Thank you!

To whomever mailed us a gift card anonymously today, thank you! I checked the balance for it on the Walmart website & was a little blown away! THANK YOU!

(I'm just assuming that whomever sent it is reading this....it came with a typed card that included several sweet scriptures......I hope you know who you are!!)

Also, a very big thanks to my JUMs group, Marilyn C., friends from church, family members & all the manyyyyyyy others who are giving & helping us financially, physically & with gifts of all sorts. We love you & appreciate every prayer & every gift!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Bedtime is so rich!

I'm quickly learning that any real "deep" conversations I'm going to get out of Andrew & Kourtney are going to come at bedtime. The rest of the day I get little bits & pieces, but bedtime is where the gold lies. My bio kids tend to work that way, too, but I'm finding it to be especially true with these guys.
Tonight's bedtime conversation with Kourtney was about how she misses her mommy. Actually, in the past couple of days, she's saying "I miss my parents". I keep hugging her & telling her that I miss them, too. Poor baby....I think her grief is hitting & she's really beginning to struggle emotionally. However, she's also got a pretty strong wall up, so she's apt to "crack" very slowly. The best I can do is keep talking to her & reminding her how much her mommy loved her....and that she'll see her again in Heaven. This is really hard. Dealing with the death of a parent as an adult is hard enough, but a little child who can't fully grasp the finality of it all is very tough.
Tonight she wanted to see the picture I took of Kelly in the casket. I reminded her that this was the picture of mommy from the funeral home but she was ok with that. I think just seeing mama made her feel better. She was all grins when she saw the picture. She pointed out the things in the casket with her (pictures, a stuffed animal, etc) more than she pointed out mommy, though. She pointed to the picture of herself, Andrew & Kelly taken when she was about 2 (which was also placed in the casket with Kelly) and mentioned "this is when I was a baby". She sorta looked all AROUND her mother, but not directly at her. Still, in whatever way, it was a comfort to her to see that.
I've got some pictures that my MIL found for me of Kelly, G & the kids. I'm going to get those blown up on Wednesday -- one for each of the kids & will frame it for their bedside. I don't want them to ever, ever forget their mommy. I've also ordered them each a copy of the pictures from the funeral. I don't plan on giving those to them now. I'll save them for them to have later when they're older. Seeing it is one thing, but I can't imagine that it would be good for them to stare at it all the time. I can't imagine how it would be to lose my mom & then have little left to remember her by, so I think this is really important for them. I really need to get in touch with Kelly's family & have them mail us some pictures of Kelly for the kids to keep. They need those tangible reminders of who their mom was. Also, I need to check the library & bookstores for books for children about death. If the kids are on the brink of understanding all this & are going to be fully grieving soon, I want them to have books we can read together that are written for kids. Any suggestions, anyone?? I know Maria Shriver wrote one when her mom died for her own children.
The bedtime conversation with Andrew was also very sweet, but in a different way. I've come to realize that Andrew has a very strong "tough guy" front, but eeking out from behind the big shield of that "tough guy" is a tiny little boy who is frail & frightened, who desperately wants to just be a little kid. I think I saw a foot dipping into the waters tonight. There is some major spiritual warfare surrounding this little guy, so prayer warriors, get on the battle gear. He can take all the prayers you can shell out. (Really, Kourtney can too, but I see so much more war going on around this little guy right now!)
Andrew will use whatever means necessary to stay up as long as possible at night. He'll stall & ask for 40 drinks of water, wants you to read a thousand stories to him, etc.... Turns out, he's scared of the dark! The first night he was here, he practically made fun of Samuel for being scared of the dark....and now I find out that he is, too! Tonight, as I walked out of the girls' room after spending a lot of time w/ Kourtney, he asked me to come in & say bedtime prayers with him. I asked if he meant that he wanted me to listen while he prayed & he said something to the effect of "no, you know...I want you to help me say the prayers like Kourtney's doll says". {Kourtney has a little doll who says the "Now I lay me down to sleep..." prayer when you squeeze her hand.} I told him that you don't have to use special words or say it some fancy way...that you could just talk to God...you could even say "Hey, God! Whatcha' doin?". He thought that was the funniest thing ever. We talked about how David (in Psalms) sometimes said 'God, take this enemy of mine & rip his head off & stomp on it &throw it down the pits' {which I might add, he thought was reallyyyyy cool!} and sometimes he was on his knees begging for God's mercy....and other times, he couldn't praise God enough, thankful for how good God is. He thought that all sounded really neat, so we got out his Bible & read the 1st Psalm. I told him how Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible & how it had gotten me through some really tough times of my life.
Somehow, in all that talking, we got on the topic of Heaven. When I told him about the streets of gold & the mansions that God builds for us, he was intrigued. Hearing how God would take broken bodies & make them perfect really got his interest up. We talked about how people with wheelchairs would be able to run & dance & jump & his eyes got really wide. And then I told him that Jesus would come back one day & take everyone who believes in Him up to Heaven with Him. I told him how He'd take the bodies of everyone who's already died & fix their bodies to make them new again--to perfect them. He said "even my mommy's?". Yes, baby...even your mom's. He asked "well, then where is she now?". I told him that her spirit was already in Heaven with God...and that frankly, I was a little jealous....because she was already there with God. He thought the idea of never being sick or sad again was really neat. Then he got thoughtful & said "well, when my daddy dies, where will he go? up or down?". I told him that if daddy believes in God & has asked him to be his saviour, then he'd go to Heaven too. He said something like "...but daddy's in jail." Yes, baby, we can believe in God & still make mistakes....daddy made a mistake, so he has to spend some time in jail, but God still loves him very much! I think that whole concept blew him away---that we could screw up & God would still like us.
That was about the end of our conversation before he got distracted & wanted to talk about something really deep like the stripes on the sheet on the bunk above him (where Samuel was snoring). It was bedtime, so I said goodnight one last time & left him to fall asleep....and I can tell ya, it didn't take 5 minutes for him to be out like a light!
In typing all this, I'm reminded of my favorite Eli song---here are the words:
Eli -- The Lumber Song
Said a friend to a friend one day: There was a man who passed away. Saint Peter met him at the gate. Pete said: Walk with me if you will. I'll take you to the house you built. The man said I can't wait!
They passed a mansion made of stone, but with each new house he's shown, they get smaller by degrees. Stopped in front of a 2 room shack & Pete said "Hope you're happy with that". The man said "How can this be?" And Pete said:
CHORUS: That's all the lumber. That's all the lumber. That's all the lumber you sent. Looks like the builder, man He's got your number. That's all the lumber you sent.
Man didn't know what to say...poor guy was blown away & said You mean this is what I deserve? Pete said I'm afraid so...it's too late, but now you know. You shoulda done better work. He said: You mean not lie & cheat? Help old ladies across the street? And Pete said Well, that's a start. Remember that man back there in that great big house? Found out early what it's all about & built that place with his heart! As for you...
Chorus
What if that man was me? And all failed that miserably? Show me things I don't want to see!
St. Peter, if you can, send me back to earth again. Is that something you can do? Pete said: It ain't up to me, but if it was I'd like to see how you plan to improve. He said "I'd love God, fellow man, take my wife & make a stand...be the given'est guy I can be....and when I get back to this neighborhood, there'd be a gigantic pile of wood and I'd say "What's this I see?" and you'd tell me
That's all the lumber. All that's your lumber! That's all the lumber you sent. Well the big boss will help you hammer it all together. That's all the lumber you sent.

