The Great Eight

Sunday Snapshot UPDATE

2012-01-29T10:38:00.001-06:00

i know it's been awhile since i've posted anything, lately it just feels like i have less time on my hands.
praise God all is well and everyone is healthy, the holidays were lots of fun, everyone was happy, and this mama is grateful to get on with life.

here's just a few holiday pics

not necessarily a Christmas picture, just a trick my son came up with to keep your baseball cap on your head, just thought i'd share.

so there's been much going on, all good, and i'm looking forward to sharing in the weeks to come.

just super duper busy . The one struggle we've had lately is with little miss refusing to sleep in her bed. she's been sleeping in our bed since the holidays. I'm not quite sure what triggered this, sometimes i think all the santas, elves etc. that you see just about everywhere is overwhelming and frightening for her, so here we are a month after Christmas and she's still scared. we've also encountered some constipation problems again and she needs to go back on miralax, just trying to get back on track.

happy Sunday to all

Sophie

From our house to yours

2011-12-25T01:07:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas

If Mary and Joseph had Facebook

2011-12-21T16:14:00.000-06:00

This Girl

2011-12-12T00:38:00.000-06:00

My sweet Snow White singing Jingle Bell Rock, she cracks me up.

Sophie

One Word Wednesday

2011-12-07T00:08:00.000-06:00

diva

Sunday Snapshot (Thanksgiving)

2011-11-27T03:25:00.001-06:00

We host Thanksgiving every year and we usually have a big crowd. This year there was 30 of us!

The cousins

My husband is worse than the kids when it comes to spills, just look at his shirt!

With my oldest who turns 21 today! We celebrated his birthday on Thanksgiving since the whole family was together.

I can't believe my baby is 21!

With his grandmothers.

We even do manicures on Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to share pictures of the turkey cupcakes I made for the kids.

First I made the cupcakes, one large and one smaller. I used fruit roll ups cut in teardrop shapes to make the wattle.

Then I placed it over the candy corn, to make the beak

I used Anna's scalloped cookies and placed frosting on than the candy corn on top

I found these Wilton candy eyeballs at Target

I mixed chocolate frosting with some vanilla frosting so it wouldn't be too dark, then I rolled the edge of the bigger cupcake in chocolate jimmies and I dipped the top edge of the mini cupcake in the jimmies.

I gently pushed the scalloped cookie into the cupcake and put a small, not mini, marshmallow behind it so it wouldn't fall, and then placed the small cupcake on and stuck a toothpick in so it wouldn't fall off. I put them in the fridg and than removed the toothpick before I brought them out for the kids.

They were a hit, everyone loved them!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T02:14:00.001-06:00

Wishing you all a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Randomness

2011-11-16T08:36:00.000-06:00

I've been a bad, but busy, blogger. Since I've not been keeping up too well with my blog lately I thought I'd post some fun pics from the past couple of months.

G-man

The boys

Little Miss sassy pants

And Dorothy

My boys don't dress up for Halloween anymore, they just throw their sports attire on and go trick or treating!

Have a blessed Wednesday.

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." PSALM 118:24

Join me in prayer

2011-11-09T23:49:00.000-06:00

As most of you who follow my blog, I know I only have a handful of followers, anyways as most of you may know, almost a year ago we started our journey for a second adoption. Then because of unforeseen circumstances we had to put our plans on hold. Well our plans have been on hold since March and I can't begin to express how difficult this has been for me. A big part of me feels like I've been mourning the death of a loved one, and I know all to well what that is like since I've lost both my younger brother 12 years ago and my dad 2.5 yrs now.

You see my heart felt a connection to a child I've yet to see or hold. I believe it has to do with a level of commitment, my heart was committed to loving another child, this idea of another child in our family had already occupied a place in my heart and now that place is void.

I've not abandoned the desire to bring another child into our family, in fact my heart refuses to give up. Although I don't understand why God remains silent in this I continue to cry out to Him and to hold on to His promises believing that His plans are greater than anything I could ever envision in my life.

Sisters I'm asking that you please help me pray our next child home, please ask God to move this mountain. Also, if there is anything that I can pray for for you dear sisters it would be an honor to stand alongside you.

In Christ

Halloween dress rehearsal

2011-10-31T01:43:00.003-05:00

Little miss was convinced that Halloween was on Saturday, she would not hear of having to wait any longer to go trick or treating, in fact she had a complete melt down!

Well, I needed to run to the mall for a birthday present so I let her wear her outfit ( all weekend) and bring her candy bucket. We went trick or treating by the grandmothers, the salon, starbucks and walked around the mall.

My mom recently moved into a gated condo so she didn't buy any candy, well we surprised her and since she had no candy she did what any Greek grandmother would do, she took out a loaf of homemade Greek bread. We are so ethnic you gotta love it!!

amazing photo

2011-10-26T00:45:00.000-05:00

My 14 year old captured this image on his cell phone while he was playing outside!

When I think of him the first thing that comes to mind is what a big heart he has, he is so thoughtful and will just do things for me without my asking, so how fitting that he saw this.

Here's my budding photographer with my mom, celebrating his and his sister's birthday! I love this boy, he is such a sweet love!

have a blessed day
Sophie

Abandoned in Guatemala

2011-10-12T17:55:00.000-05:00

I've been taking a bloggy break but still checking in on some of my fave blogs. I've been so busy helping mom who has some upcoming surgeries, my mother in law is also undergoing angioplasty as I type this and we've had some water damage from leaky pipes, grrr!!

There are so many things that require my attention right now but I wanted to take a moment to post this video on what went wrong with Guatemalan adoptions and what is currently happening.

Please continue to pray for these children as well as orphans around the world.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-10T23:08:00.000-05:00

Me and my girl

more family pics to come

Sunday Snapshot- The many faces of G-man

2011-09-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

This boy

Has the funniest faces

Say "cheese" face

Chopsticks up my nose face

Blowing up balloon face

Let me think about this face

Dancing face

Being forced to take a picture with my brother face

Grrrr!!! Scary face

Ice cream face!

I could seriously eat that face up!!

Sophie

PLEASE PRAY

2011-08-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

Please pray for my sister in law's friend Maria and her husband Andy. Maria and Andy adopted 2 children from Guatemala, a boy and a girl. Both children were adopted as infants.

Tragically they lost their little 4 year old girl Anna 2 nights ago. Apparently she had a fever for a couple of days. The fever had gotten as high as 104 and she was feeling stomach pains so her mother drove her to the urgent care clinic. The clinic called for an ambulance and Anna passed away on her way to the hospital. The family is devastated.

My sister in law called me yesterday with more details, apparently little Anna had leukemia. This is a child that was completely healthy with no other serious symptoms other than a fever, but this is what the blood tests have revealed.

Please keep this young sweet couple and their six year old son in your prayers. Pray that the good Lord comforts them and fills their void with His loving presence and brings an army of support around them.

Sophie

Two Word Tuesday

2011-08-30T07:31:00.000-05:00

Princess

Diva

The First Day

2011-08-24T23:30:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of school for the boys and the first day of homeschool for little missy.

Doesn't he look thrilled!! My other son refused to take a picture, he was too upset over his shoe laces.
Apparently the one was longer than the other and this caused a problem.

I can't say that the first day went smoothly, their bus was 15 minutes late, we couldn't wait any more because my high schooler needed a ride so everyone had to jump in the car. After I dropped him off we headed to the junior high. Getting to the school was a nightmare! Because we are now being charged for bus service, $100.00 per child and $500.00 per child if you live less than a mile away, many parents are choosing to drive their children to school.

Not only has this caused major traffic in the area near the school but there are fewer buses and longer bus routes, this in turn creates a longer bus ride. Last year the kids got off the bus at 3:00 p.m and now they get dropped off at 3:25p.m. They were a little overwhelmed today being that it was the first day and with all the changes.

I did attend the school board meeting tonight because of my concerns in the school district. There are many cuts in the school budget, there are even fewer patrols. We have a wonderful school board who is willing to work with the parents but unfortunately with all the cuts the resources are limited.

Today was also our first day of homeschool. After researching many different curriculum's I chose My Father's World. I did consider Classical Conversation but because my daughter has some learning challenges I was afraid it would be difficult for her.

We started the day with prayer and then went on to the Creation Story. We will be working on that for the next 7 days and are making a book. We also traced lines, went over the alphabet, which she has mastered and read 3 books.

We spent a total of about an hour. We also

joined a co-op that we will be with once a week. We should be starting within 2 weeks and I'm very excited.

Sunday Snapshot- Summer Fun

2011-08-21T01:56:00.000-05:00

I can't believe school is starting next week already, summer just flew by so quickly....sigh.

I'm sure gonna miss my little buggers when they go back to school this week, but I'll be homeschooling little missy so I won't be lonely.

So here are just some summer pics

Little miss serious.

My little goofball

My 16 yr. old, still can't believe he's 16.

My nephew and son at a baseball tournament. We spend lots and lots of time on the baseball field, we're kind of obsessed with the sport!

Getting splashed in the face by little sister. The minute he jumped in the pool with his little sister about 8 of my oldest son's friends came over for a game of basketball, he was so embarrassed to be seen in a princess pool.

He handled it like a man though.

So grateful to have had such a great summer with my kiddos, I have more pictures to download that include my oldest son.

Happy Sunday

A Frightening Sight

2011-08-10T00:41:00.001-05:00

Today I went to check out a dance studio for my daughter and on the way home I witnessed something frightening. It was around 5:00 p.m., still light out, and as I'm driving home I see a young woman walking on the sidewalk and a car following her. I pass the car, drive slower, and continue to watch.

The woman attempts to cross the street when all of the sudden the car pulls in front of her, the driver (a man)
gets out, grabs her and drags her to his car. Now it happened so quickly it was hard to tell if he hit her or worse and I didn't see if anyone else was in the car.

I start to get a little panicky as I'm watching other cars just drive by, I knew I had to do something. She put up a fight and at this point I put my car in reverse, jump out and yell that I'm calling 911, I know what you're all thinking, it was stupid of me to get out of the car but I only did it thinking he may get scared and let her go.

I jumped back in my car and called 911 and as I'm telling them what just happened he passes me up so I was able to get the make of the car and plate #, just then he starts slowing down and as he was driving closer to my car, my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. He slowed down enough to were we where driving right next to each other, rolls down his window and starts making crazy hand gestures but then thankfully he drove off.

I told the police I couldn't follow him because my daughter was in the car and at this point I was scared he may slow down again and come after me.

