Preparing for School

It's hard to believe another summer has flown past and here we are just a week and a half from school beginning.

As we slowly start preparing the children for school again (stricter bed times and review of spelling words, etc.), I reflect back to last October when one of our sons came home sick, little did we know or understand that he was in a battle for his life.

It seems like yesterday we were facing those dark times.  We praise God that he is healed and here with us as we prepare for this school year.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for one of the friends from a Guatemala Mom group I'm a member of...

Just weeks ago, she could kiss the face of her sweet daughter, who happens to be the exact same age of our son who had been so sick and she was also going into the 3rd grade this year just like him...

But now...

Her sweet baby passed away after a terrible brain injury from a car accident.

Life is so fleeting...  Gabby's story here on earth has now become a song in Heaven.  We have the hope and promise we will see her one day.  Her Mama and Daddy are such Godly people and must find great comfort in the fact Gabby is in the arms of Jesus.

Please pray for them, the Lewis family, as their son, who is 5 was also injured as well as the children's grandparents.  All trying to recover.

As we prepare for this new school season, let's try not to stress over not finding 130 pre-sharpened #2 pencils or any other silly things.  Enjoy each moment, enjoy each kiss,  we don't need to live in worry or fear, but we need to live like Jesus will come any moment.

Blessings be on you all!

Falling in Love with the Knowledge of having to say Good-bye one day...

Proverbs 24:12
Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act." 


Becoming a foster parent isn't a decision one must take lightly. You're adding a child or children to your home that have seen, heard and experienced things many times outside of the realm of your imagination.


Their hurt, their fear and their anger is heartbreaking to see.  You just want to take them, hold them and let them know everything will be okay and then make it so.


Given time, you will see their nightmares and night terrors give way to them waking up singing!  It takes much prayer, much love, much grace and alot of loving them how they need to be loved.


Some children come into your care and need more than what you can give them.  This is the most difficult of situations as you may find yourself loving this child and wanting to make everything right, but in the end you rely on the seasoned professionals that they know how to help each child get the *best* they need and deserve.


Foster parenting is certainly not for the feint of heart.  It is for those who have a heart for loving, helping and most importantly God's calling on you and your spouse.


When I wake up, my heart leaps for joy that today will be another day full of sticky kisses and hugs, boo-boo's that need kissing, books that need reading, teeth that need brushing, endless laundry to be doing, etc.


I thank the Lord for this calling in our life. We are blessed.

Happy Mother's Day!

For many women who are mom's, today is a day they expect to be treated like royalty.  Spoiled, lavished attention upon, great gifts, well, you get the idea. =-)

However, for me, it's a day of reflection.  On Mother's Day, I celebrate being the Mom to 3 fabulous kiddo's who I would never of had this privilege of knowing, much less be their Mom, without 3 other women, making the greatest sacrifice in their lives - letting their baby go.

So, every Mother's Day, yes, I do celebrate this time but I also celebrate these other women who gave me the opportunity to share this title with them.  My heart swells with love and gratitude to these 3 amazing women.  How I wish they could know how thankful I am for the gift they each gave me.

There's an adoption poem that I would like to share with you.

Legacy of An Adoptive Child

Once there were two women who never knew each other.

One you do not remember, the other you call mother.

Two different lives, shaped to make your one...

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first gave you life and the second taught you to live it.

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

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

One gave you a seed of talent, the other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One gave you up ... that's all she could do.

The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me, through your fears,

the age old question unanswered throughout the years...

Heredity or environment, which are you the product of?

Neither, my darling neither.

Just two different kinds of love.

~ Author Unknown ~

Well, We Told Them

There are many wonderful things and challenging things that go along with being an adoptive family.

We did a lot of research about how to talk to our children about our 'extended' family BEFORE we ever knew we had a child!  It helped prepare us for this moment.

Our precious children have always known they were adopted - we never kept it a secret and of course we never could have since all 5 of us have different skin color.  We are truly a multi-racial family!  We think we're really blessed in this fact as all of us bring different experiences and talents to our family!

