Monday, September 5, 2011
Favorite things
My favorite time of the year is approaching! With each day brings new challenges, and at times that can be completely overwhelming. I have learned that it starts with MY thinking and how I respond to certain things, so if you have positive thoughts sometimes the days are a little more manageable! SO, HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS....a cool crisp morning, the changing of the leaves, when our puppy Lucy runs with her ears flapping, a newly vacuumed room, clean kitchen counters, a hot shower, having a "date" with my hubby, a loud thunderstorm, catching up with friends, the sound of the kids laughing, B holding his muhmy, bonfires, watching the "twins" learn new things, a warm cup of chai, curling up with a warm blanket, watching the older girls laughing and enjoying life!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
WHO AM I?
So here it is the beginning of August, where did the summer go? At the beginning of summer a friend of mine suggested making a list with the kids of things we would like to do, we have done MOST of the things on the list, knocking two big ones out this weekend, the science center and lynn run! It has been a completely chaotic summer with all the kiddos here, but it has been enjoyable too.
On July 15th we got our 3rd foster child, a 16 year old girl. She has been with us for a couple week and I feellike she has been here so much longer! She is so sweet and a joy to have in our home. She has been extremelyhelpful around the house, and I am hoping some of her neatness and organizing rubs off on me. We were told we can't get anymore foster kids, apparently in the state of PA, 6 kids in a house is the limit..?? Crazy and sort of bittersweet! I am glad we know where we will be in the next year or so, we can now structure our lives around being a family of 8. When we first started the foster journey we specified we wanted the ages of 2-5, laughing at that now b/c our first referral was a 1.5 and 8 year old, the perfect fit, and then I said I would not take anyone older than the 9 year old, and God gave us a 16 year old! What can i say? sometimes His ways are not our ways, but His ways will ALWAYS be better! Praising God for His grace and mercies!
Sometimes I sit back and I look at my life and wonder how did I get here? I have 6(7) kids under my care! It has taken me 4 years to realize that being a SAHM is God's plan for me, but often I wonder why? I don't have a calm gentle spirit, I yell everyday, I am not very good at being therapeutic, sometimes I know I am handling the situation wrong, but just can't seem to stop! I always doubt that i am doing the things that these kiddos need. There is no manual on how to do any this, every day I wake up and wing it all by the seat of my pants! I mean I know God is with me, but it is still me in my sinful nature trying to raise these children up to know our Heavenly Father. I am so inadequate for the job He has given me, and at the same time I feel so blessed to be called to this! What greater joy is there in nurturing the heart of a child? Each one of my blessings is so unique, and needs to be tended to in a special way. I am humbled that God has entrusted me with these little ones, and everyday I seek His guidance on how to do it all right. I just pray that I hear him right!
I feel so closed off from the world lately, i very rarely leave my house for any "fun" adult reason and I really miss my friends, I don't seem to have time for much of anything lately and I know it is irritating for my friends that I always say I can't do something, but packing up all the rugrats is sometimes just too much right now. Once the babies are older and more self sufficient life will once again get into an easier stage. I just hope I have some friends left at the end.....LOL! Here is the verse I have been meditating on :
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
May we all serve the Lord with all our hearts and do so without grumbling or complaining!
Blessings!
On July 15th we got our 3rd foster child, a 16 year old girl. She has been with us for a couple week and I feellike she has been here so much longer! She is so sweet and a joy to have in our home. She has been extremelyhelpful around the house, and I am hoping some of her neatness and organizing rubs off on me. We were told we can't get anymore foster kids, apparently in the state of PA, 6 kids in a house is the limit..?? Crazy and sort of bittersweet! I am glad we know where we will be in the next year or so, we can now structure our lives around being a family of 8. When we first started the foster journey we specified we wanted the ages of 2-5, laughing at that now b/c our first referral was a 1.5 and 8 year old, the perfect fit, and then I said I would not take anyone older than the 9 year old, and God gave us a 16 year old! What can i say? sometimes His ways are not our ways, but His ways will ALWAYS be better! Praising God for His grace and mercies!