When I told my husband he got upset that I got out of the car especially since I had my daughter inside but I was far enough away and there was plenty of traffic. I would never put my kids in harms way, ever, but I did feel compelled to do something. I'm so thankful to God that nothing happened to me and most importantly my daughter. My husband said that for all I know they may be in a relationship and have gotten into a bad fight, even so she did not willingly get into his car, he used force to get her in.

I just pray that whether they now each other or not that this woman is safe and that if in fact she does know this man I hope she realizes that this is not normal behavior.

So how much did she cost?

2011-07-28T00:11:00.005-05:00

This made me laugh. What are some of the ~~dumbest~~ strangest adoption comments you've heard?

Here's just a few that come to mind.

1. Are you going to tell her she's adopted?
Me thinking in my head, no I think I'll keep this whole adoption thing a big secret, never mind that the
    whole world knows.

2.Your lucky she has no major issues!
Me thinking in my head, is making dumb comments considered having major issues??

3. What did you pay for her?
      My response," alot but she's worth every penny."

4. Why didn't you adopt from the States?
      Me, "Well we once gave an agency $6,000.00 and then they closed their doors, never found them.
     We know a couple that had used this agency twice . Our attorney told us it would cost us much more
to find them and take them to court. Also we know a couple that was matched with a birth mother and
      had been paying for her living expenses and after she gave birth she decided to keep the baby. They lost
      both the baby and a good amount of money."
      Or course there are many successful adoptions in the U.S we just didn't want to risk loosing any more
money. My father had given us the $6,000.00 and well, that's a lot of money.

      And the bottom line is wherever a person decides to adopt from that's a personal choice.

So what are some strange or frustrating comments you've heard??

Sophie

Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank)

2011-07-22T00:28:00.000-05:00

This is a great article, just wanted to share!

Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank)

Sunday Snapshot Bible Camp

2011-07-17T23:20:00.001-05:00

Bible camp

The kids had a blast! The church gym was full of activities for the children along with learning about the life of Jesus.

My little sunshine couldn't wait to get into her classroom!

The junior high kids were busy with painting projects along with volunteer work at Feed My Starving Children.

One of our awesome youth directors who was with us on our New York service project trip. He's such a great guy and the kids just love him.

This picture cracks me up, I'm not sure what game they were playing but it looks like this little boy is doing some serious praying to win.

There were lots of outdoor activities planned and my high school boy was one of the volunteers. I volunteered with lunches, let me tell you it's no easy task cooking for 204 kids and over 30 teachers and volunteers, yes we cooked. Why you ask?? Well us Greeks love home cooked meals. The children had a cooked meal, except for Friday which was pizza day, every day.

Here's my son and daughter along with a sweet six year old boy from our church who's battling cancer. He recently started chemo and thank God he was well enough to participate in Bible school. Please pray for this sweet boy, Theo, who has neuroblastoma.

We had a great week, the kids did some great projects and learned some great songs.

I'm a wee bit behind in my blogging but I've been pretty busy with the kids and we just got back this afternoon from my little guys baseball tournament. We lost the first 2 games :( but we won our last game :)

Blessings

I don't get it

2011-07-07T00:52:00.001-05:00

It's hard to understand why things are the way they are at times. Even as a Christian trying to determine which way God wants us to go, thinking we are following the path He has set out before us only to run into one obstacle after another.

One of my nearest and dearest friends has been wanting to adopt for a while as well and we've been trying to put our heads together and figure a way to come up with the money needed to adopt. We had a phone conversation today and she told me how depressed she felt that they probably will not be able to move forward with an adoption because of finances and now their car needs a new engine, always something.

I'm so grateful that the Lord provides for our daily needs truly I am, what's hard to understand is why when your heart is willing and you desperately want to be obedient that's when things seem to spiral downward. This has really thrown me for a loop. I've gotten past the depression stage, for now anyways, and I'm almost numbed by it all.

What's really been bothering me these past couple of days is the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, and this evening reading that she can make millions selling her story, how's that for injustice!

It's been about 4 months now since we've had to put our adoption on hold and it's been painful. I trust in the goodness of the Lord and know that He is sovereign and faithful, but it's hard to understand His plan at times.

I meditated on this verse today.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." PSALM 27: 13-14

Praying for the mountain to move for me and my dear friend and for clarity.

Sophie

Just Curious

2011-06-24T01:29:00.000-05:00

Just curious, is anyone else up this late, exactly 1:15 am, cleaning, organizing, and posting on their blogs??

Seriously, I can't seem to catch up with the kiddos home. We've had baseball games, kids sleeping over, other kids hanging out at our house pretty much every day.

And just when I thought the dishes were done..

I come downstairs after my midnight shower to see who's still up

Only to find more dirty dishes in the sink.... grrrr!!
I swear, boys can eat round the clock!!

Just had to throw some cuteness in!!

sunday snapshot The Wedding

2011-06-18T23:57:00.004-05:00

We finally got the pictures from my brother's wedding. These are just some of my favorites.

My little princess was the flower girl and we practiced walking down the aisle and throwing our flower petals every day for 3 weeks prior to the wedding.

My poor baby dropped her basket just when it was her turn to go down the aisle and completely lost it. She ran down the aisle crying for mama. It was so sweet.

She ran right into my brother's arms.

My studs!!

Me and my little brother.

A family picture.

My brother and his beautiful bride. Love this picture of them.

Have a blessed Sunday

WHAT YOU SEEK

2011-06-13T00:45:00.003-05:00

When you look for things to complain about, you'll find plenty. When you look for things to be joyful about, you'll also find plenty.

So what kind of world do you wish to live in? Do you prefer to live in a world full of annoyance and frustration, or would you rather live in a world filled with opportunities for joy?

You can choose the quality of your world by choosing your focus. You can choose the quality of your life by choosing what you seek.

Seek to be a true, sincere friend, and you'll find that you have many good friends. Seek to provide real, honest, creative value and you'll experience much meaningful value flowing into your life.

Whether you realize it or not, whether you like it or not, you are highly effective at achieving the goals that most intensely occupy your awareness. So what exactly are the things that most intensely and most frequently fill your awareness??

Your attitude in every moment defines what you are seeking. And what you seek, is what you get.

Ralph Marston

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Sophie

When we're bored

2011-06-05T23:37:00.000-05:00

This is just an example of what we do around here when we're bored. Since we're a mix of Greek Italian and Guatemalan we all have darker hair, well I found this wig and was curious to see how we'd look as blonds.

My daughter's Guatemalan friend was visiting, she thinks I'm fun, that's cause I'm not her mother.

Even grandma tried it on.

See what a great time my kids are having with this??

None of the other boys wanted to participate.

Sunday Snapshot/ The service project

2011-05-29T09:05:00.004-05:00

Last month my 3rd son and I went with the church to New York on a service trip to a children's home. The home is St. Basil's Academy in Garrison New York. St. Basil's was founded by an Archbishop who came to the U.S. from Greece and desired to establish an orphanage. With the help of the Greek Philoptohos Women's Society, philoptohos translates to friend of the poor, they purchased the land for the archbishop. The home is called St. Basil's academy because it used to function as a school as well for the children. It is named after St. Basil who was the founder of many orphanages, hospitals and homes for the elderly in fourth century Asia Minor.

Sadly, some of the residents in Garrison are not fond of having a children's home in their community and at one point were trying to shut it down, but praise God were unsuccessful. The state had to establish a new set of laws for the home because it is unique. Part of the land was sold to the Audobon Society because the government wanted to take part of the property and make it a landfill.

The property overlooks the Hudson River.

The home is run strictly on donations but still they are in dire need of many things. The dorms and game room are run down and all the beds and sheets have been donated, and I can tell you that they are not in the best condition.

This is what the game room looks like, old and run down and the game machines don't work. Nothing has been purchased new everything has pretty much been donated.
The staff is amazing and they work hard for the children and love them dearly. The director of the home is the priest and he is dedicated in counseling the children spiritually and making sure their needs are being met.

This is part of the boys dorms, my son and another boy are helping set up more beds. As you can see it's a pretty sterile environment. The staff is hardworking and very loving towards the children though, and they are faced with many challenges as these kids arrive from difficult circumstances, some of the stories are heartwrenching..

These are the teens that participated in the service project, such a great group. Part of the project was to clean up the grounds, and then some of the boys set up beds in the dorms.

We also went on a hike, me and my boy. I've never been to Garrison, it's beautiful.

The kids really connected and after the all day project some of them even had energy left for an intense game of basket ball.

These are just two of the amazing young men that have been there since they were young boys, the one is from Ethiopia. His family came when he was a baby and his father died soon after, his mother could not care for him and he was brought to St. Basil's. He is part of the bridge program which provides for the needs of older children. He will always have a home there. St. Basil's welcomes children from all walks of life, they do go through a screening process though to ensure the safety of the other children and the staff. They even welcome families who are in need, it's an amazing place.

Praying at Ground Zero.

We did do some sight seeing as well, it was definitely a memorable trip.
If any one would like to make a donation to the Academy you can find them on line at St.Basils.org

Have a blessed Sunday.
Sophie

The Birthday Boy

2011-05-23T00:13:00.000-05:00

16! My baby turned 16...sigh.... My heart feels a little achy.

He's such a great kid, I mean young man. He's a great student, he's thoughtful, generous and has this spiritual side to him with such a tender heart, we are just so blessed to have this boy.

I must admit, as a baby he was a stinker! He never slept, and I mean never, and this went on for almost a year after he was born. I'm still shocked that I went on to have more children after him. I remember driving around at 3 in the morning trying to get him to fall asleep, nothing seemed to work. I swear if I thought standing on my head would have worked I would've tried it. Eventually he grew out of it, and praise God he's been a gem ever since.

The look on his face here cracks me up, it's that "ok mom take it easy" look. I can't help it though, he's still my baby.

Happy birthday sweet boy, you are a treasure!
Love Mom

Pictures-So late!

2011-05-15T00:21:00.001-05:00

Trying to catch up lately has been a real challenge, I'm really behind. This picture was taken on Easter.

Easter dinner at grandma's house, my oldest and youngest sons. My little guy is nuts!

And a mother's day family pic! The hardest thing is getting us all together for a family picture.

Have a blessed day

Prayers again please

2011-05-10T00:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted about our adoption because there's nothing to post. Our paper work from the state is now 3 months behind. In this 3 months time we've lost work, are in greater financial debt and currently cannot afford another adoption. I've been praying so hard for God's mighty hand to move this mountain and work a miracle for us, but for whatever reason God is allowing us to remain in this and despite my overwhelming grief I have to trust that He knows what's best. These past few months have been some of the most difficult ever and that's why I haven't been blogging as much.