One thing I found out recently is that one of our children has brothers and sisters. I'm not sure how many, maybe one brother and one sister or more through his biological parents.  Honestly, it's weighed on my heart.  One thing I've read is that it's easier for children to deal with this information than to spring it on them when they're older.  But coming up with the subject wasn't easy to do - I never want my children to hurt and I know this would make my child feel excited and hurt all at once.  This particular child internalizes everything and I wanted to help them understand that we were so excited about this and hopefully one day we could meet them and one thing our child needed to realize was that they were loved!

Last night, the opportunity arose and we told our child.

Excitement and sorrow then total lack of interest in talking about this was their reaction!

In fact our children wanted to see pictures we recently took of them playing in the snow.  Later our deep thinker child wanted me to hold and sing the song I wrote for them when they were a baby.

Dealing with adoption topics is not always easy and I've learned that I've just got to 'be there' as our kids go through the joys and sorrows that go along with this.

May God bless you today and as you think of our children, please pray for them that they will know that they are loved and cherished by our family around the world who think they are great!

Individual Time...

This past week has simply been awesome!

The boys had vacation Bible school at church this week, it has been marvelous to hear them come home singing the songs and telling me about their day at 'school'. =-)

Monday evening as I was trying to figure out what to fix for my family for dinner, our 6 year old son said, "Mom, I want to take you on a date!" Well that's all it took - he and I went out to eat at a fantastic steak restaurant! Our meal was a beautiful presentation of a perfectly cooked steak with gormet french fries and Root Beers. We laughed and talked all through the dinner, afterwards we took a walk through the little villiage the restaurant was located in and he and I had so much fun just simply being together.

Wednesday morning after dropping the boys off at vbs, my 2 year old daughter and I had a spa day - what fun we had being together! I'm looking forward to more of those mother/daughter times!

Wednesday evening, our 5 year old son took me out to eat at our favorite pizza joint. Originally he wanted to go to McDonalds, then changed his mind to Red Lobster, and eventually settled on the pizza place. It happens to be in the same location as the steak restaurant! He kept me laughing all through the meal, in fact we took more home than we ate at the restaurant because of the laughing and talking we did. Then we went for a walk, got an ice cream and talked and laughed some more.

What stood out to me was how fabulous and different all 3 of them really are and how precious the time was that I got to spend with each of them in these times alone.

This is definitely something I want to do more often - it became apparent to me that not only is individual time important for me to spend with God, and how precious it is for husbands and wives to spend time alone, but also for parents and children to spend individual time with each other.

My hearts desire is that my children will not only see me as their mother but as a friend that they can always trust to love them, support them, and laugh/cry with them.

Thank you Lord for my children ~ they are the delight of my heart. Please let me be the mother they need me to be. In Jesus name, Amen.

"Smile! It increases your face value!" ~Truvy (aka Dolly Parton) - 'Steel Magnolia's'

Phyllis Diller once said that "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." I think she was absolutely correct on that one! =-)

As a nervous and new mommy, I remember very clearly the first smile I received from our baby soon after we adopted him - it was at that point that I knew everything was going to be okay and he was happy --- Through the years as we adopted our 2 other children that was always the thing we strived for - smiles from our babies...

It struck me that smiling is such a powerful tool in communicating with those around us - it can serve as a bond between a baby and a parent; reassurances between spouses, friends, parents & children that everything is going to be okay; and it can tell the whole world you're happy about something.

A smile. Very simple to do and yet it is so powerful and has such a huge impact on all around us.

My encouragement today - smile at someone - anyone and just see what happens! =-)

Experiences...

Dear Friends,

I'm so sorry it's been such a while since I blogged. Our lives have been filled with "experiences" of late -- we moved to a different state, with certain expectations and faced decisions that we never dreamed we would face.