Whew...what a weekend!

Let's see...to recap--- Savannah had the tummy bug Thurs night/Fri morning. Then I got it Sat night, then Sarah had a little touch of it Sun afternoon. In the middle of all that, Larry & Samuel got upper respiratory stuff & are on med's for that. Needless to say, our weekend wasn't all that fun. :(

This morning we took Andrew & Kourtney to see their new pediatrician (the ones our bio kids see) for a basic well-child visit. Everyone's healthy. Kourtney did notttttttt like getting shots or the finger poke. Now, I don't like it either, but boy did she not like it.....and I think most of the folks in the next building over knew she didn't like it, too. :(

Kourtney's still saying that she doesn't want to go to school every day. I hate to make her go, knowing that she doesn't want to be there, but she always seems to have fun & ends up coming home with a grin. Andrew seems to be settling in well with his class & appears to have fun at school.

I can't remember if I covered this in Friday's entry, but we have got the kids in with a local play therapist, but her first opening isn't for almost a month, so it'll be a little while before they see her. I've heard lots of good things about this lady, though, so I figure it'll be worth the wait.

I am a firm believer in the old "garbage in-garbage out" saying. Over the past few years, I've grown accustomed to only listening to Christian radio stations for this reason. I do occasionally come across another station that I listen to for a while, but usually the stop on that station is short-lived because I just don't enjoy it much anymore. I've bought the kids tapes of kids praise music in the past, but since getting our new van that only takes CDs, I was at a loss for something to play. This weekend while I was grocery shopping, I got a new Kids Ultimate Modern Worship (or something like that?) CD. Since that shopping trip, that's all that we've listened to in the van. It's neat to peek into the rearview mirror & see the kids all listening, mouthing the words & dancing along.

At church yesterday morning, Andrew went forward during children's church when they were doing an altar call for salvation. After talking to him about it, he says that he "does that now & then"......so I'm not sure that he has a grasp on what he did, but just knowing that we're leaning him in the right direction is really sweet!

I better run. Lots & lots of dishes & laundry to catch up on. Keep praying....we're making headway! :)

Sunday 2/26 AM

Last night was horrible....well, for me anyway!  We took the kids to see Doogal (which I must say was a really cute show!!).  When we left I was feeling waves of nausea pass over me.  I barely made it home before it hit......and I was sick from them til about midnight last night.  Felt horrible all evening.  Thankfully Larry jumped in & took care of baths, supper, etc for me.  What a good daddy!

Please pray with me that no one else catches this!!

Saturday 2/25 morning

Last night was fun. The kids wanted to have a slumber party. All 5 slept in the boy's room. Kourtney & Sarah on the bottom bunk, Samuel on top, Savannah & Andrew on the floor in sleeping bags. They had a ball!

Friday 2/24/06

Last night was rough. Savannah woke up about 11:30 throwing up & then proceeded to do it every 30 minutes or so throughout the rest of the night. Poor baby girl! I sure hope no one else catches it! I spent most of today holding a trashbag for her & Lysoling the house like crazy. So far, no one else seems sick.....

We went to see the doc this morning for Sarah's 5yr old check up & ear re-check (she had an infection about 2 weeks ago). Apparently she still has the chronic fluid build up (which she's had most of her life) but it's no longer infected. Whew!

Samuel said he didn't really want to go to school this morning (claiming illness) but I think he's fine. He went on to school & made it through the whole day, then came home giggly & bouncing. I bet he's ok!