My husband won't hear of a fundraiser, he's not quite there. So as I'm trying desperately to put every penny aside, literally, I'm asking all of you prayer warriors out there who might just happen to stumble upon my little blog to please say a prayer for us, that the Lord Almighty in His infinite power provides the resources that we need to bring a new little blessing into our home.

Thank you from my heart
Sophie

Too funny not to post

2011-05-03T17:37:00.000-05:00

Ok so recently my son and I went to New York to visit a childrens home for a service project with a group from our church, which I will be posting about. One of the mom's who was with, whom I've known many years, is a crack up. While we were browsing some of the stores in New York she found this sign as a gift for her teenagers, so fitting that she would be the one to spot it first. We couldn't help but snap photos of her souvenir. The kids loved it!! Ha Ha!!

Sophie

The Power of Words

2011-04-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

A lesson in trust

2011-04-28T00:31:00.000-05:00

I've been so focused on our adoption plans that I almost lost sight of all the things God is trying to show me through this process. One thing, that I seem to struggle with the most, is patience. As I not so patiently wait for our paper work to come back from the state, (over a month late), the Lord has blessed me in so many other ways. My trip to New York with my son and the service project we did, the amazing kids I met at the childrens home and the friendships we made. And after some time of doubting where my husband's heart is in all of this the Lord has shown me that my husband is the one who has been more patient and trusting, the Lord has shown me through my husband that He is redirecting our path. And to think I'm the one with more years of Bible study under my belt!

After weeks of agonizing over all of this I've given it over to God and I'm finally feeling at peace. No longer setting limits on what God wants to do in my life but allowing Him to take the lead and completely trusting Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" PROVERBS 3:5-6

HAPPY EASTER and the definition of the word in Greek

2011-04-23T13:10:00.001-05:00

In Greek another word used for Easter is LAMBREE which means light.

May Jesus the light of the world bring you peace and may the Resurrection or our Lord and Savior remind us of the great love that our Father in heaven has for us that through His Son we've been given the gift of eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." JOHN 3:16

Have a blessed Easter.

Sophie

Prayer request

2011-04-13T23:17:00.000-05:00

I would appreciate your prayers as I go in for foot surgery tomorrow. This is the second surgery on the same foot in two years. I have a benign tumor on the bottom right foot and scar tissue from the last surgery and every step equals pain. I have a different surgeon this time around who was recommended by my son's back surgeon, so I'm praying the results are better this time. I'm a little nervous, only because I remember how painful the recovery was last time and I required crutches, thank God for pain meds.

Looking forward to sharing pictures from our New York trip and the wonderful kids and staff we met at the children's home.

Have a blessed day
Sophie

Ministry trip

2011-04-05T23:40:00.000-05:00

In a couple days my 3rd son and I will be taking a short trip to New York along with a church group. We will be visiting and staying at the St. Basil Academy home/orphanage. This is a great facility that houses abandoned kids and equips them with an education and also provides intervention programs as well as church service.

For many years I've dreamed of going on mission trips and exposing my children to the mission field so I thought this would be a great opportunity and a good starting point. Hubby and I talked today about eventually going on a mission trip to Guatemala. It can be difficult for some to go on overseas mission trips and there are so many opportunities to serve right in our own backyard so I'm really looking forward to this.

Also I wanted to share about a non profit organization I just found out about called Hope 2 Others. This organization helps homeless people by providing a bag filled with a Gospel tract, food and several other items all you have to do is hand them out to anyone you see holding a "homeless and hungry" sign, it's that simple.
If anyone is interested you can check them out at www.h2obags.com .

This is something we plan on doing with our kids and with my Bible study group and I'm really looking forward to this.

Well when I tried to explain to my 4 yr. old that mommy and her brother will be leaving on the plane for a few days she went all hysterical on me and said " I come too mama" and she clung onto my leg, my heart melted. Please pray for a safe trip for us and for hubby as he tends to the other kids, this is my first time I'm leaving him alone with the kids for more than a day!

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot The Birthday Boy

2011-04-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

My sweet youngest boy turned 12 this week! I can't believe he's already 12....sniff, sniff. Little sissy made him some birthday cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

This little guy of mine came almost 3 weeks early and weighing in at 8lbs. 12oz but right now he is the skinniest thing. He never sits still, his mind is always revolving around sports and not so much around food.

We had a sport themed birthday party at the local park district.
And then out to dinner at his favorite Japanese restaurant.

Little miss mastered the chopstix, it was comical watching her, she was so focused it didn't even faze her that we were all staring at her in amazement. She literally got it on the first try and refused to use a fork, you go girl!!

Father and son.

This child brought me such happiness during the most difficult time in my life. I was in my last trimester when my brother died suddenly and I was overcome by grief. When this sweet boy was born my heart just melted and I was reminded of the goodness of our Lord and so grateful for this new life He had blessed me with. We named him after my brother and grandfather.

He is such a funny, witty, active and loving boy.

I love you little man!

The Mad Baker

2011-03-21T00:11:00.001-05:00

I love to bake, and my daughter seems to have inherited my baking gene!

Her favorite....CUPCAKES!!! With pink frosting of course.

We don't wait for any particular occasion. We usually bake once to twice a week, especially when the weather is lousy and we are stuck in-doors, or when we're bored, or feeling blah, we bake!!

Silly girl!

Daddy's birthday is not til July, we're just practicing.

Showing big brother how to make sugar cookies

Yes, we do bake with our pajamas on.

I wish I could take credit for this adorable cake but I didn't make it. This was the cake I ordered for my brother and sister in laws baby shower. It's so beautiful I just had to post it!

Have a blessed day.

Sophie

In My Face

2011-03-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

I went into the city to the Ch*nese consulate to have some of our paperwork certified, it was a bitterly cold day on that particular day but I braved the elements and tried to get as much of the paper work done as possible

I went through the check list 3 times, made copies of everything, sorted everything out and felt very prepared.
I waited about half an hour then it was finally my turn, I handed all my paperwork over and was asked for a copy of my passport. I tried explaining that it was in the paperwork she was holding. She just kept repeating herself, I remained calm and explained again it was in there, pointed it out to her, but I would make another copy if needed. She literally yelled out "NO WAY', made a complete disaster of my paper work and threw it in my face. Hugh? What? I was shocked at her behavior but decided not to remain speechless. I told her she needed to learn some manners, picked up my paper work and left! That'll teach her...yeah right.

I was so upset and disoriented that I walked several blocks in the wrong direction. I eventually made my way back to my car and started hyperventilating. I finally made it home feeling pretty defeated.

So now we just wait for the rest of the paper work to come in from the state, our state takes a long time, and then we go back and try again.

In the mean time I'm just sitting here licking my wounds.

The wait

2011-03-11T00:40:00.018-06:00

We're still waiting for the state to send us back the paperwork, the same paperwork we've submitted for the third time, so we can wrap up our homestudy for the adoption. This is the third time they've gotten the information of my two older boys incorrect, the one son's name seems to end up with the other son's information. These errors have pushed us back almost 2 months.

I would really appreciate everyone's prayers with our paper work dilemma.

We also seem to have stepped out in faith at an extremely difficult financial time. Some unexpected situations have come up and we have no idea how we're going to pull this off but we are laying this before our Master and praying for provision and direction.

Today as I was holding my Bible, before opening it I told the Lord that I couldn't hear His voice in this particularly difficult season. As I opened my Bible I saw Isaiah 49:8 "In the time of my favor I will answer you."

It's easy to fall into despair and wallow in self pity as you wait upon the Lord, yes despair came knocking and I was just about to let her in, but after reading that verse I realized that no matter how difficult the trials I need to fall on my knees and humble myself before the Lord, not just because of my heartache and what I need but because of who He is.

In my current Bible study we are in the book of Luke. In chapter 18 Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow and how the judge eventually granted her justice. The widow's persistence is an example of how we should keep our requests constantly before God believing He will answer.
Going back to chapter 10 that tells of Jesus sending out 72 messengers ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. God will not send you where He is not going.

I asked myself if during these difficulties does my character reflect my faithfulness to God? Not always. Do I believe God is sending me where He is not going? At times.
God is fully aware of every obstacle we may be facing and His delays in answering always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in our faith and in character.

Sophie

Please sign for the orphan

2011-03-08T00:48:00.001-06:00

Anyone who has adopted a child internationally knows the hurdles you have to jump, the paper trail, the ridiculously long wait, not to mention the ransom needed to bring home an orphaned child.

Today I found out about a great organization that's fighting to bring change to the international adoption process.
Please go to www.bothendsburning.org and sign the petition. The goal is to get 1,000,001 signatures to take to the UN and demand substantive and lasting policies that will promote international adoption.

We have a responsibility to be a voice for these kids.

Please send an email to all your friends and family urging them to sign this petition.

Sophie

Mommy's big helper

2011-02-28T23:40:00.000-06:00

This little girl of mine just loves to help out in the kitchen, praise God!! You see boys don't usually get into housework, not mine anyways. My boys prefer running around the house, ~~whipping~~ tossing the pillows around, and giving each other grundies. Oh and wacking each other on the head with whatever is close at hand.

Like a gallon of orange juice for example.

Well good thing she hasn't picked up any of her brothers habits..yet.

Rolling up her sleeves to do the dishes, she loves doing dishes.

And she's pretty serious about it.

Ta da! All done!!

Such a big helper!

Sophie

Just thought I'd share

2011-02-23T20:36:00.000-06:00

I love this poem and just thought I'd share.

“Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her – she seemed so gay, and how, I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet – the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, “it’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find”; he turned and said, “Oh thank you sir”. And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.”

Source Unknown.

Adoption update

2011-02-18T15:43:00.000-06:00

We've hit a roadblock at every turn with this adoption paperwork!! There has been some delay in something or other just about every other week. The worst part is with the state, we've had to resubmit paper work repeatedly!! I just received a call today from our case worker that our state changed something else so we need to redo it, also they can't seem to find my 18 yr. old's clearance for DCFS, our case worker said she received it from them and she's wondering why they just can't look it up in their computer system. She's tried all week to get a hold of someone and no one is returning her call, now we need to redo his paperwork!! Any more delays and mine and my husband's physicals will need to be redone because those were submitted in September and they'll be no good!!

This really stinks!! Why can't some people just do their job correctly??

I really had a hard time deciding which country to adopt from, China seemed like the right place but sometimes I wonder if God has another plan in mind for us. I want to remain open to God's plan and not focus so much in one particular area, but to try to stay focused on God. There is no doubt in my mind or heart that we will adopt another child I'm just wondering if these obstacles are for a reason. Often times we think that satan is the one setting up the roadblocks but maybe God is trying to do something different than what we envisioned and through all these delays He's preparing something unexpected.