The experience of ups and downs that we've all been through during this move have been full of many of the same emotions one faces on a roller coaster - nervousness, fright, and laughter. Unlike the roller coaster, we don't necessarily want to do this again. =-)

Even though we faced quite a disappointment on one thing, everything else is wonderful! We are enjoying the area, making new friends, and acting like tourists going on adventures and trying out different 'touristy' (I just made up that word!) things...

Overall, we are happy and are adjusting well to this new life style here in Alabama.

God's Many Blessings on You!
Anna

"Whiter Than Snow...What a Mighty God We Serve!"

We woke up Easter morning to find that all of our Easter wear would not be worn - once again, we were snowed in - ahhh Spring time in the Rockies! =-)

God was certainly good though - Mark read the Easter story from the Bible and the boys (without prodding from us), decided they wanted to read some of the story! What a blessing to hear the children read God's Word!

After that, we sent them in another room and put out their Easter Baskets and gifts from Grand Daddy and Grammy - they LOVED opening their new gifts. =-)

After the children went to go play with their new toys, Mark and I talked about how amazing it is that God says He washes away our sins - in fact, He says in Psalms 57:7b, "...wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Then looking outside at the deep snow, we were amazed at God's goodness and grace!

God is so amazing that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins and then He rose again the 3rd day - He is showing us His love for us!

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Dear Reader, during this Easter celebration, please remember that Jesus loves you! If you would like to know the security of eternal life and assurance you will go to Heaven, then please say the following prayer -

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and ask You to save me. I love you Lord Jesus. Amen

That's it! That's all you have to do. May you know the redemption that Christ can give you!

Blessings to you in Jesus' Holy Name,
Anna

"Flying W Ranch"

A true Colorado experience - cowboys, wranglers, singing, and steaks! Tonight we went to the Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado to celebrate Gabi's citizenship. What a wonderful time we had - lots of fun, fellowship, laughter, and singing. I would highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area - the musicians were amazing and the food was delicious. The children laughed, sang, and danced along with the singing cowboys. It was so cute to watch them have so much fun! Even the Singing Cowboys dedicated a song to Gabi in celebration of her citizenship! =-) Enjoy the pictures and video! *Don't forget to turn the music off at the bottom of the page before playing the video!
Blessings to you, Anna
www.flyingw.com

Adoption is a Journey!

Yesterday, we spoke with the immigration officer regarding Gabi's paperwork to become a citizen of the United States of America.

We're moving in the next couple of weeks to a different state and if her paperwork isn't approved before we move, then it will be transferred to another state (not the one we're moving to) and will delay her citizenship.

He told us that he will try to find out if we can get it before our move, but wasn't positive.

Of course, we're hoping for her citizenship request to go through quickly, but know that everything is in God's hands.

Please pray with us as we seek God's perfect will and plan!

***UPDATE: It's 4 pm and we just received a phone call - Gabi has been approved to become a citizen of the United States!!! Praise the Lord! God has answered our prayers! =-)

Matthew 18:5
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

"What a Day!"

Wow! Today, was so busy!!! We had a scheduled appointment to meet with the travel reg, but before we left we half heartedly got the house ready to show - just in case...

When we got to the Air Force Academy, where our meeting was, we got a call saying someone did in fact want to see the house!

Ouch!

What a lesson we learned - we must put our whole heart into it when we go anywhere since no one knows when someone might want to see the house.

When we got the feedback a while ago, it was AMAZING! Praise the Lord - they loved the house and this home has moved up on their list, and they loved everything we love about living here, the incredible views, golf course, cul-de-sac, yard, etc. --- even though they're still looking... *sigh*

God knows our needs and wants, and this is time we must let go and let God - now that I just said that, I guess in ALL things that's just the way it is, we must give our lives over to our King of Kings!

Well, since we were out anyway, we decided to see the chapel at the Air Force Academy - it was simply stunning! We took a hike there and although it was only 1/3 mile one way, it packed quite a punch! We loved it though as you can see in the pictures! The children thought they were in a race - they ran up and down the trail and they 'sometimes' had to wait paitently for us to catch up to them! What a wonderful world to see through such precious children's eyes!

