Getting Older….

Today is the day.  I am off and away….happy 42nd to me!  It is also Florie's birthday!  I love sharing the day with her….when I saw on her file when we were matched that her birthday was also June 26, I knew.  She was ours.

The last few years have been the beginning of a long overdue metamorphosis for me.  Marriage to my best friend now 18 years, 4 children, homeschool, adoption….all of these amazing gifts of life have also  changed me.  Some days there were huge blows, but most days there have been tiny scratches to my soul.  I am a pleaser by nature (think about Maya Angelou's quote re: "wearing catcher's mitt on both hands"..that would be me).  I am also a conflict avoider and stuff it inside kind of person.  But, all of the aforementioned gifts need a better mom, wife, and friend.  They need the healthiest me I can give them….physically and SPIRITUALLY.

William and I have worked together on how to best parent our children.  A large portion of our game plan came from first recognizing what WE bring to the table with parenting.  (Yes, adoptive friends, we are hooked on Karyn Purvis and The Connected Child).  We have had to develop code words for each other.

SIMPLIFY

PRIORITIES

EXPECTATIONS

Trying to keep my focus on these 3 words has started to change who I am, how I respond, and how I connect to others.  Life on Earth is short.  We hold such power in our words and in our actions.  I know this, but when I really HEAR this, it drops me to my knees.  I am not worthy of this power.  I screw it up every single day.  I need help. I need Jesus.  I need supportive friends.  I need Jesus. I need my husband to keep my focus, my strength.  I need Jesus.  I  fall back on my "on my goodness did those words actually just come out of my mouth" self way too easily. That is why I must simplify.  For me, this means not saying yes to everything.  I am the queen of the sign up sheets.  BRING IT ON.  This phenomena has improved slightly since moving to homeschool, but I am still too quick to sign up.  SIMPLIFY.  It is okay to say no sometimes. I must examine my PRIORITIES too.  What are my goals? To be the coolest mom out there (let's all hope not as my kids roll their eyes).  Setting my priorities along with William will help us focus on the things most important to us.  Lastly, EXPECTATIONS.  I have talked a lot recently with my kids about expectations and disappointments.  They go hand in hand.  The middle boys have written a lot about the Good Samaritan in their tutorial work.  It has opened up a huge discussion for expectations, and shortly after that, Empowered to Connect sent out an email on that very topic.  (YES, God I HEAR you!).  

DISCLAIMER:  I just found this post that I never finished.  We ended up moving shortly after this so life became a whirlwind.  Simplify….paused.  Priorities….pretty good.  Expectations…..ahem.  Now Florie and I are 1/2 years plus older.  It is time to reset, refocus.  SIMPLIFY. PRIORITIES. EXPECTATIONS.  Did I mention I screw up daily?  But if you see me, know these are the goals. You can even say these words to me. I need you to.  I need Jesus to.  My words and actions are monitored everyday by 4 young people who will take apiece of me into their adult lives.  I know which piece I pray that will be!  

Love,

Eve

“There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.” 
― José N. Harris

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death; and those who love it will eat its fruit

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Camping…What a Gift!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  I am so thankful for all of the men and women who have served our country to protect our freedoms.  My family spent this weekend camping and enjoying the freedoms afforded to us there.  I loved heading home today and seeing all of the flags at half-mast to remind me how BLESSED we are in the USA.

William and I have two couples' friends who also enjoy camping with their families.  Between us, we have 13 children.  There are 9 boys and 4 girls, and they are all within a 10 year age range of each other.  All of the girls are adopted from China, and one sweet one is already waiting up in Heaven for the rest of her family…

This is our second camping trip together.  Last fall we hiked in 4 miles to set up camp, spent one night, and hiked another 4 miles out the very next day.  This time we decided to take it easy on ourselves and only hike in 2 miles, and to spend TWO nights.  This turned out to be a very good decision!  All of the kids hiked without much help or complaints, and the campsite we wanted was OPEN!  We had a fire pit and a stream next to us.  The stream had a 10 foot water fall with a small pool at the bottom where the kids could fish or swim….aka hours of entertainment!

We enjoyed lots of good food, good talks, good times watching the kids play and talk, naps, hikes, and so on.  Camping takes a lot of work, but IT IS SO WORTH IT!

For a few glimpses of what we did:

Ben searched the creek

and found salamanders

We learned how to set up camp

and whittle sticks

We attempted spearfishing

And danced to the song of birds

We stoked the fire

and loved our Daddies

We stoked the fire more….

and made fans from leaves to love on our Moms

We ate dinner close up and personal

and saw what creatures came to the creek after dusk

We ate a lot of smores

and hiked down the trail for potty breaks

Coffee is the BEST in the outdoor mornings

We explored on our own

We found glorious lizards

and were amazed by the work of beavers

We reveled in God's beauty…the Mountain Laurel

We made closer bonds while listening to FROZEN

We caught, dissected, and ate crayfish

Some of us just stuck to hot dogs

We fished as a team

and hung out to cook dinner

We were just silly and loud sometimes…it keeps the bears away

But, if not, we learned to hang our food properly

The ghost stories came out at night

and were relished by all

and made our hair stand on end

but still we slept….well 

Till next time……

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to

 the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…” 

― John Muir

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

John Lubbock

Three Years Home….