There's a Greek saying, "every stumbling block is for a good purpose", so while I do think that some people need to do their job correctly I'm not feeling angry, I'm just trusting that God is in control.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." ROMANS 8:28

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot My Birthday

2011-02-13T14:35:00.001-06:00

I celebrated my birthday, 40-something, just a few weeks ago.

We went out to dinner and bowling with the kiddos, me and my oldest baby.

Do I have good form or what?? I seriously look like I'm a pretty good bowler..not!!

I'm not all that bad, I did manage to get a couple strikes.

Me and my best birthday presents ever!!!!

Here's my other best gift ever, my wonderful husband!!

Sophie

Operation Rescue

2011-02-09T21:47:00.001-06:00

Our hunting dog Bobby lives outside, we really are not cruel people, honest. Hubby says that because he's a hunting dog bringing him inside will affect his sense of smell. My husband built him a dog house complete with heating and air conditioning, this dog house is so nice and big it has it's own zip code!

Well last week when we got pummeled by that blizzard I was very concerned for our dog but hubby said he would be ok in his dog house. The next morning when I saw the mountains of snow outside I panicked and ran downstairs to check on the dog praying that his dog house wasn't completely covered with snow, thank God it wasn't. My husband had been gone all night plowing and hadn't returned yet so I woke up my oldest son to try and get to the dog and bring him inside.

My son shoveled a path to the backyard, the snow drifts were so tall, he's 6'3" and the snow was up to his shoulders.

His dog house is to the left of the swing set with the fence around it.

The dog couldn't make it through the snow so my son had to carry him.

This was the view from our side door to our neighbors house, I can't believe how much snow we got!

After the dog was in the house safe and sound, they started on operation snow removal.
Thank God for big boys!!

Sophie

The Diagnosis

2011-02-01T23:45:00.000-06:00

Our daughter has been home for 3.5 years, she's 4.5. She wasn't quick to speak, she was silent for several months actually. Eventually her speech progressed but very slow. I've had her tested several times, I was concerned at one point that she may be autistic. We were told that she was too young to make a proper diagnosis for autism at the time but they felt she wasn't.

I recently took her to be evaluated again by another speech pathologist who also has adopted children from Guatemala, one with significant speech delays, I was so thrilled to find a doctor that understands on a personal level. I told her my concerns, her expressive language and when she's around other children although she enjoys playing with them she won't utter a word half the time.

Well, we finally have some type of diagnosis for our daughter. She definatley has some significant expressive language delays and the doctor feels that the type of speech problem my daughter has affects only a small percent of the population, it could be caused by genetics or by a lack of prenatal care and/or neglect.

Truthfully even though I knew that there was more going on than we were told initially, my heart sank, a sense of sadness came over me, all these images played in my head of her getting teased by other kids.

It took a couple of weeks and praying and I feel much better about the whole thing now. I've gone to check out a couple of Christian schools and I also went to a homeschool gathering and will be going back Thursday, weather permitting, to a homeschool parent meeting, I'm leaning more toward homeschooling.

So, right now I'm just waiting for the doctor to send me all her test results so I can take everything to Easter Seals and try to get her in for some speech therapy. I'm so grateful to finally have something solid to work with.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I will be helped."
PSALM 26:7

Sophie

Feed my starving children

2011-01-25T00:22:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday, we took our gang and a couple of friends and served at Feed My Starving Children.

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit organization that has developed a nutritional product formulated by food scientists that is distributed to over 65 countries around the world.

We labeled, measured, weighed, and packaged the food which is then distributed to some of the worlds poorest countries.

We watched videos of starving children and learned that mothers have actually fed their children small rocks to fill their stomachs so they wont feel hungry.

There were many volunteers.

The kids really enjoyed themselves.

After everything was all packed and ready to go all the volunteers gathered together and prayed that the food would arrive safely.

We packed 91 boxes and 54 children will be fed for an entire year.

This is a wonderful organization that has locations in several different states. They run strictly on donations, so if any one would like to donate go to www.fmsc.org

Blessings,
Sophie

MSNBC - Helping women survive childbirth in Ethiopia

2011-01-21T00:14:00.048-06:00

When I had my oldest son I was in labor for 25 1/2 hours. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and he just refused to come out. I ended up with a fever and his heart rate went up so they had to do an emergency c-section. My little line backer weighed in at 9lbs. 15oz. and 22.5 inches long, he was a giant and he still is.

My grandmother was here from Greece at the time, bless her heart she gave birth to 12 children and all were delivered at home by my great aunt and a couple other women who assisted, none of these women had a medical background. I asked my grandmother what would have happened if I had tried to deliver my son back in those days and she said most likely me and the baby would have died, mind you if my grandmother was still alive she would have been 103 years old.

So many women around the world today die during childbirth or their babies die because they don't have access to hospitals or the care needed during delivery. Some things have not changed since my grandmother's time, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that fact.

This story was on the Today Show.

Please pray- Snapshot Sunday

2011-01-14T17:24:00.001-06:00

I wanted to post this again so more people can pray for this precious child, please lift him up in prayer. Have a blessed Sunday

Our dear friends daughter and her husband have been trying to adopt a precious little boy, JJ, with cerebral palsy from Haiti. After the devastating earthquake last year Amy, who is a podiatrist, went to Haiti on a mission trip and visited an orphanage where she met this child who had been abandoned and felt an immediate connection to him.

They've tried to track down the child's mother to see if she would be willing to relinquish her rights to the boy but have not been successful in finding her. Thankfully he is in a well run orphanage where he is being cared for wonderfully and Amy is able to communicate with his caretakers regularly. Unfortunately for whatever reason the Haitian government will not allow the boy to leave the country. Would you please join us in lifting this family up in prayer? We know that God is in control of every detail in this child's life and He does have a plan. Please pray that God will move this mountain so this child can be adopted by this loving family that so deeply cares about him.

Sweet JJ

Sophie

Favorite Foto Friday

2011-01-07T15:08:00.002-06:00

Our little sunshine girl. I love this picture of her taken at my cousin's house on New Year's Day. She looks like such a big girl sitting so nicely at the dinner table

This picture is so funny! She was standing on the couch and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, I just love the expression on her face.

Have a fabulous Friday!!

Sunday Snapshot

2011-01-02T15:05:00.001-06:00

I'm so behind in posting pictures, I can't help it we've been sooo busy.

I thought it would be a humbling experience for the kids to give of ourselves and sacrifice our time for those truly in need. On Christmas Eve morning we went to a local children's home with severly disabled children and helped them open their Christmas gifts.

This sweet girl was so precious and wouldn't stop smiling.

The boys were such a big help.

Sometimes we take for granted how lucky we are just to be able to wake up in the morning and get out of bed.

Christmas Eve we went out to dinner with my in laws and then coffee and desert by our house.

Merry Christmas Nono

Enjoying Christmas eve with my husbands side.

A few Christmas morning highlights

Team work!!

I found a Rapunzel costume for my daughter complete with the long braided hair.

Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair!!

Christmas laughs at grandma's house.

Christmas was such a wonderful time spent with family. We are very fortunate to have family and most importantly an abundance of God's blessings. I hope everyone enjoyed the magic of Christmastime.

Sophie

Update

2010-12-28T02:11:00.000-06:00

So much going on with Christmas and family. Some of you have asked how the adoption is moving along. It's moving kind of slow actually. Because my 2 older boys are adults and they still live at home we've had to fill out and submit more paperwork. Unfortunately some of my older son's paperwork had to be redone because it's been misplaced. , ugh! It's frustrating but worrying about it doesn't accomplish anything nor does it make the process any quicker. I'm trusting in the Lord and His perfect timing.

Anyways, here's a little Christmas week recap, I'll be posting pictures soon.

We had Christmas Eve at our house.

We had a fun filled Christmas, the kids loved their gifts

My favorite gift: The Nook!! And the runner up, my new sewing machine.

Now I have to learn to sew.

I've downloaded 19 books on my Nook so far.

My birthday was the day after Christmas.

My son had some minor foot surgery two days before Christmas. All is fine

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Blessings,
Sophie

2010-12-23T12:12:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord"
Luke 2:11

May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of His love at Christmas and always.
From our family to yours

In Him
Sophie

Happy birthday

2010-12-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

My oldest son just turned 20! I still can't believe my baby is a grown man...sigh... The time has gone by so fast, when did 20 years go by?? Not only is he big (6'3") but he has a big heart. Anything I ask him to do for me is done before I can even blink. He is such a huge help and such a gentle giant.

This was his family party. I made the bow on the cake from fondant and it was perfect until all the kids started touching it, it flopped by the time we put the candles on.

We took him out to dinner on the day of his birthday and this is what usually happens at the end of dinner.

We kind of make spectacles of ourselves cause dad is the biggest baby!

Group hug!!

My beautiful boy, we love you so much. You are such a blessing in our lives, life is so much sweeter because of you. I'll never forget the day I brought you home from the hospital, my first child, it was one of the happiest days of my life. You'll always be my little boy!

'Your so lucky"

2010-12-11T10:04:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am very lucky, very blessed. I have a loving husband who, might I add, enjoys doing dishes. I've been blessed with 6 children and in the process of adopting another little blessing, I have a nice home, plenty of clothes and have never had to worry about where my next meal will come from.

But that's not why I've been told I'm "so lucky." Apparently I'm lucky that my adopted daughter is "normal", you know, she has no "issues." I've heard this several times and it's really starting to make my stomach turn because frankly, I know many people that are seemingly "normal" but really have some serious "issues".

Truthfully, when we started looking into adoption a special needs child was not something we had considered. We did do our homework though and were well aware of the fact that there was a possibility of developmental and/or speech delays and perhaps more. Even with a biological child one never knows if that child will end up with health or developmental issues, but many of us take that chance when we have children. And that's exactly what we did when we adopted our daughter. We took a chance and trusted that God would bless us with the child that HE felt would be right for our family and HE would equip us to provide for that child's needs.

Our daughter came home at a year old and was so tiny and fragile. She was scared and would never make eye contact, and this went on for some time. The therapists and specialists that evaluated her told us that she did display signs of neglect...this really broke my heart. I thought of what that first year was like for her and of all the other children like her out there.