Andrew had a good day. This afternoon was his first art class. He loved it! Miss Jan (our friend from church, the teacher) said he did really well. I'm still amazed at the blessings God is providing, like this art class. Truely a work of the Lord....for her to feel the Spirit telling her to give Andrew art classes....for me to have just found out 24 hours prior from a friend who worked at his old school that he really loves art.....wow. God is good. He takes care of all the details, doesn't he?

Kourtney is...well, Kourtney. She is pretty much perpetually happy & smiling. I've only seen her sad/mad/upset/whatever a couple of times since she got here. It's hard to wipe the grin off her face. Thank you, Father, for the sweet spirit of this little gal. :)

Thursday 2/23/06

I feel like a broken record here....each day is a little better than the last. Honestly, we're soo loving having the kids here. Yes, it's challenging....yes, it's really loud (ha ha!)....but still, soooo worth it.

Seeing the tough guy walls coming down with Andrew & seeing a little boy peek out from behind his shell is really a blessing to watch. Although he still wants to be the big man, it's interesting to see little boy habits & mannerisms & questions & fears come out. Kourtney continues to mention mama & her old school and all the things she misses. Although she mentions those things in passing, she never really dwells on them as if she is super sad. She moves on quickly & giggles a lot.

The kids got letters from their dad today. Kourtney liked hearing me read it to her & quickly folded it up to go hide it. When I went to tuck her into bed tonight, she was sleeping with it. Andrew took a long time to sit & really absorb his letter & seemed to be deep in thought afterward. He, too, seems to really treasure the paper that his dad touched. I told both of the kids that they could write their dad a letter this weekend & we'd put them into 1 big envelope & send it. Kourtney quickly produced one that she'd written at school today! Looks like she was already thinking of doing it!

Andrew taught Samuel to play checkers today (sort of)....Samuel was really grouchy & whiney all afternoon, so he wasn't much fun to play anything with. He told me, as I tucked him in tonight, that he didn't feel good. Gosh I hope he's not coming down with something! (I don't have time for an illness right now!!!)

Andrew asked for a journal tonight. We talked about how it might help him fall asleep to be able to write down what he's thinking/feeling when he's lying there wide awake. He seemed to like the idea.

I am strengthened by this verse right now: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you & not to bring you harm, plans of hope & a future. Jeremiah 29:11" Thank you God for sharing that verse with me right now. You are a God of details & a God of compassion. Your heart is revealed to me through your scriptures & I know that this is a verse you'd have me pray for the kids right now tonight. I know that these sweet babies have a future in you & hope in your presence with them. Lord, keep them safe from harm, keep them near us for as long as possible. I love you Lord.

I feel led to sing this song as I type, so I'll share the words: I love you Lord...and I lift my voice...to worship you, Oh my soul, rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what you hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound, in your ear.

Wed Feb 22

Another day with these sweet babies....

Today was our ARD meeting with the school for Andrew. This special ed. stuff is all new to us, so I feel blessed to have great people in the school who are so concerned & want the best for Andrew, too. They are really working to get all the services he may need provided. The principal & counselor, I'm sure, will be invaluable friends to us this year! (& of course his teacher, too!)

After school this afternoon, Savannah saw her psychiatrist. I'm glad that this appointment was already set up & due to hit when it did. She really needed to talk all of this stuff out with him. He is such a great doctor, too, and was able to pull some things out of her that I haven't heard her mention before today. Anyway, I'm really glad that happened today. I took she & Sarah with me to see him while Larry took the middle three with him.

Several friends (& Savannah's doc) have recommended a particular play therapist to work with Andrew & Kourtney. We found out today that our insurance co. has officially approved them & they are now covered! (Major praise!) This means we can go ahead & get them in with the therapist ASAP and we can get them in with our pediatrician for check ups & such as needed.

Savannah & Andrew are both having trouble getting to sleep at night, so I checked w/ her doc today. He recommended getting a bottle of melatonin at the health food store. He said that there had actually been a recent study of melatonin in kids (which is rare) & that there was a "significant number of children in the study who had good results", so I think we're going to give it a try. It's just a synthetic form of the hormone your body already produces to help get to sleep. Can't hurt.

Tonight Kourtney talked a lot about her mom. She said she's had dreams about her, but I'm not sure if these were daydreams or night-time dreams. She says that in her dreams, "mama is on the side". I think she means that she just sees her sitting & watching her. We talked about how mommy was in Heaven & watching her from there. We talked about the verse in the Bible that talks about "all the saints in Heaven cheering & getting excited when one person (on earth) puts their faith in Christ" so that must mean that the people in Heaven have some way to see what's going on down here now & then. I told her she could pray & ask God to tell her mom that she misses her. When we talked about how she'd see her again in Heaven, she quickly shook her head no & said she didn't want to go to Heaven. Why not? "Because I'll have to die first." We talked about how you don't have to be afraid to die because Heaven is a really special place with Jesus. We talked about how everyone dies eventually when we get old. She was quick to point out "mama wasn't old". I agreed & told her that mommy died because she got hurt & sometimes that happens to people who aren't old. It's sad, but it does happen. We talked for a long time about all this.

Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, Andrew came in & asked me "Do I have to call you mom?". I told him he could call me whatever he wants to...but that he doesn't have to call me mom unless he really wants to. I reminded him that he has a mommy in Heaven & no one can replace her, but that I'd always love him & treat him as if he was my own little boy---even if I wasn't called "mom". He seemed happy with that answer & went back to his room.