Sometimes I sit back and I look at my life and wonder how did I get here? I have 6(7) kids under my care! It has taken me 4 years to realize that being a SAHM is God's plan for me, but often I wonder why? I don't have a calm gentle spirit, I yell everyday, I am not very good at being therapeutic, sometimes I know I am handling the situation wrong, but just can't seem to stop! I always doubt that i am doing the things that these kiddos need. There is no manual on how to do any this, every day I wake up and wing it all by the seat of my pants! I mean I know God is with me, but it is still me in my sinful nature trying to raise these children up to know our Heavenly Father. I am so inadequate for the job He has given me, and at the same time I feel so blessed to be called to this! What greater joy is there in nurturing the heart of a child? Each one of my blessings is so unique, and needs to be tended to in a special way. I am humbled that God has entrusted me with these little ones, and everyday I seek His guidance on how to do it all right. I just pray that I hear him right!
I feel so closed off from the world lately, i very rarely leave my house for any "fun" adult reason and I really miss my friends, I don't seem to have time for much of anything lately and I know it is irritating for my friends that I always say I can't do something, but packing up all the rugrats is sometimes just too much right now. Once the babies are older and more self sufficient life will once again get into an easier stage. I just hope I have some friends left at the end.....LOL! Here is the verse I have been meditating on :
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
May we all serve the Lord with all our hearts and do so without grumbling or complaining!
Blessings!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Transition to Summer
School's out! Fawn is going onto 4th grade, Cayden first, and Bryson in preK4! I talked to Fawn's caseworker and it looks like I'll be able to homeschool her next year! I feel it would be really good for her for many reasons, she is behind some and this will help her catch up and hopefully will heal some of her wounds being in our home environment.
Let's talk about change...we had a little boy foster child come into our home for a week, he was such a sweet kid, but could not remain in our family because he was starting to act out sexually. It was really hard on me to have him removed, I felt like I was giving up on a helpless child. I mean I know it HAD to be done for my kids and for him, he is in a home with no kids now which is best for everyone, but I still cried for hours over it. I know God is in control and is able to help all who ask, so I am just praying for His hadn over little D. We are now waiting on 1 or 2 more kids, i really am enjoying being with all these little kids, their hearts are just crying out for love and understanding!
We moved E into F's room. E is in a toddler bed and F is still in her crib. The first night they were up "talking" for 2 hours. LOL! they are settling down sooner, last night it was only an hour. I can see they are more tired than usual, but i figure eventually they will figure it all out...right? They are just so cute together, they do everything together and are always so pleased to be in trouble together :) E is definitely attaching to us more, she still has moments where it is hard to comfort her, but it is amazing to see the difference in her personality from when she first arrived.
Big F has accepted Christ! Praising God that we were able to have a hand in bringing her to Him. She just loves learning about the bible and God's word. She has changed and matured so much since she came 5 months ago. She has her own room and is loving it. She asked me why couldn't we just keep our family the way it was? do we need more kids? LOL, i told her we would like 1-2 more, well it turns out she doesn't wanna share her room! I told her to pray for boys then...so she immediately started praying! She is very excited to be homeschooled, she has been asking for us to do it since she moved in. She has been dealing with alot, her BIO dad keeps telling her he is getting custody of her, and she doesn't want to live with him, she is petrified of being seperated from E.
C & B are still adjusting but they absolutely love having a big family. They are so sweet and helpful to the kids. C & F both have a hard time sharing the oldest position and there is a lot of bickering where that is concerned but most of the time they get along as any brother and sister would. Once little D left C says, mommy it's so lonely without him here...are we getting any more? I just love seeing how they are growing through this experience. Then there is B, he still marches to his own beat...sometimes i forget he is only 4, I have unrealistic expectations of him b/c he blends in with the older ones so easily. He has such a soft heart even though he seems like the tough little dude.
So our first week of summer was like this...our refridgerator broke and was without one for 10 days, our 3rd foster kid acted out and we had to have him removed, our 18 year old, called and said to come and get her car to pay for what she owes us (which covers less ) we shut her phone off the night we got her car, (she said she lost her job too) so she isn't speaking to us because somehow this is all our fault. My sitter called me and informed me she had lice and to check the kids...yup we had lice....sigh...what a fiasco that was, washing EVERYTHING and bagging all blankets, stuffed animals etc... so blessed to have two wonderful friends that helped me through all that! what a mental game it was. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though!!!
I think the hardest thing for me is the anger from the 18 year old, it breaks my heart to see her throwing her life away again. If she would've been willing to talk to us we could have worked something out, but she has so much anger in her and i guess we are the targets, we have bent over backwards for her and are left with this, it is very hard for me to come to grips with. All I can do is pray for God to lead her and protect her.