It's so like God that He gives us this wonderful opportunity to be parents and allow us to have fun with the children and see things like racing down a trail - as the same as racing through life and loving the journey! Yes this did make me start thinking about all the verses in the Bible that pertain to racing or competition! (I'll share later!) =0)

After our meeting to set up our moving date, we took some pictures with some jets and then had another meeting across town with our realtor - then off we went to play putt-putt and afterwards, we decided to go to our favorite Italian Restaurant! They leave a huge bottle of olive oil with herbs at the table to eat with your bread - yummy! Our family demolished the bread, we had worked up such an appetite. =-)

As I look back over today, I am so thankful to God that He has given me such a wonderful family! We're just like any family, we have our moments of laughter and squabbles, but overall, we're in it to win it!

Going back to verses pertaining to racing and competition, this is the one I chose, although there are many!

Hebrews 12:1 - 2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Blessings to you and your family this Easter week!

'

Our Snow Day...

Yes, today we had another snow day!!! The wind gust were up to 50 mph at times, and our house actually was shaking... It's been snowing all day, but we haven't got alot of accumulation due to the winds. I did take a video and pictures of this amazing day.

In our backyard, you can see items scattered about - I assure you, we don't keep our yard like that! =-) It's from the wind. This day is just one of the many fun and 'interesting' memories we will take when we move from Colorado! =-)

Spring Break!

What an amazing 2 weeks of Spring Break we had around here...

The 2 blizzards we had, pretty much kept us at home the entire time, but when the first good day of weather happened, we decided to go out as a family!

Monday evening we went to the train restaurant that our family enjoys so much - the trains drive by and the engineer blows his whistle - it's very exciting!

The next day we went to the Japanese Restaurant where they cook the food at your table - we laughed and clapped for our chef - he did a great job! =-)

Afterwards, we decided to go look for a castle we had heard about run by The Navigators, a Christian organization.

We found it as you can see from the pictures above!

Honestly it was the most relaxing place I've ever had the pleasure of going to and certainly wish we would have known about this place before - it was amazing!

Their website is www.gleneyrie.org

It was awesome!

We are so thankful that we've gotten to live here in Colorado, even though it has been for a short amount of time - it's been wonderful seeing the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.

Isaiah 55:12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Blizzards and Fun

Last night, we went to bed trying to think what we could do as a family for spring break.

This morning we woke up to find the decision was made for us. We were iced and snowed in - again!

Our oldest son, Jacob, decided to go outside and see what the weather was all about - he geared up in his snow suit and went outside.

We all stood at an open window and watched as he braved his way through the snow to his swingset - once he got there, he waved to us and turned immediately around and walked back to the house.

When he came inside, he was so excited that we let him do that alone. =-)

We've had fun talking about Jacob's brave expedition - especially his brother and sister - WOW! They really admire him for that! =-)

Later, when Mark and I were alone, we laughed about how our son thought he was alone, little did he know, that Mark had his shoes on, ready to run outside to help him if needed.

Isn't that like our Savior? We don't need to feel like we're all alone, God is watching us and is there with us every step of the way, even though we can't see Him.

I'm so thankful for our children, they help remind me that God is always with us and we don't have to worry about anything! =-)

"Grumpiness, Blizzards, and Prayer"

All these things happened in our family over the last several days. Grumpiness, an act of personalities clashing; Blizzards, an act of God; and Prayer the act of crying out to God and begging Him to love us, forgive us, and help our day go better.

Marveling at the similarities of a blizzard and grumpiness between family members it came to me that both can do a lot of damage. The blizzard can knock trees over, it can destroy some of the delicate tulips that are trying to bravely grow up through the rocks and snow into the dry arid air that we have here on the Front Range. While grumpiness can infest a home that in one moment is filled with laughter then is filled with anger, bad attitudes, etc. – affecting all who dwell within the walls of the home.

Interestingly enough, when we speak with God in prayer I found that the grumpiness that so consumed some of our family members calmed down even as the blizzard swirled around our home.