I think that things are all slowly coming to a head with Andrew as far as emotions go. He seems a little more preoccupied & "off in his own world" in the late evenings these last couple of days. Just like Savannah zones out with books to retreat from things that make her worry, he zones out with his Gameboy or headphones (which means those are NOT things that we could ground him from if he gets in trouble--he really needs those as his own little therapy tools right now). When he's doing that, if anyone around him talks or makes much noise at all, he really flips out. He wants silence & peace around him when he's tuning things out. I have a feeling that means that he's getting closer to actually dealing with the pain of all that's going on. I feel so bad for him, but at the same time, I know it's a process he'll have to go through. It's so tragic that he has to deal with this stuff at all........but I'm glad that Larry & I can be there to help him through it. Poor baby!

Tonight at church, he went into Worship World (the children's church room) for the initial part of the Wed. evening activities, but just like he did at school, when they all went into the choir room, he got really nervous. He asked if he could just stand in the hall & watch, so the teachers let him. I came out of our room (right across the hall) at one point & found him standing in the hall watching the choir class. I know that despite his tough guy exterior, he's really a shy kid who's terrified of all the new things in his life right now. Heck, I'm 30 & the idea of that many things happening & changing in my life all at once would scare the beejeebers out of me, too! I'm sure that he'll warm up to the choir class & will probably be willing to go in next week. Keep that in your prayers. :)

Bedtime with Andrew tonight was very sweet again. When I was hugging everyone goodnight, he was laying on his back & held out his arms real wide as if to ask for a hug. I leaned down to hug him & as I did, he wrapped his arms & legs around me like a little monkey. I said "Hey, do I get a monkey hug tonight?" & he just giggled & said yes. So I plopped down with him giving him plenty of squeezes & started blowing raspberries on his cheek. He started laughing like crazy & acted so surprised by it. I asked if that was the first time anyone had ever done that & he said yes through the giggles, so I proceeded to give him "zerberts" all over his cheeks & shoulders. (Zerbert is what Bill Cosby called it on the Cosby show.) Honestly, I think it's the first time I've heard the kiddo giggle like that all week! Bedtime is growing on me.....I think it's my favorite time of day with the little man!

Praises: The insurance co. added the kids without questions! We got Andrew registered to play soccer today & seems really psyched about it. Art class is only a couple days away...he's so excited! Kourtney had a better time at school today (she's been saying that she didn't really want to go).

All in all, another great day!

Tuesday Feb 21

Another good day. With each passing day, things seem to get smoother & work out a little easier. The kids continue to progress in understanding our household routines, rules, etc. Today's entry is mostly about Andrew.

Slowly....very slowly I'm seeing Andy's walls coming down. He's a really agressive, vocal kiddo when he's upset, but the rest of the time he is real quiet. Today he's been a little more so than he was previously. He seems to be growing a little more attached to me as time passes...sort of a quiet recognition of me as a "mama type person" in his life. It's hard to explain, but there is something sweet developing here, and I really love it. :) I helped him with his homework this afternoon & watching his eyes light up as he "got it" was so neat. I helped him take a bath tonight & wash his hair. He's such a grown up man in a little boy's body....but helping him bathe didn't seem to phase him a bit. Tonight when I was telling the boys goodnight, I bent down & kissed his cheek & gave him a little squeeze. I don't want to force myself on him being all lovey dovey if he's not ready for that. I stood up & hugged/kissed Samuel (on the top bunk). Samuel said "Did you give Andrew a kiss?". I said yes, but Andrew corrected me...he wanted an actual kiss! I went back & was acting silly, smothering him with kisses all over his cheeks when he grabbed onto me & hugged me close, almost like he was scared & needed a hug. I sat there with him & just hugged for a little while. I waited for him to be the one to let go.....when he did, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Sweet boy.......

He's been coughing some, but I figure moving into a new house with new laundry soap & stuff will take their little systems a while to get used to, so I'm not too worried about it yet. I went in to give him some cough/cold medicine tonight. He was sitting up in bed, just staring into space like he was lost in thought. I asked what he was thinking about & he said nothing. I asked if he was thinking about his mom & dad & he said no. I asked if he thinks about them much & he just shrugged. I told him how much I love him & that I was there if he decided he wants to talk about his mom & dad. He gave me a half-grin & nodded before laying back down.

By the inspiration of little Andrew, I was listening to Nichole Nordeman's Brave CD tonight. Here are the words to her title song on this CD. Sure seems fitting:

The gate is wide, the road is paved in moderation. The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in. Welcome to the middle ground. You're safe and sound and Until now it's where I've been. 'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything. But it's been love, your love, that cuts the strings. CHORUS: So long status quo. I think I just let go. You make me want to be brave. The way it always was is no longer good enough. You make me want to be brave. Brave, brave. I am small and I speak when I'm spoken to, but I am willing to risk it all. I say your name, just your name and I'm ready to jump, even ready to fall....Why did I take this vow of compromise? Why did I try to keep it all inside? CHORUS I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame. Every storm will start with just a drop of rain. But if you believe in me, that changes everything! CHORUS

I love you, Andrew. Biological or not, you will always be my sweet boy.

Monday 2/20/06 PM

It's really late....nearly 1am, so I'm going to make this quick! ::yawn::

The day ended on a better note than it began. Andrew made a few friends in school & ended up deciding that Mrs. M is pretty nice. He came home with a tree to plant, so he thought it was cool to go dig a hole in the backyard with Larry. All in all, it was a good day except for getting him into the classroom this morning.

Kourtney had a good day. She's got a field trip tomorrow! Talk about a cool 2nd day of school! She's going to see Curious George & then they'll go to one of the local churches & eat lunch and take a nap before heading back to the school. I hope she has fun!

