Catching Up

I know that life is busy when I actually have to put my blog on my "to do list"! :) I truly do enjoy writing and sharing...but, sometimes, it is just not a reality in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life!

I thought I would try to catch you up by giving you a snapshot on each of the kids.

Micah is "full swing" into baseball (no pun intended!) and loving it as always! He has been pitching 1 to 2 innings a game and really is getting into a groove (last game, he only threw 23 pitches between those two innings!). He's serious about the game and handles the wins and losses well...he has also been handling getting hit pretty well, too. He has taken his share of walks to first base after being hit by the pitcher!

Micah has made a lot of friends at church and, most of them, although they are his age are a grade above him. Micah wasn't so thrilled about that and his "go get em" attitude has propelled him into working extra hard to get caught up so that he can begin 5th grade in the fall instead of 4th grade. He is working on 4th grade math and language arts, has read a whole book on Canadian history and is waiting on mom to teach him the metric system (mom actually has to study that one out on her own first!:)).

Grace continues to love taking care of Tessie and we continually see Tessie dressed up in the craziest things or being "dragged" around doing something you can tell she does not want to do (most recently, it was an obstacle course that our landlord had up in the backyard for his collie dogs!). Tessie has taken to hiding under our bed!:)

Grace is working on developing a love for reading...she would be the first to admit it's not her favorite. We got a couple of "horse books" since she loves horses and, right now, we are reading "Black Beauty" as a family. Grace is also working on her "skating skills" with her new carpet skates. She and Faith both spent the rest of their Christmas money and bought carpet skates off of Ebay. They are not much more than pieces of plastic that have velcro on the top to secure your foot...but they really do glide across the carpet and, after taking a half an hour going back and forth in our living room, I have deemed it quite the workout!:)

Samuel has been losing teeth faster than any of our other kids ever had. He lost 4 teeth in the matter of about two weeks...now, both he and Grace are both missing their two (top) front teeth! He is also "plowing through" grades of school! He finished up Kindergarten at the end of March (and we took him to our charter school to be tested to see where he was at..right on target!) and then, last week, he finished 1st grade math and has started on 2nd grade math this week. He is a little bit farther behind with his 1st grade language arts...but I think he will be moving to 2nd grade by the end of the month. He has had a great attitude through it all! I keep praising the Lord for how well he is grasping concepts and catching on. The Lord has been so gracious to him and to me as his teacher...He knows how much I can handle!

Samuel is not without his struggles though...and I am sharing the following...not in a desire to "air his dirty laundry" or "make him look bad" but because I know there are many of you who have either adopted or are in the process of adopting and I believe this info might be helpful. Plus, we are praying that the Lord would give Samuel victory over this area of sin in his life and that He would receive all the glory and praise over his changed life (just as He does in our lives as we repent of sin!). The Lord has brought to our attention that our dear son continues to lie. He lies so well, we have not been catching on to it, he lies almost an naturally as he breathes it seems. There are real tears, looks of complete innocence and sadness that we would even question him...and yet, by the grace of God, we have been able to see that all of those things are simply a cover to self preservation, to lies that he so badly does not want exposed. He is so good at lying...we can't help but think he is believing his own lies.

We have spent hours with him...correcting, instructing, spanking, encouraging, praying reminding him of the sweet hope of the gospel - of sin paid in full...we have felt sick to our stomachs to see how deep this root of lying is embedded in his soul but we are praising the Lord that He has not allowed this to go unnoticed any longer. It's a long road...and our hearts break not being able to trust Samuel and take him at his word...but we are excited to see how the Lord is going to use this to mold and shape our dear son and to stretch and grow Bryan and I.

We really believe that lying just might be one of the biggest "issues" that adoptive parents of children who are older will face. I can only imagine, in an orphanage full of children, how easy it must be to lie and get away with it. A little lie results in a punishment avoided and soon the lies become part of everyday vocabulary as they seek to look out for themselves. Then, the Lord gives us these precious children and we begin to forge a relationship with them. Everything is new, the language barrier is real...and it's easy to start assuming that the things said that "don't add up" are all related to confusion of language...not to actual lying. But we found that, as language issues cleared up and confusion began to leave...one thing remained strong...the truth was still missing.

We had thought that the battle for truth had been fought and won (though Caleb still seemed to struggle from time to time)...what we didn't realize was that dear Samuel just got better at it over time!:) We love our son, we are so thankful for his beautiful life and his adoption in our family...but we would also love your prayers for him and for wisdom for us, as well. And, if any of you have found yourself in the same situation...you are not alone...but His grace is sufficient, isn't it!!!!!

Okay...now where was I? FAITH! Faith keeps showing herself to be a miniature version of me!:) Her expressions, her "zest for life", her love of books...and yes...her loud voice, incessant talking and love for food all take after me, too! Speaking of books, she got 75 Boxcar Children books for her birthday in January (great deal on Ebay!) and she just finished the 75th one this week! We have actually had to limit her reading...she is such a bookworm!

She is not much into joining the rest of her siblings for games of floor hockey or baseball...but I did crack up watching her "umpire" a baseball game the kids started up while at the ballpark for Micah's game.:) She beats to her own drum and we love her for it!

Titus continues to keep us laughing. Whatever he does, he goes all out...and the more "uniform" or "equipment" in whatever he is doing, the better! We went for a hike a few weeks ago...and Titus came to us dressed up in the following:
We "understood" most of it, except for the gloves...he informed us those were to keep the "pricker bushes" away!:) He has taken to playing goalie in hockey...much like he has taken to playing catcher in baseball...the common theme seems to be that they are the players with the most equipment!:) Titus is growing up so fast...yet, he still has a boyish sweetness about him that charms everyone, especially his mommy!

Caleb is growing too...he is understanding more, articulating more and feeling more and more secure in his new family! He has learned almost all the names of the provinces and territories in Canada...right alongside his siblings...and he is working very hard on his memory verses. There is still much to learn, though...I told the kids they could go and play in the backyard after lunch and Caleb looked at me with a funny face and said "Where is the backyard?".:) (We still work on the meaning of words almost daily with Caleb and Samuel) Caleb and Titus truly continue to be best buddies. Titus is a bit bossy, but Caleb seems to handle it pretty well. He is starting to use his "way of escape" more often, though, by coming to me when Titus won't have it any other way but his own!:)

Speaking of the backyard...we could officially use ours as of Mother's Day...which made Mother's Day very sweet indeed for this Mommy!:)

Bryan is loving work and those he works alongside. This summer will be a busy one for him as he gears up for summer projects and kicking off his first "start" (Sept.)in regards to Sunday School and other family related "stuff". A bigger church means just that...bigger....more people to shepherd, more Sunday School classes to oversee, more families to get to know! In the midst of it all, he has done such a wonderful job of being "there" for us as a husband and a daddy. He is an amazing shepherd of our home and my heart rejoices greatly in the gift that he is! It's been a precious start and we are both so thankful for what God has done!

Me...explaining all that I just did should make it clear that life is never dull!:) I am so thankful for the privilege of being a mom to six children and wife to a godly man! Homeschooling continues to bring my sin quickly to the surface...but it also is growing sweeter,too! I am so thankful for this season that the Lord has placed me in! I am seeking to be "all there" in whatever I am doing and just "doing the next thing" because each day has enough trouble of it's own as Mathew puts it. When I look too far ahead, I am easily overwhelmed and find my eyes fixed on days and situations instead of the Lord and the sustaining grace He gives for where I am...not where I think I will be!

"So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom...Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."
Psalm 90:12,14