Let's talk praises!! I am so grateful in all the God is doing in our lives. Steve's business in just flourishing, it is so awesome to see how amazing our God is! I am just so blessed to be married to such an awesome man. He has such a gift to help those in need, and to meet them where they are. GWC is growing in so many awesome ways!! I can't wait to see what the future holds! I am finally at a spot in my life where I know I am doing what God wants me to do, my heart is so content and at peace. I love being a mom more than I could ever express. Um, yes i hate it some days and the kids get on my last nerve, but at the end of the day I would n't trade a second of it!
Praying for God's blessings on everyone of you that took the time to read my ramblings:)
Let's talk about change...we had a little boy foster child come into our home for a week, he was such a sweet kid, but could not remain in our family because he was starting to act out sexually. It was really hard on me to have him removed, I felt like I was giving up on a helpless child. I mean I know it HAD to be done for my kids and for him, he is in a home with no kids now which is best for everyone, but I still cried for hours over it. I know God is in control and is able to help all who ask, so I am just praying for His hadn over little D. We are now waiting on 1 or 2 more kids, i really am enjoying being with all these little kids, their hearts are just crying out for love and understanding!
We moved E into F's room. E is in a toddler bed and F is still in her crib. The first night they were up "talking" for 2 hours. LOL! they are settling down sooner, last night it was only an hour. I can see they are more tired than usual, but i figure eventually they will figure it all out...right? They are just so cute together, they do everything together and are always so pleased to be in trouble together :) E is definitely attaching to us more, she still has moments where it is hard to comfort her, but it is amazing to see the difference in her personality from when she first arrived.
Big F has accepted Christ! Praising God that we were able to have a hand in bringing her to Him. She just loves learning about the bible and God's word. She has changed and matured so much since she came 5 months ago. She has her own room and is loving it. She asked me why couldn't we just keep our family the way it was? do we need more kids? LOL, i told her we would like 1-2 more, well it turns out she doesn't wanna share her room! I told her to pray for boys then...so she immediately started praying! She is very excited to be homeschooled, she has been asking for us to do it since she moved in. She has been dealing with alot, her BIO dad keeps telling her he is getting custody of her, and she doesn't want to live with him, she is petrified of being seperated from E.
C & B are still adjusting but they absolutely love having a big family. They are so sweet and helpful to the kids. C & F both have a hard time sharing the oldest position and there is a lot of bickering where that is concerned but most of the time they get along as any brother and sister would. Once little D left C says, mommy it's so lonely without him here...are we getting any more? I just love seeing how they are growing through this experience. Then there is B, he still marches to his own beat...sometimes i forget he is only 4, I have unrealistic expectations of him b/c he blends in with the older ones so easily. He has such a soft heart even though he seems like the tough little dude.
So our first week of summer was like this...our refridgerator broke and was without one for 10 days, our 3rd foster kid acted out and we had to have him removed, our 18 year old, called and said to come and get her car to pay for what she owes us (which covers less ) we shut her phone off the night we got her car, (she said she lost her job too) so she isn't speaking to us because somehow this is all our fault. My sitter called me and informed me she had lice and to check the kids...yup we had lice....sigh...what a fiasco that was, washing EVERYTHING and bagging all blankets, stuffed animals etc... so blessed to have two wonderful friends that helped me through all that! what a mental game it was. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though!!!
I think the hardest thing for me is the anger from the 18 year old, it breaks my heart to see her throwing her life away again. If she would've been willing to talk to us we could have worked something out, but she has so much anger in her and i guess we are the targets, we have bent over backwards for her and are left with this, it is very hard for me to come to grips with. All I can do is pray for God to lead her and protect her.
Let's talk praises!! I am so grateful in all the God is doing in our lives. Steve's business in just flourishing, it is so awesome to see how amazing our God is! I am just so blessed to be married to such an awesome man. He has such a gift to help those in need, and to meet them where they are. GWC is growing in so many awesome ways!! I can't wait to see what the future holds! I am finally at a spot in my life where I know I am doing what God wants me to do, my heart is so content and at peace. I love being a mom more than I could ever express. Um, yes i hate it some days and the kids get on my last nerve, but at the end of the day I would n't trade a second of it!
Praying for God's blessings on everyone of you that took the time to read my ramblings:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)