Sarah & I spent the morning making blueberry muffins together and playing Wack-a-mole. (Thank you Rina! She loves it!) Poor baby has been getting little attention this week, so having mommy 1 on 1 for the first time in a few days was good for her!

Gosh I'm sleepy. I need to run. Sorry for a short post. Will write more tomorrow night.

School enrollment

This morning we enrolled the kids in school. We took Samuel & Savannah & then went in to register Kourtney first. She did really well, seemed a little bit nervous, but basically jumped in head first & didn't seem to be scared. Andrew was a different story. Poor thing...he was scared & started crying in the hallway outside his new classroom. I felt so awful walking away & leaving him with the principal & counselor. Thankfully Mrs. T (Savannah's 2nd grade teacher) was standing there & offered to take him to her room for a while to see some pictures of Savannah from when she was in her class. He liked that idea & went with her. We tried to disappear at that point. We've called back twice since then to see how he's doing & they've said he's doing ok. He did finally go into his classroom & his new teacher said he's done fine since he got into the room. Apparently the hardest part was just going in.

Keep the kids in your prayers. I know this has to be hard on them.......

Needs list--updated again!

I'm going to start deleting some of the "covered" needs after I let you know they were taken care of so that you don't feel like you're reading the same list over & over!

Needs:

towel hooks to install in bedrooms for kids (1 hook for each child)

expenses/labor to add a garbage disposal to the kitchen sink A friend is buying & installing this for us tomorrow!! Thank you John!!!!!

attorney fees

full-sized sheets for Andrew's bed

Prayer needs:

smooth transition into new schools

prayer warriors who are willing to take on one of the children or one of us as their personal "project" & the willingness of those warriors to commit to daily prayers long-term for that particular family member

the salvation & knowledge of Christ as Saviour for the new kiddos, spiritual walk for all of us who will interact with them to be good examples & good representatives of Jesus to them

Good teachers, friends @ school & church for the kids

Praises:

So many needs have been filled...so many prayers already answered! Where can I possibly begin? Thank you Lord for your unconditional love for us, your ultimate provision of all our needs before we even ask. Thank you for preparing our hearts for the idea of adoption before this ever came about. Thank you for the awesome church we are a part of & all the loving people who've reached out to help & all the sweet family members & friends who are giving & sharing of their time to help make this transition smooth. You are soooooo good! Praise you Jesus!

What a difference 24 hours make!

Last night, I was so physically & emotionally exhausted that I sort of collapsed into bed about 10:20 & passed out. I slept about 8 1/2 hours & then needed a nap after church today! Boy was I tired! I guess the week of preparations finally caught up with me. Larry & I had been staying up til 1-2am every night this week working on things or just not sleeping b/c we were so keyed up about all that was going on.
Yesterday afternoon & last night was hard. The kids were not all that cooperative & testing all the boundaries with us. Each step of the way was a struggle, but we did eventually get them bathed & into bed last night. I had a moment of "what have I gotten myself into???" before I hit the bed last night.
But ya know....God is so good! This morning we got everyone up, dressed & ready for church on time (wow!). The kids really liked our church & had a good time w/ their teachers & new friends. I think Kourtney & Sarah stuck together like glue the whole time. Andrew was in Worship World w/ Savannah & Samuel, so he had a couple of buddies, too. He thought it was really neat that our children's pastor played a clip from Star Wars in part of his lesson today.
The service this morning was really good for me. I needed that refueling & had myself a good cry in church. A good friend reminded me of one of my favorite verses: "Don't grow weary in doing what is right, for at the proper time you will reap the harvest if you don't give up!" (Galations 6:9) God really used her mentioning that to remind me of another verse--the one in Proverbs about "training up a child in the way he should go....". I know that this task of raising two new children will be both hard & a veryyyy big blessing. Just watching their little personalities change in the past 24 hours has been so sweet.
I was a little nervous about what the afternoon would bring---we usually have quiet time & take a nap on Sunday afternoons, but I wasn't sure if that would work out today. Things ended up going smoothly! Sarah & Kourtney went into their room for a little down time, Samuel went into the boy's room. Andrew brought his box of dominoes & Matchbox cars to the living room & watched George of the Jungle while Savannah played on the computer. Larry & I actually took a short nap...maybe an hour? It was nice to feel like things worked as smoothly as "normal". :)
This afternoon I gave Kourtney a Bible that a friend from church had bought for her. It's got a soft red leather cover with a neat little fold-over strap to close it with a big flower on it. She LOVES it. Watching her carry it around like her most prized possesion was so sweet! She clearly adored her new Bible & teasingly told the boys that they couldn't touch it b/c it was a "girl Bible". :)
Once Andrew realized that Kourtney had her own Bible, he wanted to know where his was. I pulled it out of our bedroom (a gift from the same friend who bought Kourtney's) & he was amazed that some stranger had bought it for him. He started flipping through the pages & that it was really cool! He took it to church with him tonight & was really interested in trying to find the verses the pastor was using in his sermon.
Watching him get so excited about his Bible & seeing Kourtney tote hers around was so sweet! Thank you Don & Melody! You've truely given them a great gift!
Today has been so much sweeter on an emotional level, too. When Kourtney first arrived yesterday, it was clear that she didn't want to talk to much too much. I guess she felt like I was the intruding "mama" & she wanted to be left alone. By the time she went to bed tonight, I was getting hugs & kisses. This afternoon, she asked me to come watch a movie with her. We snuggled up in Larry's big recliner under a blanket & watched Alvin & the Chipmunks for a while. She's a good snugglebug! :) I saw a lot more smiles on her face today, too! She mentioned her mom several times today..just very matter of factly...but she brings her up. We are trying to make sure & include G & Kelly in daily conversations so that they're never forgotten or lost in their little memories.
Andrew was the one who provided more of a struggle yesterday, but today he was a doll. He's still a wild monkey boy.....but I have another one of those & he seems to fit right in! :) He responded a lot better to our corrections today than he did yesterday & was willing to go along with whatever we needed him to do. I can see the ADD stuff in the early morning (when his med hasn't had time to kick in yet) & late evening (when it's worn off) the most. As long as you stay nearby & give him frequent (ok, constant...) reminders of what he's supposed to be doing, he gets it done, but Lord help us if he gets distracted. Tonight he sat so still & quiet in church...it was obvious that Kelly had him trained well on church behavior! I told him tonight how proud I was of him. He did better than Samuel has EVER done in church! Way to go, Andrew! It was interesting to me to see his little personality come out more today. He is such a sweet, provider, protector type of kid. I can tell he'll be a good daddy one day!
Oh....and a neat thing happened at church tonight!!! One of Andrew's teachers in their last school told us that Andrew is really good at art. We have a lady in the singles dept who teaches private art classes in her home. She walked up to me tonight & said "God told me I need to give one of your new kiddos free art lessons....do you think one of them might be interested??" I almost cried! Yes.....we'd love that! Andrew seemed to think it was a really cool idea, too! He'll go every Friday from 3:30-5:00 starting this week!
Keep us in your prayers as we enroll the kids in school tomorrow. Andrew says that he's a little nervous. Kourtney doesn't seem to be the least bit concerned, even looking forward to it! She's a brave girl--in so many ways! We didn't realize it until Fri when we were withdrawing the kids from their old school that Andrew was in some special ed. classes. Since we didn't have that info earlier, I'm hoping that it won't throw a monkey wrench into getting him enrolled here. He seems to recognize all his numbers, but doesn't appear to be reading yet at all. Otherwise, he seems to be on-track academics wise.
Thank you for all the continued prayers! We can feel them. God has been so faithful (see the updated needs list in the next post).