I focused on getting her the help she needed, and shortly after she started speech, occupational and developmental therapy. With the help of 3 amazingly talented therapists, and lots of love, she started making progress, saying words, smiling, laughing, trusting. She's still behind in her speech but this child has a remarkable memory. Next week she has an appointment with another speech pathologist and the neat thing is that she also has adopted children who just happen to be from Guatemala.

I feel so blessed that God brought this child into our lives because through her our eyes have been opened. Her delays are what prompted me to look into special needs adoption and then, with God's help of course, my husband agreed to it.

When I look at my daughter I see this perfect little girl that God created and we're so grateful that HE gave us the opportunity and privilege to raise this child. I pray I never live a life that's perfect or comfortable enough that will leave no room for God to work in me and through me.

I know this picture is a little dark but I love it!

Our precious little peanut. I can't wait to see the look on peoples faces when we tell them we're adopting a special needs child!

Every person is valuable and special to God regardless of their imperfections.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth your eyes saw my unformed body." PSALM 139: 14-16

Sophie

Sunday /Monday Snapshot

2010-12-06T07:02:00.002-06:00

Since I haven't posted Thanksgiving pictures yet I thought I would post them for Sunday Snapshot.

Father and son mashing potatoes. My guys are always a huge help in the kitchen on holidays, thank God cause I'd never be able to prepare a meal for over 30 people on my own.

Little Missy wanted to join in on the potatoe mashing fun.

This is just part of the spread.

This picture cracks me up. My mom is in the middle of all the boys and they just tower over her. My nephew is 6'5 and my oldest son is 6'3, they're giants!

Grandpa and his little treasure!

It was a great time and the kids had a blast with all their cousins.

Sophie

Parenting Teens

2010-11-29T09:46:00.000-06:00

One of the greatest challenges I've found in being a parent is in raising a teenager. Although my husband and I are on the same page when it comes to discipline and setting boundaries for our children, he believes that at times they need to "crash and burn" as he so delicately puts it, and I on the other hand feel that I need to be the obstacle that gets in the way, the speed bump that slows them down from driving full force into situations that can have serious repercussions on their future.

Yet I know that when they reach a certain age as difficult as it is I need to let go and let God. I need to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to them and for the Lord to be the obstacle that they will run into every time they are tempted to do things they shouldn't. I need to remember that the Lord will allow them to fall on their face just like He allowed me to fall on mine and yet every time He was there to pick me up. I need to love them for every achievement and mistake they make and trust that the Lord is shaping their character and is in control of every detail of their lives.

I'm currently reading a book by Mark Gregston titled Prayers For My Teen and would like to share one of the prayers I was reading today that, after a trying weekend, I found encouraging.

"Father, I pray for Your wisdom, for Your guidance, for Your sensitivity, and for Your Spirit to fill me and show me what my teen really needs. I confess that sometimes I don't have a clue as to what is right for my teen, what is acceptable behavior, or what is the best path for him/her to take. This culture is confusing for my teen, and it's just as confusing for me.
Help me to be engaged, to be sensitive, and to be intentional about the way I lead him/her through the teen years. Guide me as I put together a plan of teaching, training, and releasing them. Help me to be purposeful and adaptable to my teen's changing needs so I will always be the person You have called me to be in their life. Let me know what I should take care of and what I should leave in Your hands. Fill me with hope and show me how this can work. Thank you for being such a wonderful parent for me. Help me to learn from You and be a great parent for my ten. I pray in Your Son's name. Amen

"And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."
Phillipians 1:9-10

Sophie

Thanksgiving guilt

2010-11-25T01:32:00.000-06:00

It's 12:09 a.m so for anyone who happens to be awake reading my blog, which I highly doubt, Happy Thanksgiving. There's so much I'm thankful for and yet I have a heavy heart. Not because I'm lacking anything in my life, there's always an abundance of food, clothes, love and a nice warm, cozy home.

As I was at the grocery store, yet again this week, watching all the people fill their carts, myself included, I couldnt' help but think of all the children who will never now what it's like to celebrate with a big full plate of food in front of them. Children who lack the basic necessities needed to survive. I couldn't help but think of the mothers who are unable to provide a basic meal for their children.

After my trip to the grocery store I stopped at a children's home that houses severely handicapped children to see if we could volunteer as a family. The coordinator told me they were desperate for volunteers. She mentioned that high school kids go and put in their service hours and usually don't return to volunteer on a regular basis. This broke my heart. I wondered why so much of today's youth is so indifferent to the needs of others.

When I returned home and loaded my fridge with all I had purchased I felt a sense of guilt that I've been so blessed, I feel so undeserving of all that God has given me. Seeing those young kids in the home confined to a wheel chair, wondering how many people will die of starvation on Thanksgiving day.

Later today our table will be filled with platters of food, some will get thrown out I'm sure, we'll sit around the table eating, drinking, laughing and yet it just doesn't seem right.

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You." Psalm 33:20-22

Sophie

Fun filled day

2010-11-22T00:45:00.001-06:00

We had a fun filled day at the childrens museum. This place is so neat, it has a little supermarket, an animal hospital, a car wash, face painting and the list goes on and on. My little darling had a blast!!

First stop: Supermarket, she managed to fill her cart

What is up with this line??

Yeah!! Finally my turn.

And now she gets to work the cash register.

Next stop: Animal hospital

The doctor is examining her patient

X-ray looks good!! Look lion, no broken bones!!

Busy day at the animal hospital

Face painting fun!!

We had so much fun I can't wait to go back

Blessings

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot

2010-11-14T10:30:00.001-06:00

Caught in the act

One thing I love to do is bake, and some of my kiddos have inherited that gene. I took cake a decorating class last year and this was my very first cake decorated with fondant.

These are just some of the deserts I made for my brother's engagement party that we had at our home, I even packaged them and decorated with ribbon, and made a fondant cake with light green ribbon. Green is my sister in law's favorite color.

Little missy and I made fondant cookies and princess cupcakes for her 4th birthday, she had so much fun helping me decorate the cookies.

My younger boys enjoy helping me bake and decorate and sometimes I'll find them in the kitchen making brownies.

When I walked into the kitchen the other day this is what I found

I caught Mr. G in the act

Did I mention they've also inherited my sweet tooth?

Sophie

The negative comments and financial uncertainties

2010-11-09T10:48:00.003-06:00

Sometimes the people that we love the most, the people that are dear to our heart, the people that we think will support our decisions are the people who say things that are offensive and hurtful.

I was very shocked at the response of a family member who I shared our adoption news with, at first this person told me I was crazy and I had enough going on in my life. Several days later this same person told me I had no business adopting another child and that economically it was a poor decision on my part, don't I see how stressed my husband is, and if I had that much money to spend I should spend it on organizations that were affiliated with our church. I cannot begin to express how deeply hurt I felt upon hearing these things. My response was that God will provide for us economically and that God cares deeply for the orphans of this world, because this person is an older family member I responded in a respectful way.

After several moments of an awkward silence the topic changed to I don't even remember what, all I remember is feeling like I got kicked in the stomach. At this point I've decided to hold off on sharing our news with other family members, although now that I'm writing this post maybe sharing wouldn't be such a bad thing. They can all get their nasty comments in at the same time and then we can all move on, hey why not kick me while I'm down, right? Another favorite comment is "I know it's the Christian thing and all but aren't you guys getting too old for this?' Ok, one more comment about my age and I'm putting on the boxing gloves!!

For the life of me I don't understand why so many Christians have this attitude when it comes to orphans and adoption, this attitude of indifference, it's almost like if you don't think about them they'll just go away. It doesn't work that way though because being a Christian requires loving others, caring for others and sacrificing for the needs of others, sacrifice is the essence of Godly love. While I know I can't save them all, as I'm often reminded by so many, doing nothing is definately not an option. Even though this season of our lives has not been very promising economically and at times things seem like they really can't get much worse and yet they do, I chose to believe that my God is a faithful God. I chose to put my trust in Him knowing wholeheartedly that He will come through for us. As I was driving in the car yesterday thinking of how we've stepped out in faith at the worst possible time in our lives, this Bible verse came to mind

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

I'm convinced that when God calls us He equips us.. I cannot take things getting worse and the negative comments thrown at us by others as some kind of sign that God is not working. God has always met our needs in incredible ways and I cannot doubt that He is at work , I must remain faithful in Him to receive His promises.

Sophie

Favorite Foto Friday

2010-11-05T14:12:00.003-05:00

Halloween

My younger boys, ages 11 and 13, don't like getting dressed up anymore cause "it's for babies"

Well their 18 year old brother doesn't seem to think so!

Cookie Monster's mug shot!

I found this adorable (good) witch outfit on sale 50% off and I couldn't resist!!

Sophie

One amazing mama

2010-11-01T23:54:00.002-05:00

I recently had the privilege of meeting an amazing woman and mother. This mom has 13, yes you read that number right, 13, children, and might I add she looks incredible! Six of her 13 children are adopted from Africa, a couple of which have HIV.

The amazing Carolyn Twietmeyer

Carolyn and her husband Kiel are the founders of Project Hopeful. The mission of Project Hopeful is to bring encouragement, to enable and to educate parents adopting children who are HIV positive. Carolyn has such a passion for orphans and is committed to helping adoptive families. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to meet the Twietmeyer's and talk with them and I look forward to getting together with all our kiddos!

Sophie

Adoption update.....Finally

2010-10-28T23:08:00.000-05:00

Well things are finally moving along.

We switched home study agencies and we've already had our first meeting, our second is in a couple of weeks and we are on the schedule for the class we are required to take. We had taken the required class needed for international adoption before we brought our daughter home from Guatemala but since there have been some changes made in adoption laws we are required by our state to take another class. So, for right now I'm just trying to sift through all the paper work.

Adoption is certainly not for the faint of heart, but I'm praising God for this blessing and know that He is walking along side us.

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot The Birthday Girl

2010-10-24T00:50:00.001-05:00

Our little princess turned 4.

We made princess crown cookies and princess cupcakes to celebrate.

Rolling out the fondant for the cookies

She was so happy to help mommy with the cookies

Two precious Mayan princesses

Getting her hair done for the royal celebration

The princess being crowned

The royal banquet

She was so happy, I love seeing that big smile on her face

Happy birthday sweet girl, we love you so much!

