lol.

They are constantly blessing us with some of the food that they get.

They brought us tons of red, yellow and orange bell peppers the other day.  We chopped them up and tossed them in the freezer.  Oh yeah!

They also brought us 25 pounds of roma tomatoes.

We promptly chopped, mixed and canned those babies... and got 7 quarts of tomatoe sauce!

The thing that I really love about these friends is that they love Jesus with all of their hearts!  I mean, they really love Him.  They see everything they do as doing it for God.  They just want to bless others and in return they get blessed.

They are like surrogate grandparents to my children... full of hugs, smile and encouraging words!

I hope you all have people invest in you the way these folks invest in us...

I've learned so much about just loving people from them...

Thank you, God... for sending these wonderful people our way!  Now, lead me to invest in others the way they have invested in us.

Loving Babies...

Little faces, little heads, little cuddly bodies...

I just love it!

I will tell you, though, that I miss my sleep!

LOL...

We all continue to need your prayers.

God is full of miracles...

Loving these little guys is just one of his many blessings.

Miranda's Home...

Is there anything better than seeing your child so excited about God that they are tearful and full of desire to see God move not only for them but ALL people?!!

Miranda came home from Acquire The Fire today.

She had the best time.

As some of you know, she is an amazing guitarist herself... so getting so see some of her favorite Christian bands play was such a great experience.

She got to see Esterlyn...

and Leeland (her alltime fave!)

She even got her pic taken with the lead singer of Esterlyn...

The funny thing about Christian kids from Utah is that they really don't have a clue about Christian life outside of this state.  As many of you can guess, living in this state can be a little difficult for Christians.  Everything, and I mean everything, is ran by the religion that is dominant in this state. (media, hospitals, schools, etc...)

These kids were shocked to see a billboard with a Bible scripture on it!  You just don't see that here. They saw Christian items sold in stores.  They were amazed.  You can try to explain to your kids how different it is anywhere outside of this state... but until they see it for themselves, they just can't imagine it.

Miranda was able to get autographs from some of her favorites.

The trip home was fog filled.

I loved that Miranda took a picture of the big screens when they put up there...

If you are from Utah yell "I love Jesus!"

Many times, people discount this state... they forget that there are many of us Christians here that are fighting the good fight...

It can become discouraging sometimes.

It is great to know that someone remembers you are here.

I want to say thanks to everyone for prayer, money, etc... in helping Miranda to make it to Acquire The Fire.

If your child has a chance to go to one of these conventions around the country... DO IT!

They will come back changed.

Beautiful Lord...

...because God has been working on me...again...

Someday and Today...

I can see what a great mother you will be someday...

You make me so proud to call you mine!

My children have really stepped up to the plate.  When I say that, it sounds like I asked them to help with the twins.  I haven't.  Each and every one of the kids has pitched in.  In some way they have helped me tremendously.  Miranda helps in the middle of the night. Sydnee helps with feedings and diapers.  The little ones all help with binkies that have fallen out.

But...

Aubrey has been such a blessing.  You never have to ask if someone will help feed or hold or love or kiss...

In fact, you will have to ask her to step away from the babies before anything else!

Anytime, Anywhere...

Hey Mom...

Want a kiss...

A Good Lesson...

A good lesson for a teenager to learn...

Oh, so this is what it is like to have 2 babies in the house and get no sleep!

Get it Done...

I can be...a lot... one of those people who sees a job that needs doing and just wants to jump in and get it done.

No help, thank you very much.

I know that it gets done "right" when I do it myself.

That is so much uglier in print than when I just say it in my head!

I have been making a conscience effort to slow down and notice all of the ways my little ones like to help.  They may not do every job the way I would do it... and, Yes... it may take a little or a lot of extra time when they help... but the memories and lessons learned are worth it, right?

My kids love to help in the kitchen.  One of their favorite things to do is grating cheese.  Why?  I don't know... I really don't enjoy the job myself.  When they help, everyone thanks them for dinner when we eat.  The smiles on their faces are such a treasure.

It doesn't really take much extra time for them to do this job.

Look at how he is concentrating...

They not only get to spend time with me, but they learn how to be a part of the team that makes this household function.

Now, if I could just get someone to clean the bathrooms the way I like...

Today...

Today...

The sun is teasing me...

There is actual warmth felt...

Actual Joy by letting its rays fall on my skin...

This is today...

But...

I know that the snow will return...

So Today...

You are Marvelous!