:::yawn::: Boy I'm tired!

The kids arrived today about 2 or 3.......can't remember which. It's only been a few hours & I'm totally wiped out! LOL! I guess it'll get easier as they learn how things work here & get into the routine of things.

We took a little family picture right after they got here, so if you want to see it, email me. (Lizreeves2@aol.com)

Larry's dad/grandmother stayed a little while before going home & leaving us with the kids. They had told us a couple days ago that they both like pizza, so that's what I made for supper. I bought 2 large-sized frozen pizzas & cooked them. Turns out, there wasn't enough for Larry & I!! We ordered 1 pizza for us from the local pizza place & just watched the kids eat til it got here. They all wanted to watch different things on TV, so we played a movie instead.

Boy can we tell that Andrew's ADHD med was wearing off! Oh boy! He really is a very sweet boy, but he was sooo hyper & busy tonight. I know that a lot of it is just being in a new house with all new things & he wanted to explore EVERYTHING, but I think a lot of it had to do with his medicine wearing down. He loves the bedroom he's sharing w/ Samuel & loves all the billion toys in their room. Samuel is adoring him, too! Nothing like having a partner in crime. I can tell we're going to have to keep the reigns on those two or we'll have little boys swinging from the ceiling fan blades soon!

Kourtney was a little withdrawn & quiet at first. She would talk to Larry & smile for him, but really didn't want to talk to me. I figure that it felt a little like someone was trying to replace her mama....and I don't want to do that at all. We're going to talk about Kelly & show her pictures as often as possible. But at the same time, I want her to love me, too. By bedtime, she was a little more relaxed. She told me several times that she misses her daddy & mentioned things her mom did for her several times. She is a sweet, sweet little girl!

Bedtime has been a bit of a struggle....trying to get everyone to lay down & shut up!!! We'll just continue to work with them. Once they all get used to being here, it won't seem as exciting as it does now & they'll lay down more easily, I bet!

Anyway.......that's about it for tonight. I'm am soooo tired. I'm going to go collapse now. :)

Thanks for all the love & prayers today. Keep 'em coming!

Prayer Request for our bio kids

I can see the regression already....Sarah says she's excited about Kourtney coming to live with her, yet already has mentioned how "they'll get all your attention...". She's crying & whining more, too.....

Last night, Savannah was crying & saying that she couldn't wait for things to "get back to normal" around here. I tried to explain that this week has been very hectic & that I realized how hard all of this had been..........but pretty soon we'd have a "new normal". I hope she understands that.

Samuel doesn't seem to be phased by things at all. Heck, he's just happy to finally have another boy to play with.

They are due here within the next couple of hours....pray for all of us to welcome them smoothly.

Today's the day!

It's after midnight.......so today is officially the big day!

We have Sarah's birthday party at 10:00 this morning, then A&K will arrive this afternoon. Can't wait to get them here! I'm so excited. (But with the same sort of anticipation that I had while pregnant with Sarah....sort of a "oh my gosh" sort of excitement!)

Friday 2/17/06

Last night we set up the 2nd set of bunks in the girls' room. This morning, my mom & dad came over to help get the bedroom situated & cleaned up. What a HUGE help that was! Lots of sweat went into the room & I'm proud of how it's turned out! Thanks mama & daddy!!