Sophie

I've come to realize

2010-10-19T00:09:00.000-05:00

I've come to realize that when you make the conscious effort to abandon your old way of life and strive to live a life that's Christ centered :

Your friends think something bad has happened in your life

People that have known you all your life look at you differently, they think you've gone mad

Some friends no longer call you to see how you are or if you'd like to get together, they completely avoid you

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own." John 15:18

I've come to realize that stepping out in faith and doing what is right is looked at as strange, people will even respond to you in a negative way

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" Matthew 5:11

I've come to realize that at times you will feel sad and lonely almost like you've been abandoned by people who claimed to be your friends

God has said "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you" Hebrews 13:5

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" Psalm 147:3

I've come to realize that when you follow God wholeheartedly things will not necessarily go smoothly and Satan will put obstacles in your way to turn your focus away from God

"The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

I've come to realize their will be times of uncertainty

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6

But I've also come to realize:

There is no need to hold on to my desires because the Lord knows me better than I know me and when I surrender my life to Him I will receive His blessings

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

And I've also come to realize that only in my relationship with the Lord will my joy be fullfilled

"You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy: at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot Brotherly Love

2010-10-17T10:10:00.002-05:00

Little miss sunshine and her best buddies............ Her brothers

She's become quite the boss around here. She hands them her toys and will then instruct them what to do next, and they pretty much do what she says, it's pretty hilarious.

We were told her biological mother had some sons and I just find it amazing how the Lord chose her to be our daughter knowing she'd be surrounded by all these brothers.

She was always destined to have a bunch of big brother's in her life.

And let me tell you her brother's hover over her and swear that anyone who hurts her will have to answer to them.

Man do I feel sorry for the boy who wants to date her.

It's evident that she loves them as much as they love her.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Adoption Update

2010-10-13T22:59:00.004-05:00

So here's the update:

We are moving at a snails pace. The adoption agency has been very good at returning our calls, and answering any questions. The delay is with our home study agency. We chose them to do our home study because they are local and their fees were a little more reasonable.

After filling out all the paper work with our agency and being approved I immediately began the home study process. A week and a half after turning in the paper work and not hearing from them I decided to call and was told that the person that reviews the paper work was on vacation and would call me the following week, so I decided to just be patient. After waiting almost another week I called back, she was pretty short with me and said she would review everything and call me back next week, O.K so at this point I'm sorta feeling annoyed but agreed to wait yet another week. In the mean time they had already cashed our $300.00 application fee three and a half weeks earlier, oh and did I mention she told me that since the laws have changed for Int'l adoptions we'd need to take a 10 hour class and unfortunately we just missed it and now would have to wait til February or March, meaning our home study won't be complete til then.

After my husband and I talked about it we agreed that maybe this is how it's meant to be and it's Gods timing, so I made peace with it, up until last week that is. She finally calls to make our appointment and the day of calls to tell us she forgot to mention that we need to bring copies of our last home study and without them she simply cannot see us and she'd call us back, gotta go bye, never mind that my husband had to rearrange his work schedule. Well now I'm beyond annoyed and I know that God does not operate this way. Seriously, I may be patient but I'm not stupid.

Now getting copies of our last home study was not at all difficult but still we've decided to use a different agency, it may cost a little more and chances are even if I file a grievance report we won't see that $300.00 but I strongly believe that God will provide no matter how many obstacles satan throws our way. The home study agency we will be using offers classes every 6 weeks and also offers evening classes for people that have difficult work schedules. I feel so relieved knowing we won't have to deal with the first agency and their unprofessional attitude. I would appreciate your prayers that all goes smoothly.

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot

2010-10-10T17:08:00.001-05:00

Before and After

Our beautiful little girl when she was still waiting for us in Guatemala.

We would get pictures of her every month from the pediatrician in Guatemala city. Oh how I couldn't wait to get those emails with pictures of our girl.

In every picture she wore a sad expression on her face, her eyes seemed distant, it broke my heart.

This picture is of her in the hospital, she had roto-virus. I cried so hard, I wanted so badly to hold her in my arms.

Those pudgy cheeks and those big beautiful brown eyes completely melted me.

After:

This is our precious girl today, little miss giggles. Here she is in her Belle costume at a princess party.

She just loves wearing tutu's.

And here's our girl at her very first dance recital with two of her best friends.

She's such a sweet and happy little girl . She still struggles in her expressive language but has made so much progress. At first it seemed as if though she didn't know what to do with all the love and affection she was getting, it was almost overwhelming for her, uncomfortable in a way.

And now she absolutely loves the attention she gets, especially from her main guy daddy!!

Have a blessed Sunday

Sophie

One Word Wednesday

2010-10-06T13:30:00.001-05:00

BROTHERS

The Question

2010-09-30T00:09:00.000-05:00

I typically get asked this question daily. "Oh your daughter is 4, is she in preschool?" And my response is always the same, "no for right now I'm thinking of home schooling her.".......Silence......followed by "Oh well I'm sure she'll do just fine once she's in kindergarten." Several people have responded with a confused stare, others look at me like I have three heads, which I find rather amusing.

And then there are certain family members that feel compelled to express their ~~unsolicited advise~~ opinion concerning my decision. I'm hearing things like "you're spoiling her", and "she needs to be social, she'll grow up too attached to you" and one of the #1 comments "she'll grow up with problems" Huh?? What?? I'm really starting to feel offended at this point.

Recently at a friends house, I came under attack for choosing to home school hearing again how she needs to socialize. My daughter does socialize, and she is in classes. She's in Spanish, which some people find odd because we're Greek and Italian, she's in music class, Awana, and dance.

Now don't get me wrong, school is not a bad place, my other children, some in college, are in the public school system and are doing fine. While I've offered to homeschool my 2 younger boys they are not interested. I'm not trying to shelter my children and my main concern about school is all the things they are exposed to, some not always good, my opinion. I've been thinking about this for some time and have prayed about it and feel like God is leading me in this direction for now. The funny thing is that every time I consider enrolling her in school I'll meet someone who home school's. I'm not sure if this is something that will even work with my daughter but I feel my heart going in this direction and I'm excited about it!

Sophie

A beautiful sight

2010-09-26T01:48:00.015-05:00

Tonight I walked into my 18 year old son's room and I saw him standing with his hands folded and looking toward the picture of Christ that hangs in his room above his bed, praying. I ask my older boys if they pray before they go to bed they tell me they do but I know that's not always the case.

Sometimes I wonder if they really get what we're trying to instill in them, if they really understand that God is a relational God, a God that loves us and relentlessly pursues us. I worry about my teenager's because once they start college things change, they become different. I can hear my mom in my head echoing the words "full of ideas." and some of the ideas that they have in their heads about what's true can be a bit scary. We all know that Satan deceives young vulnerable minds, the evil one loves to entice these young kids with his empty promises, I bet teenager's are his prime target.

Having teenagers has been a very interesting adventure for me. For the most part it's been good, praise God, but we've definately had our share of trials. In the midst of my frustration I try to remember the difficult phases I went through as a teenager and what that meant for my parent's. I recently watched the DVD, The Case For Christ, by Lee Strobel with my 18 year old. I highly recommend it for parent's with teenagers. Lee Strobel was a former legal journalist as well as a former atheist. In his quest to find out the truth about Jesus, he was lead to compelling evidence proving that Jesus is in fact the Jesus He claims to be, the resurrected Lord and this journey led this one time atheist to faith in Christ. A must see.

One thing I know for sure about having teenagers is that it's drawn me to a deeper relationship with the Lord because I've had to surrender them to Him, especially when they walk out that door on a Friday night,
Lord knows I strongly dislike Friday nights. I've had to give up my control and let Him control the situation and allow Him to protect them and relentlessly pursue them.

It's been hard for me to do that but after walking into my son's room tonight and witnessing him pray before our Lord was such a beautiful sight....it put some peace into this mama's heart.
Thank you God.

Sophie

Worldless Wednesday

2010-09-22T12:22:00.002-05:00

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot/ Birthday Boy

2010-09-19T12:37:00.001-05:00

My beautiful boy:

My little boy turned 13 years old....Sob.. I can't help it, he's growing so fast and before you know it he won't be a little boy anymore.

This child is such a blessing, he's one of the most kindest, soft hearted and thoughtful boys. He's always eager to help me around the house with just about any thing, from chopping lettuce for our dinner salad to offering to wash the dishes, always ready to play with his sister, and when I'm not looking he'll sneak into the laundry room and wash and fold clothes for me. He'll make such a great husband and father some day.

He's always smiling and acting silly, seriously this child is never in a bad mood. His nickname as a baby was guy smiley, because from the moment he awoke he wore a smile on his face.

Him and his sister's birthday's are a day apart but they each get their own birthday post.

My precious child such a blessing from God, I couldn't have asked for a better son. We are so lucky to have him he's brought such joy to our lives.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him."

Psalm 127:3

Overwhelmed and a prayer request

2010-09-15T08:13:00.002-05:00

Wow, lately there's so much happening and it's making me feel a little overwhelmed.
Between the kids starting school and the mounds of paperwork that they bring home, and trying to get little missy on some kind of a routine, my mother will be moving soon so she will be needing lots of help, and the papertrail for another adoption, phew!! I'm feeling a little tired.

At times it's easy to forget to praise God, especially during the times that there's so much going on and so many people and projects are demanding your attention. I keep thinking of all the things my mother has accumulated throughout the years, she's kind of a pack rat, and how much work it's going to be trying to sift through all those things all the while trying to convince her that she has to get rid of alot of it.

Then there's the overwhelming task of completing all the paper work for the adoption, but I'm grateful for it because the end results will be soooo worth it.

Also, something that I still can't put my finger on is my daughter's progress. We've had her evaluated several times she's had therapies and while she has improved tremendously she still does not engage well in conversation. I would love to get feedback from any mom out there who's experienced the same with your adopted child, any suggestions that may be helpful would be grately appreciated. Please pray that we're able to figure out how we can help her with her communication.

My apologies for being all over the board with this post, in a way that's how my mind has been lately, all over the place!

God is always so good though, I keep index cards with Bible verses that I try to memorize and this is the verse that God spoke to me today.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Sophie

Thinking of her

2010-09-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

I think of her almost daily, wonder what her life is like, if she's able to provide for her other children, I wonder if she thinks of the child she gave up, the child that's filled our life with so much joy.

Many people have said to me that they can't understand how she could have given her up for adoption, of course that concept is a difficult one for most to wrap their minds around, especially in this country. In order to understand why some mothers give their children up for adoption we need to understand the plight of women around the world.

We were told that our daughter's biological mother had 4 boys as well and as far as we know she had kept her boys, I made the unfortunate mistake of sharing that information with people which put me in a position of having to defend my daughter's biological mother, I've learned since that some things are better left unsaid and sharing isn't always the best thing to do.