God is good – He created various emotions within us so we cry out to Him and rely on Him! Praise the Lord!!!

Today is a new day, it will be exciting to see how we rely on God. He is always a friend to us. I’ve put the song , “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” on as a reminder that He loves us!

May God bless you as any blizzards blow into your home, they don’t last too long, but can do a lot of damage. Trusting and relying on God is the only way we can make it because we have a friend like no other – our friend, Jesus!

Thank you Jesus!

Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. I Corinthians 13:4-5

Our Family Montage

'
I thought I would share our family montage we put together the year we brought our daughter home from Guatemala!

Be sure to turn the music off at the bottom of the page before playing this! =-)

Blessings,
Anna

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tumbleweeds, Wind, Sunshine, and Pike's Peak

Tumbleweeds, Wind, and Sunshine are the standard procedure for outdoors here on the Front Range of Colorado!

Today was unusual for us as we stayed home due to a foot injury I sustained last week. We had our church service at home and then the children played outdoors. They hiked down the bluff at the back of our home and chased after the tumbleweeds blowing across our cul-de-sac and back onto the open reserve!

Watching this all happening reminded me of what a wonderful world that God has made for us to enjoy!

Before, I just saw tumbleweeds as a chore to remove from our bushes, trees, and fence - but today opened my eyes to a more enjoyable use for them - a fun activity for the children! The wind that can be so harsh at times, became a joy as it was what was used to make the tumbleweeds become a rocket, a baseball, or whatever else the children imagined it to be, and the beautiful sunshine gave us the warmth and light to watch our children play, pretend, and to enjoy all of God's goodness and creation!

With the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and Pike's Peak, I marveled at the verse, Matthew 17:20, where Jesus tells us that if we just have the faith of a tiny mustard seed, we can move mountains!

As I pondered on this verse, it felt like we came full circle today. Because of our faith, God brought us our beautiful children from various birth families and places across the globe and then as they played in the shadow of the great Rocky Mountains and enjoyed all that God has provided for us, we are overcome with thanksgiving to our Savior for our precious children and for our family!

"Kid's Say the Darndest Things"

“Mommy, you are my one, true love!” What a thrilling statement to hear from your child! When my son said that to me, the birds chirping was sweeter, the sky was bluer, and the flowers smelled more beautiful ~ well maybe not but that’s sure what it seemed like!

Then, the next day, one of our children asked us a question about bathroom type things that would have been totally embarrassing if asked out in public!

We had to fight against our initial reaction to laugh at such a question and had to remember children are a “blank slate” and are asking questions because they want to learn something. One of our job's as parents is to make our home a comfortable place where our children can ask anything, tell us anything, and vent in a safe environment. It’s also to be able to give them an answer that is appropriate to their age.

As a mother, I want to teach my children to be open and honest about their life and I want to teach them how to live, love, and laugh in the security and knowledge that they have a Savior and parents who love them always – no matter what the statement or question may be!

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Our Family

Today, we decided to create a journal of our families Journeys. God has been so good to us. We call our blog 5-High-5 because in our family of 5, a High-5 is the greatest of all compliments and rewards! Our story starts when Mark and I got married in 2000. Then in 2002, we got the good news that we had a son, Jacob! We flew to Hawaii, where Jacob was born, and he was put in our arms on Thanksgiving day! We were thrilled and felt such love for this precious little boy. In 2003, we received a phone call that would change our lives forever - there was a little boy in Hawaii and he was ours if we wanted him! We said yes! Within a few days we met our precious Joshua - again, love filled our hearts to over flowing!!! In 2006 we learned of a little girl who had been born in Guatemala. We knew she was our daughter. In June 2007, we flew to Guatemala and were able to bring her home - such love and excitement was overwhelming! Each story of our journey to become a family of 5 has been a testimony of God's absolute love, mercy and grace. One day, I hope to share each of our children's stories with you. Thank you for joining us on our great adventure!