My sister kept the kids today while we went to withdraw Andrew & Kourtney from school in Elkhart. I'm not sure what I expected, but I expected it to be harder than it was. Fortunately, when we walked in the door, the receptionist said something to the effect of "They're here to withdraw the kids." They knew we were coming & had been given a heads-up by Larry's dad, so they had every piece of paper we could possibly need sitting there ready. All we had to do was sign 1 piece of paper & we were done. Whew! We picked the kids up & took them on home. It was about 30 minutes early, but we figured we'd take them back to Larry's dad's house & spend a little time with them. It was fun to interact with the sweet kids & see how they like to spend their afternoons.

Kourtney & I went through their movies (they have a TON of them!) trying to decide which ones they want to bring with them. Pretty much everything they own is good stuff...only a few that I'll have to turn down if they show up with them. Hopefully it won't be an issue & they'll forget about those "if-fy" movies. Kourtney wanted to watch cartoons, so I plopped down onto the couch with her. They are allowed to watch one particular cartoon that we don't let our kids watch, but we sat there & watched it today. I figure "one last time" wouldn't hurt.

Andrew came in & was watching with us when an ad for a Spongebob movie came on. He said he wants to see it. It's supposed to come on in the theaters next week I think. He asked if we could go see it. We talked about how expensive it'll be to take 7 people to the movie & how we'd have to use it as a special treat now & then. He promptly ran off to bring in his piggy bank to see if he had enough money. What a sweetie! After counting his money with him, Larry played a couple hands of dominoes with him. He's a good kid!

When we left, they seemed really excited about moving in tomorrow. I'm encouraged by their behavior. In the past, they've been a little bitof a discipline problem, so it's good to see them acting so sweetly. That's not to say that we won't see any issues arise later, but for now, I'm encouraged!

The asst. principal was talking to the kids before they left today & asking who lives at their new house. They were all grins saying that they'd have "2 sisters & 1 brother". :) I almost cried hearing them call their cousins siblings!

God is just sooo good. He continues to astound me with the way He's encouraged me this past week. Last week in church, He showed me a vision of Andrew being baptised right there in our church's baptistry. I didn't mention it to Larry, but the following morning, Larry had the EXACT same vision! All throughout the week, He has provided meals, friends who called to love on us at just the right moment, music that has lifted me, hands to help with physical projects that needed to be done, etc. Tonight at Walmart, I bought a Nicole C. Mullin CD & was listening to it on the way home. As I listened (ok, well, let's be honest, I was squealing it at the top of my lungs), I couldn't help but cry the most profoundly intense tears of joy. My REDEEMER LIVES! As I cried, I was praying that God will help us teach these children, that He will give us supernatural strength, that He will show Himself to them immediately when they walk through our doors....and thanking Him for the oppurtunity to love my niece & nephew in such a special way!

Thank you Jesus! You are soooo good!

List updated again!

Needs:

towel hooks to install in bedrooms for kids (1 hook for each child)

curtains/spring tension rods/tie backs for girls' closet doors (2) --- we have had a couple of people offer us the rods, so that is covered & the curtains were bought today!

shoes for Andrew & Kourtney (would require taking them shopping, so maybe a gift card?)

clothes for both kids--have had offers from multiple people & we're already getting bags of goodies dropped off on our doorstep....so I think we're ok for now. Give us some time to sort through what we've received & I'll post if we need anything more. THANK YOU to all who've given

school supplies ---backpacks have been covered, school has offered the supplies for Andrew, won't know til Monday what Kourtney needs

storage building & bathroom)---friends from Larry's old job have offered supplies, labor, etc to build these. Not sure when that will happen, but it looks like this is mostly covered!

expenses/labor to add a garbage disposal to the kitchen sink

attorney fees

children's Bibles for the kids---purchased

pillowcases

single swing to replace a broken one on our swingset---covered!

someone to help Larry assemble/install a set of bunk beds for the girl's room--call him for a time on this ---done!

Prayer needs:

a smooth transition into our home -- a new place with new boundaries & new rules on TV watching, etc, etc, etc.....

smooth transition into new schools

provision of all needs

prayer warriors who are willing to take on one of the children or one of us as their personal "project" & the willingness of those warriors to commit to daily prayers long-term for that particular family member

the salvation & knowledge of Christ as Saviour for the new kiddos, spiritual walk for all of us who will interact with them to be good examples & good representatives of Jesus to them

Good teachers, friends @ school & church for the kids

New: easy withdrawal from old school system today---UPDATE: this went as smooth as smooth can be!!!! Amazingly well!

2/17/06

Last night we set up the 2nd set of bunks in the girls' room. This morning, my mom & dad came over to help get the bedroom situated & cleaned up. What a HUGE help that was! Lots of sweat went into the room & I'm proud of how it's turned out! Thanks mama & daddy!!

My sister kept the kids today while we went to withdraw Andrew & Kourtney from school in Elkhart. I'm not sure what I expected, but I expected it to be harder than it was. Fortunately, when we walked in the door, the receptionist said something to the effect of "They're here to withdraw the kids." They knew we were coming & had been given a heads-up by Larry's dad, so they had every piece of paper we could possibly need sitting there ready. All we had to do was sign 1 piece of paper & we were done. Whew! We picked the kids up & took them on home. It was about 30 minutes early, but we figured we'd take them back to Larry's dad's house & spend a little time with them. It was fun to interact with the sweet kids & see how they like to spend their afternoons.

Kourtney & I went through their movies (they have a TON of them!) trying to decide which ones they want to bring with them. Pretty much everything they own is good stuff...only a few that I'll have to turn down if they show up with them. Hopefully it won't be an issue & they'll forget about those "if-fy" movies. Kourtney wanted to watch cartoons, so I plopped down onto the couch with her. They are allowed to watch one particular cartoon that we don't let our kids watch, but we sat there & watched it today. I figure "one last time" wouldn't hurt.