Regardless of why she gave her up, whether it was that she couldn't provide enough food for all her children, whether she was getting paid for what she did, which is a suggestion that some people have made, whether she took drugs, alchohol, etc., if any of these things apply one thing I know for sure is that whatever decision she made it was made out of desperation. Even if it was for money, it was obviously needed to provide for herself or her other children. Most of us don't know what that's like because chances are we'll never find ourselves in that situation.

Several years ago at our old church, a friend and I decided to put together a fundraiser for a single mom in the community who had 2 daughters and was battling nonhodgkins lymphoma. We were unfortunately confronted with criticism because according to the rumor mill she was known for stealing. I was confronted by the church board president and was scolded for putting this together, my response to him was "I'm a mother too and if I was desperate to feed my children and I had to resort to stealing than that's an option I would consider." I had to remind him that it wasn't our job to judge her but to help her, that's what the body of Christ does. We had to show her first that we cared enough for her as a person to help her get a few meals on the table and pay some of her bills and then adress her spiritual needs, we must act like the Good Samaritan did.

So many moms who are hurting resort to desperate measures out of the unconditional love they have for their children, some steal, some beg others give them away to strangers in hopes of giving them a better life that they would never be able to provide. I did some research on the plight of women in Guatemala and according to the Guatemalan Human Rights Commision in Washington D.C more than 3000 women have been murdered since 2000 and fewer than 2% of cases end in convictions.

In Guatemala femicide claims the lives of hundreds of women each year, the majority of the women are young and poor between the ages of 13 and 30. This is Guatemala, the most dangerous place for women in all of Latin America. Unfortunately this happens in so many other parts of the world, and yet many don't seem to understand why a mother would give up her child and they just assume that she had selfish motives behind her decision. For me it's a no brainer to understand why my daughter's mother did what she did.
Because of the fact that my daughter's biological mother is poor and was born under difficult circumstances she was forced to make an even bigger sacrifice and her sacrifice became our blessing.

I was already so richly blessed in my life, growing up with 2 parent's, loving relatives every meal, clothes, vacations etc. and yet I ask myself, what did I do to deserve this little girl, and that another woman's tears of sorrow have brought me tears of joy?? I also find myself asking God why so many people just don't get that.
Why so many view these women that resort to desperate measures for their children like second class citizens and not as human beings who are worthy of dignity and respect??

Although I may never know the reason why she put her daughter up for adoption, my daughter's biological mother will always have a special place in my heart.

Once there were two women who never knew eachother
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

Two differnt lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent the other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One saught for you a home that she could not provide
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me, through your tears
the age old questions unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither my darling neither, just two different kinds of love.

Author Unknown

Adoption conversation with the boys

2010-09-06T01:38:00.001-05:00

Several nights ago we had an interesting conversation on adopting with our three younger boys at the dinner table, the two older boys were not home that night. They shared their views on adopting another child, it made my husband and I laugh.

G man, our 11 yr. old : Are we really adopting again ?

Dad: Yes, it sure looks that way

15yr. old: What, are we like the Brady Bunch ??

12 yr. old: So where did you say we're adopting from ??

Mom: China, special needs

12 yr. old: Huh??

Dad: And one of you gets to go with mom to pick up the baby

15 yr. old: If I come do I get to miss school?

12 yr. old: Yes!! no school!!, Can I come too??

11 yr. old: Come on mom! I want an African brother!

Mom: You do?? Why??

11 yr. old: Cause he'll be able to play good basketball.

Mom: Really? And how do you know that??

11 yr. old: Can't you ask for that?? Tell them that's what we want, besides we need someone else
for basketball

Dad: G, there's 5 brothers and 1 girl, we want your little sister to have a buddy too

12 yr old: What kind of special needs mom? and I want a brother too!

Mom: We will definately think about an African brother for next time, but this is where dad and I feel
that God is leading us.

11 yr. old: Gosh mom that's not fair! Oh wait, how bout if we adopt from the Dominican Republic??

Mom: Why from the Dominican Republic??

11 yr. old: Cause they make really good baseball players over there!

Fast forward to this evening. Adoption was the topic of conversation again.

18 yr. old: So are we really adopting again??

Mom: Yes

19 yr. old: (As he's inhaling his food) From where??

Dad: From China, and your going with.

12 yr. old: Oh, can I come too??

15 yr. old: Wait does whoever goes with mom get to miss school??

19 yr. old: I don't know if I can go if I'm in school. (He's in college)

18 yr.old: Can we at least get a boy this time?

11yr old: Yeah mom Asian people are good in karate.

Kids, you gotta love em!!

Celebrating 3 years with our beautiful girl

2010-09-01T00:37:00.003-05:00

Today is 3 years that our daughter came home from Guatemala.

We are so thankful to have been blessed with this beautiful child, she has brought our family such joy.
We love you sweet girl!!

scroll down and turn off my music, hope you enjoy

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Scary

2010-08-30T00:12:00.028-05:00

Last night we had a bunch of relatives over for a barbeque, it was a very hot day and we spent the most part of the afternoon indoors. We ventured out into the back yard late afternoon after it cooled down about
1 degree. Seriously I can't remember when we had a summer that was this hot for this long, I much prefer it to the long cold winter months though.

Well once the sun goes down ya'll know what happens next.....those darn misquitos come out and ruin any chance of you enjoying a pleasant summer evening outdoors. So I got out the misquito spray, some brand I picked up at the health food store, I sprayed some on and noticed after a couple minutes my throat felt scratchy.

After everyone left I ran to shower cause the smell of this stuff was so overpowering.
I go back into the kitchen after I put little sunshine girl to bed to finish cleaning up and as I'm cleaning the mess off the counters I put the bug spray away and I'm guessing some must have gotten on the outside of the bottle and I caught a whiff of it. Well almost immediately my throat felt scratchy again but this time I felt like it was closing up on me.

Frantically I start going through the kitchen cabinets to find some Benedryl and find only the children's Benedryl and took double the dose for kids, all the while hubby is watching the sports channel completely clueless to what's going on. I call the pharmacy and they tell me that Benedryl is the best thing to take but if it doesn't help I need to get to the E.R. When hubby figured out what was happening he sprung into action ready to take me to the hospital.

Thank God that wasn't necessary, the Benedryl helped and I sent my son for the adult strength.

I've never had that happen to me, I must say it was pretty scary. My sweet man got pretty nervous, he felt so bad for me he vaccumed and mopped the kitchen....my hero!

The best billboard sign I've ever seen

2010-08-25T10:11:00.002-05:00

I've never seen a billboard with Scripture verses so I just had to get a picture of this.

A couple of years ago there was a billboard by our home that advertised "sexual apparel" among other things, and I was mortified when my 8 year old, now 11 asked me what that meant. I was so upset that I called the village and asked to speak to the Mayor. He understood and was very sincere when he expressed his apologies for not being able to do anything about it, it was an unincorporated area so it was out of his jurisdiction.

So, when I saw this billboard right by our house a few weeks ago I just had to pull over and take a picture, good thing I always carry a camera in my purse. I was so happy the kids were in the car to see this!

Have a blessed day
Sophie

Sunday Snapshot

2010-08-22T01:14:00.000-05:00

With summer coming to a close and the kiddos starting school next week (sniff sniff), I thought I'd post a few photos of some summer highlights. There are many more pictures but I'll save some for another Sunday snapshot.

Our little girl had her first dance recital beginning of June, she did so good we were so proud of her. All her brother's came to see her, and of course daddy.

Here she is practicing her dance steps. We were unable to take pictures during the recital so I got some during practice.

And also in June our second son graduated high school, so proud of him too!

We also took a little field trip to the local fire station. Little Missy loves fire trucks and my son got to hold the jaws of life, he said it was really heavy.

We met some of our Guatemalan friends.

Went to a children's zoo.

No, he's not one of mine, it's the actor Shia Labeouf as in Transformers! My older boys saw him while filming a movie in the city, pretty cool!

I love this picture of my 2 older boys with their little sister, when they're older it's a rare occasion that they're around to get any pictures of them. Yes, now I'm told they "have a life".

While I'm Waiting .... and some thoughts.

2010-08-17T00:31:00.003-05:00

Often times I need to remind myself that living a Godly life is not about how I want things to go according to my plan. It's about surrendering my plans to God and letting His plan unfold in my life.

And while I'm waiting for His plan to unfold, my job is to be obedient, to serve Him, serve others, to continue to praise Him.

I love this song
scroll down and turn off my music to hear this song

On August 15th many denominations celebrated the feast day of Mary. While we do not worship anyone above Christ and are teaching our children this, I couldn't help but think about Mary.

I wondered what she must have thought being told that she would give birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
I thought of her obedience and how she didn't hesitate to accept this awesome responsibility knowing the consequences she might face, such as her fiance leaving her and humiliation. But yet this young woman stepped out in faith and trusted God without doubting for a moment God's provision for her life.

I thought of how I need to be that same kind of servant with that same kind of faith, ready to do what God asks without any reservations.

Doesn't really have anything to do with the song, just my thoughts.

$5.00 a Hit

2010-08-13T00:51:00.001-05:00

Five dollars..... that's what the going rate is for a hit of heroin these days, that's what the going rate is in schools these days. For a mere $5.00 a family can be turned upside down, a child's life can be destroyed.... pretty scary.

My neighbor called me this evening and asked if I wanted to go to a town meeting with her, the topic was on how children between the ages of 12-17 are becoming addicted to heroin and how it's become a huge problem in many schools. Unfortunately I was unable to attend because we got the information 20 minutes prior to the meeting, but my neighbor called me with the details. In attendance there was a panel of nurses, doctors, police officers and school administrators adressing this problem.

Their advice was the obvious, know your childrens friends, look for any changes in behavior or mood and if you suspect anything have your child tested for drugs. Usually most local police departments have drug testing kits available at no charge , all you need is a urine sample and within minutes you will know the results.

We've had many talks with the boys on the dangers of drugs, we've had the unfortunate incident of loosing a cousin to a drug overdose so the boys have an understanding of how drugs destroy lives. Praise God we haven't had any problems so far but what I find terribly frightening is how cheap it is to buy heroin, most kids bring that kind of money to school for lunch and a snack. I kept looking at my two youngest boys this evening who are 11 and 12, and I can not even imagine a child that young being addicted to such a heavy and deadly drug. I've often wondered if sending my children to school was the best thing for them, between having to worry about drugs and school shootings a parent has to ask him or herself if school is the safest place for their child.

I pray that our children come to know God early on rather than later, may they be covered by God's protection and not give into temptation.

"My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways."
Proverbs 23:26

Sophie

We're at it again!

2010-08-09T01:15:00.000-05:00

I knew this before my husband did....