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
You get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

-Phillip Phillips

THREE Years.  THREE amazing, wonderful, hard, tearful, soul-searching, loving, life-changing years.  THREE years of learning her, learning us, finally seeing all of OUR sin, and all of us working to better ourselves.  THREE Years we would repeat in a heartbeat.

She has been HOME THREE years TODAY.

She is the youngest. She is the "What about ME?" child.  She never misses a beat and asks as many questions as possible.  Can you believe she will be in kindergarten next year?!

We have had many talks about her past…she asks hard questions already about her birth parents, her nannies, the way she looks sad when we first "got" her.  I love the hard questions.  No, I do not have answers, but I promise her she will NEVER BE ALONE in her questioning.  

I love the way her face has changed over the past few years.  She has gone from a nervous, terrified baby to an inquisitive, caring, and loving young girl with a spunky attitude!  We are so blessed to have her.

May 2011:

First Bath

Warm Hugs on First Night

Saying Goodbye to her Nanny

Visiting her hometown in China

May 2012:

Feeding the ducks

Time with Mommy

One of the gang

Her spirit is starting to shine 

May 2013:

Helping in the Kitchen

That Spirit has some SPUNK!

Conquering Hikes

May 2014:

Taking on Bugs, one butterfly at a time

Loves her FAMILY

Easter Morning

The change is amazing.  We are so thankful we said YES.  Happy 3rd FAMILY day, FLORIE! Just know you're not alone…we have made this place your HOME!

James 1:27  Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Love,

Eve

Where Did 2013 Go?

Time keeps ticking, ticking away.  It seems like yesterday that we were ringing in 2013, and that I finally was able to remember to write 2013 instead of 2012.  Yet, here we are again. Another year passed.  A year filled with memories of family, friends, goals, silliness, and love.  Time comes and goes, but we are blessed.  We get to keep the memories…you know, the ones you really want to bottle up and never forget.

Where did we spend our 2013?  A little bit here and a lot bit there!

Florie snow skied for the first time

We took in the beauty of God's world

Alex ran a fantastic and fun campaign 

There were Daddy and daughter dates

We took the kids to my old stomping grounds…minus The Palms

We learned about our nation's history in Washington D.C.

We celebrated Jesus

We stopped at the St Louis Zoo in between soccer games

They even rode a rhinoceros beetle

Ben captured Izzy in as still of life as she gets

Alex perfected his mud pie

Ben moved into the double digits

Mommy and daughter dates always involved silly selfless

I got the best Mother's Day present ever from the cutest soccer player

Alex became a Duke Tip finalist

We played bats at the playground

Jack turned 8 and loved his very, very home made cake

Hilton Head was explored from head to toe

The waves were conquered

The fish were caught and released

The parents were relaxed

The beach was never the same

Ben's butterfly garden was built….and we even had Monarch butterflies hatch!

Florie made her first 3 mile hike all by herself

Grandad taught us about the farm

Alex became a referee and started his first job at age 13

School started which is a MUST time for silly photo op

Alex won a soccer tournament, on his 13th birthday

sigh.  a grown up dinner date with our teenager

Tough but tender times were spent outdoors

Ben mastered the hamster ball

We took on a camping trip with 6 adults and 12 kids

we survived, and are even planning the next!

Mommy and boys date to see Chris Tomlin

big girl finished her soccer season with a bang

Sneaking away to the Ryman

We mastered school projects

and drew many, many pictures of Mommy and Florie :)

The Ninja, Wolverine, and the Grim Reaper defended the Peacock Fairy on Halloween night, and were paid for their work in chocolate

Marathon PRs were made

Bones were broken

We said a very hard goodbye to our sweet Sadie, almost 17 years old

We visited family when Big B was sick

But, we lost Big B, my grandad I was blessed to have in my life for 41 years.  We gave thanks that he is at peace now.  What an amazing journey he had.  I miss you Big B!

William and the boys designed paper airplanes and made surprise attacks on me

Jack patrolled the house to maintain safe borders

Ben began cooking

We loved each other

I am excited to see what 2014 brings.  Skiing, home school, soccer tournaments, swim meets, running, art lessons, rugby and trail running for William, vegan cooking, reading, daily house chores, and just playing football in our street should keep us pretty busy….and create those little moments of time called memories.  I know the time will fly by.  That is the season our family is in now.  My prayer is that we stay PRESENT in the moment.  PRESENT meaning we put down the rectangles, we sit and truly listen to each other when talking (and not think about what is next on the list or what we want to say next….the list can wait :)).  So if you come to our house, know our door is open and we love visitors, you will likely hear the words ARE YOU PRESENT?  If not, you may be asked to leave your rectangle on the counter!

Wishing you and yours a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.  Here's to the memories yet to be made!

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.  ~William Faulkner

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.