Andrew came in & was watching with us when an ad for a Spongebob movie came on. He said he wants to see it. It's supposed to come on in the theaters next week I think. He asked if we could go see it. We talked about how expensive it'll be to take 7 people to the movie & how we'd have to use it as a special treat now & then. He promptly ran off to bring in his piggy bank to see if he had enough money. What a sweetie! After counting his money with him, Larry played a couple hands of dominoes with him. He's a good kid!

When we left, they seemed really excited about moving in tomorrow. I'm encouraged by their behavior. In the past, they've been a little bitof a discipline problem, so it's good to see them acting so sweetly. That's not to say that we won't see any issues arise later, but for now, I'm encouraged!

The asst. principal was talking to the kids before they left today & asking who lives at their new house. They were all grins saying that they'd have "2 sisters & 1 brother". :) I almost cried hearing them call their cousins siblings!

God is just sooo good. He continues to astound me with the way He's encouraged me this past week. Last week in church, He showed me a vision of Andrew being baptised right there in our church's baptistry. I didn't mention it to Larry, but the following morning, Larry had the EXACT same vision! All throughout the week, He has provided meals, friends who called to love on us at just the right moment, music that has lifted me, hands to help with physical projects that needed to be done, etc. Tonight at Walmart, I bought a Nicole C. Mullin CD & was listening to it on the way home. As I listened (ok, well, let's be honest, I was squealing it at the top of my lungs), I couldn't help but cry the most profoundly intense tears of joy. My REDEEMER LIVES! As I cried, I was praying that God will help us teach these children, that He will give us supernatural strength, that He will show Himself to them immediately when they walk through our doors....and thanking Him for the oppurtunity to love my niece & nephew in such a special way!

Thank you Jesus! You are soooo good!

Updated Needs list

Needs:

towel hooks to install in bedrooms for kids (1 hook for each child)

curtains/spring tension rods/tie backs for girls' closet doors (2) --- we have had a couple of people offer us the rods, so that is covered, just need the curtains/tie backs now

shoes for Andrew & Kourtney (would require taking them shopping, so maybe a gift card?)

clothes for Andrew: 8 regular pants, 8/10 shirts, socks, underwear

clothes for Kourtney: 6X to 7, socks, underwear

school supplies ---backpacks have been covered, school has offered the supplies for Andrew, won't know til Monday what Kourtney needs

storage building (backyard)---friends from Larry's old job have offered supplies, labor, etc to build this & a 2nd bathroom. Not sure when that will happen, but it looks like this is mostly covered!

expenses/labor to add a 2nd bathroom to the house

expenses/labor to add a garbage disposal to the kitchen sink

attorney fees

children's Bibles for the kids---have had several people inquire about this

pillowcases

single swing to replace a broken one on our swingset---covered!

someone to help Larry assemble/install a set of bunk beds for the girl's room--call him for a time on this ---done!

Prayer needs:

a smooth transition into our home -- a new place with new boundaries & new rules on TV watching, etc, etc, etc.....

smooth transition into new schools

provision of all needs

prayer warriors who are willing to take on one of the children or one of us as their personal "project" & the willingness of those warriors to commit to daily prayers long-term for that particular family member

the salvation & knowledge of Christ as Saviour for the new kiddos, spiritual walk for all of us who will interact with them to be good examples & good representatives of Jesus to them

Good teachers, friends @ school & church for the kids

New: easy withdrawal from old school system today

A note from Larry

Things are running full blast. We know that God is good. Unlesssomething dynamic changes, we will move the kids in to our houseSaturday evening after they visit their dad in jail. My dad andgrandmother are bringing them over. We will have the beds set uptonight. Friday afternoon we are going to withdraw them from the schoolwhere they are and Monday morning we will enroll them here.
Several people have asked what the church is doing to help. A LOT!!!!They have allowed me to be off as much as I need to take care of things.They have allowed me to be absent from services because I was with myniece and nephew. The church is also working to get Andrew and Kourtneyadded to the health insurance. This is worth more than you know forthese kids. The church has been very helpful to us in this season.They have offered to do more if we need it.Everyone's prayers and encouragement has been overwhelming. There havebeen so many phone calls of encouragement and I appreciate it. If I amnot able to answer all of them, or I take a while in calling you backplease do not take that as we did not appreciate your call.

Needs list

Needs:

towel hooks to install in bedrooms for kids (1 hook for each child)

curtains/spring tension rods/tie backs for girls' closet doors (2)

shoes for Andrew & Kourtney (would require taking them shopping, so maybe a gift card?)

clothes for Andrew: 8 regular pants, 8/10 shirts, socks, underwear

clothes for Kourtney: 6X to 7, socks, underwear

school supplies

storage building (backyard)

expenses/labor to add a 2nd bathroom to the house

expenses/labor to add a garbage disposal to the kitchen sink

attorney fees

children's Bibles for the kids

pillowcases

single swing to replace a broken one on our swingset

someone to help Larry assemble/install a set of bunk beds for the girl's room--call him for a time on this

Prayer needs:

a smooth transition into our home -- a new place with new boundaries & new rules on TV watching, etc, etc, etc.....

smooth transition into new schools

provision of all needs

prayer warriors who are willing to take on one of the children or one of us as their personal "project" & the willingness of those warriors to commit to daily prayers long-term for that particular family member

the salvation & knowledge of Christ as Saviour for the new kiddos, spiritual walk for all of us who will interact with them to be good examples & good representatives of Jesus to them

Good teachers, friends @ school & church for the kids