God put it on my heart....

I prayed about it long and hard in hopes that we would be on the same page....

I brought it up to hubby....

He said he didn't really feel the same way....

I cried...

I prayed real hard some more....

I brought it up again....

Work was slow, very slow, and he wondered if we would be able to cover our bills, he still didn't feel the same....

I cried real hard prayed and fasted some more....

Several months went by....

Work hasn't improved much.....

Our last conversation he said it was not possible....

I was crushed....

I was so discouraged....

I felt angry....

I tried not to feel angry and asked God to help me be the wife my husband deserves and to change my attitude.....

God was working on me....

God was working on him....

He said yes, I was overjoyed!!!....

Then he came home and said he might have to take a paycut....not good....it's just not a good time....

Something funny happened....

I felt a peace in my heart, I knew God was in control, I didn't cry.....

I prayed...

I trusted...

The next day.....

He called and said, "let's just do it, it's the right thing to do"....

He brought home a check for the application fee....

We're adopting again!!!!

I'm so grateful to God for working on my husband and am so excited to begin this process. We are looking into special needs China and will be using the same agency as last time, Madison Adoption Associates. The only minor problem is I'm not a U.S. citizen but because my mother became a citizen before I turned 18 most likely that would automatically make me a citizen and all I would need to do is obtain a passport, I would appreciate prayers for that. Hopefully it's as simple as that. My father went to Canada first and because I was born there I'm Canadian. My citizenship was not an issue when we adopted our daughter from Guatemala because I've been a legal resident in this country from the age of 3 but I know China works a little different.

My husband is nervous about work and the economy, and so am I, but I'm confident that God will provide every step of the way.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight"
Proverbs 3: 5-6

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot A little weekend getaway.

2010-08-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

Praise God that my husband is feeling better and we were able to get away last weekend with some dear friends.

This picture of little missy doing the limbo cracks me up!

I love this picture of my oldest and my youngest, she's such a tiny peanut.

What's wrong with this picture?

Two grown men, 1 holding a Minnie backpack and the other posing with Mickey.

chicken fight!!

It felt good to get away, even if it was for 2.5 days!!

Happy Sunday!

I Can Do All Things

2010-08-06T00:23:00.000-05:00

Wake up

Drink Coffee

Read my Bible

Tend to my garden

Make breakfast for the youngins

Clean up breakfast mess

Wash 3 loads of clothes

Put 4 loads away

Feed kids

Clean up lunch mess

Take kids to the pool

Stop at Sam's Club on the way home (by this time they're hungry again and attack every food stand in sight that's handing out samples)

Go home, make spaghetti and meatballs

Feed kids

Clean dinner mess

Make nursing home visit to distribute some blankets

Go home give little missy a bath and put her to sleep

More laundry

Start cleaning out my closet and after about 45 minutes realize it's after 11p.m and I still need to shower!!

Phew!!

After a long exhausting day I can finally start to unwind

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength"
PHILLIPIANS 4:13

Sophie

Adored

2010-08-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

We've been blessed to have our daughter in our family for nearly three years and I still marvel at this little girl and how she's brought so much joy to our family. Her brothers absolutely adore her, they are always looking out for her, give up watching Spongebob to watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse or Sesame Street and as painful as it is for them they'll even sit through an episode of Barney. The younger boys even volunteered to help me with Vacation Bible Camp this year for their little sisters class.

I feel so at peace knowing that she'll always have someone to look out for her, someone who will always be there to take her to her highschool prom and homecoming, because her brothers swear they will "hurt" any guy that thinks can take their little sister out on a date without their approval or permission. Phew, one less thing for me to worry about!

I love watching this little girl surrounded by all these big brothers, it's so cool! Here she is at her brother's prom..little does she know he'll be attending hers.

Here she is with my oldest son, they are 16 years apart. He recently took her to the movies, just the two of them, they saw Toy Story 3. I remember how as a kid I was so bummed I didn't have an older brother and I'm just so thrilled my daughter has 5 older brothers. I can't wait to see them with another little sister!

Sophie

Update on my husband

2010-07-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that my husband had been sick and I had to take him to the hospital. The tests confirm that he did get a strain of strep infection from the cut on his arm and the infection traveled to his kidneys. He cut his arm on a metal piece from his work truck and the very next day he had a fever, but unfortunately he waited another 4 days and went to an urgent care clinic that did not run one test on him and prescribed an antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection, the antibiotic was not strong enough to fight the infection from the cut. By Friday he felt worse and went to our family doctor who gave him a tentanus shot and stronger antibiotics. By Friday night he was much worse and desperately asked me to take him to the E.R. At the hospital they administered an IV and did a slew of tests and strangely said he had pneumonia in the lower right lung along with blood in the urine, and that's what prompted a C.T scan of the kidneys.

He saw the doctor yesterday who ran some more tests and said he seems to be doing better and that he is very lucky his kidneys did not shut down. I was shocked when I heard that and I just started bauling and praising God for healing my husband.

I never saw my husband this sick before, his whole body was in pain and he could barely move. He's not feeling 100% but he's definately better and the doctor told him it could take a few weeks for the infection to be completely out of his system. Thank you all again for your prayers.

This picture was taken at my brother's wedding back in May. I love this sweet man, he's been the love of my life since I met him, which was at 13 years old, we actually didn't start dating til I was 20 and have been together ever since.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise Him."

PSALM 28:7

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot/Happy Birthday

2010-07-25T01:42:00.000-05:00

Last week was my sweet man's 47th birthday, we just hung out at home and celebrated. Here's the whole gang including my son's girlfriend.

I'm always so busy taking pictures of the kids I realized I don't have many of me and my husband so I'm reposting this picture that we took back in May on the day of my son's 18th birthday and one day before our 21st wedding anniversary.

My husband coaches our sons baseball team and they won the championship game so I just had to sneak these pictures in, we had the team over for a barbeque.

I want to thank everyone who prayed for my husband. I had to take him to the E.R. the other night because he had a fever for a week, when my husband asks to go to the hospital you know something is very wrong. After all his tests the doctor informed us he has pneumonia, they were a little concerned with the fact that he's slightly anemic and want to check his kidneys again during the week to make sure that the reason he had some blood lose was from dehydration and not an underlying problem with his kidneys. He's also taking some heavy duty anibiotics so he felt slightly better today, thank God.

Have a blessed day
Sophie

Urgent prayer request

2010-07-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

I would like to ask all you prayer warriors out there to please pray for my husband. He's had a fever for over a week and has made 2 doctor visits and his meds were changed twice so far. His fever will not go away and the doctor said he has some kind of a bad infection. Last week he cut his arm on a piece of metal and never went for a tetanus shot so I'm wondering if this could have something to do with the infection.

I spoke to the doctor a little while ago and he said if he is not feeling better today to take him to the E.R so as soon as my son gets home to stay with the younger kids I'll be taking him in.

I would truly appreciate all your prayers.

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds declares the Lord."
Jeremiah 30:17

Sophie

Widows and Aging Parents

2010-07-20T01:35:00.003-05:00

In the last 14 months my father and four of my uncles have fallen asleep in the Lord. That's quite a few people in such a short period, it's been sad. It's been difficult to watch my mom and my 3 aunts, 1 of my uncle's was not married, adjust to their new normal. Exactly one week after we buried my dad we had my mom in the hospital with chest pains, thank goodness my brother had taken some time off and was with her at the time, it also helps that he's a cardiologist. She then came and stayed with us for several days and we've told her she can come and stay with us but she's not ready for that yet.

My father's youngest sister, whose husband died last October, is still having a hard time. My cousin's have rushed her to the hospital several times and just recently she was in again, this time for dehydration.
Most recently another uncle had a heart attack in the car on the way home from my brother's wedding, back in May. My aunt is also struggling, she doesn't want to sleep alone but she wont stay by any of her children's homes. My 3 cousin's are each taking turns spending the night with her and 2 of them are married with kids, this has been going on since May.

I'm sure it's hard to say goodbye to your spouse of over 40 years. I must say it's equally as hard to watch your surviving parent grieve and it's also very stressful worrying about them being alone and especially when they are not taking care of themselves. My cousin's, brother and I have all tried our best to be supportive and attentive but truthfully there are those times when you just feel like your being stretched more than you ever expected.

Lately my mother seems more withdrawn and trying to get her to open up has never been a simple task.
We try as best we can, visiting weekly, the boys mow her lawn, inviting her for dinner, most of the time she declines. Goodness it just hasn't been easy. My parent's were married 47 years that's a long time to be with your spouse but back then people stuck it out, they didn't give up after a few disagreements, people honored their vows.

Tonight I was with my cousins and we were discussing how most of our parents, aunts and uncles are in their 80's, except for my mom who's 68. We were talking about how hard it is to watch them age and suffer through physical pain and how deeply they are missed when they are no longer with us. Our older relatives have blessed us with beautiful traditions and a unity and family bond that has held us together. They've taught us what it means to love and care for eachother and carry eachothers burdens and now it's our turn to care for them, to make them feel appreciated and needed always remembering the sacrifices they made for their children.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress" James 1:27

"Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise" Ephesians 6:2

"But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God"

1Timothy 5:4

This picture was taken the morning of my brother's wedding, I have no makeup on yet eeek!

I loved the way my mom's hair looked that day and I hadn't seen her nails painted in over 10 years.

Sophie

Blessed by a bloggy friend

2010-07-16T00:26:00.002-05:00

I would like to thank my bloggy friend Gardenia at http://www.mylittleflower.blogspot.com/ for passing the Premio Dardos award to me. This award is given to bloggers in recognition of cultural ,ethical , literary and personal values they share in the form of creative and original writing.

I'm very humbled and grateful for this award. I feel blessed to be part of a blogging community who honors family and most importantly honors God. Thank you my sweet friend Gardenia for inspiring me with your love and commitment to God and family.

Sophie

Sunday Snapshot

2010-07-11T18:13:00.001-05:00

Yes I'm a few weeks behind I know. I just had to post my son's graduation pictures.

So here he is my 2nd boy, the big high school graduate.

Grandma and the graduate.

How excited they all were to graduate.

My handsome guys!!

The future graduate!!

Right now he's working with his dad in construction and he's in a 2 year trade program where he will learn all about the business. He plans on eventually going into engineering... I'm so proud of him.

Sophie

The Lord is faithful

2010-07-06T00:25:00.001-05:00

Understand therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love Him and obey His commands
Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT

The Lord is faithful; He will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT

The love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments.
Psalm 103:17-18 NLT

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 NLT

Praise God for He is faithful