Tis the season...

...for field trips!!  

Honestly, I am not a big fan of field trips.  I think it stems back to my two years of teaching 2nd grade.  Field trips were not fun for me as a teacher.  They felt like way more work than the benefit.  I love the opportunity to interact with my children, but I often find that being in charge of other people's children makes the experience not so fun for both my child and me.  It works best for me when I know another mom going so we can lead our groups together.  

 I am willing to acknowledge that the field trips that our school chooses have purpose behind them and provide opportunities for my kids that we might not take advantage of otherwise.  My goal each year is to go on at least one field trip with each child.  Abby had one last week.  Lauren has one this week.  I have already been on field trips with them this year (Abby - "Charlotte's Web" play, Lauren - Cog Railway-my all time least favorite field trip) so I could check those off my list.  Sam's class is only doing one field trip this year.  Since Rick had never been on one with him, and I have done this one, Rick went(yay for me!).  This field trip was to the Littleton Museum.  Basically, it helps the kids see life in the 1800s.  It is all outdoors and they have actual Pioneer homes to walk through along with all the other buildings you would find on a homestead during those time periods.  It is amazing to see the difference between the 1860 home and the 1890 home.  There were some major advances in that 30 year period.  It is one of my favorite field trips.  

These two got to be alone for the day because there were so many parents going. 

Rick said he talked nonstop the whole time.  

 Doing some farming

 Don't you think this kid should do some acting?

 Sam's injury from a horrible peacock attack

 They had nice weather, and it turned out to be a great day for Sam and Rick.

Yesterday, Sam had India day.  I just didn't have it in me to come up with a costume for him since it wasn't required.  Remember it is "hair week" around here.  When I woke up, Sam was dressed like this:

Cody helped him put this costume together.  Sam was happy.  I was overjoyed.   So, there you have it!

"Hair" We Go Again!

This is "hair week."  I am taking Laila's braids out.  She gets new braids on Friday.  Each afternoon, I give up her nap and "my time" to take out braids.  It will most likely take all week.  If you see her during the week, she will look like this:

 I am trying to keep her fashionable despite the fact that her hair will be in various stages of braided/unbraided.  Surprisingly, it all seems to fall on the same week.  Cody, Lauren, Abby, and I are all also needing hair cuts.  Speaking of hair, Sam is also trying out some new "hair".  He came to me like this on Saturday:

 It is amazing what you can do with a Sharpie and a piece of tape.  Funny boy.

If I am honest, this has been a rough week.  We are walking through the transition of Rick's new job and our new church with the kids, and it is challenging.  We have had lots of really good conversations and the opportunity to talk to them about some really major life lessons.  If they can grasp even in the slightest some of these concepts at such a young age, what a blessing it is going to be in their lives as they grow older.  Change is hard and affects each one of them in a different way.  It is truly a bittersweet time, but that is how most of life is, isn't it?  Happy and sad all mingled together and intertwined in such a way that you have conflicting emotions that can literally change by the minute.  I would so appreciate prayers for wisdom in how to walk through this transition with each one in the way that accomplishes the growth of character that God has for each of them.

Over the weekend, I was making truffles for an adoption party.  I use the "cake ball" (by the way, I hate that name so I call them truffles) recipe to put together about 250 truffles.  I grabbed a big chunk of chocolate cake to crumble up, and then I looked down and saw this:

I promise that I in no way tried to create this.  It just happened and once again, I am reminded of Swaziland, our friends, and all the children.  Who knows what God is up to.  We are making progress with the setting up of Beyond Survival.  Every week something new reminds us that we are on the right track, but it is such a slow process.  If nothing else, these little "Africas" I see everywhere are God's whispers to me that He is still at work and  remind me to pray for those who are on the front lines there every day.  We love all of you, friends, who are daily living out the calling to minister to the Swazi people.  You are not forgotten, and you are not alone.

Now, I must go unbraid some more hair and watch some really cool kids' shows!

Antibiotics, Adoption, Manners, Moths, and Songs

As always, there has been a lot happening around here this week.  I think I am going to share in bullet points!!

~After my last post, I am pretty sure that I am going to get a call from some children's record company because of the amazing hand washing song "Scrubby Dubbers," that I wrote.  I thought I would share another one of our "special" songs to show the high caliber of music that exists in our house.  This is the "Hair Rinsing Song." 

"Look up to the sky,

Way up high.

Way up high,

I am going to look up to the sky.

Look up in the air,

So I can rinse hair."

I know, how did I live this long without being discovered?  If you could hear it to music, you would be so amazed.  : )

~We have been so overwhelmed by the responses to our big news.  Thank you so much for all of the kind words, excitement, and encouragement you have given to us.  It is amazing to have a community of people celebrating this new calling with us.  It is a HUGE transition for our family.  As I shared, Rick begins on May 7, but we decided as a family to start attending the church this coming Sunday in order to help the kids transition.  Once Rick actually begins work, he will have responsibilities that would keep him from riding with us and being available as we settle the kids into their new classes.  Your prayers are so appreciated!!

~Colorado is being bombarded by attack moths.  They are everywhere.  They are gross.  They are crunchy(that is my criteria for bugs that I don't like).  My kids are terrified of them.  We can't even open our windows in most of the house because they figure out ways to get in.  How long will this last??

~I have been working with Isaiah on his manners.  He really needs to learn some social skills in this area.  He is loud.  He believes that EVERYTHING he has to say is more important than anything else that could possibly be going on in the world.  This leads to many interruptions in conversations.  This also leads to him being very impatient.  He is too rough physically.  A lot of it is his personality.  Some of it has to do with not being taught these boundaries until he was almost 2 1/2 years old.  Every time we go to someone's house, he asks for food.  I have been teaching him that it is not nice to do that.  So, we set a new guideline.  If someone offers him food, he can accept, but he does not need to go into everyone's home asking for food.  Yesterday, he was at Laura Fowler's house(He literally calls her Laura Fowler every time he speaks to her.  It is really cute, and she likes it a lot.)  I reminded him about asking for food.  When I got back, he said, "Laura Fowler offered me food."  I was so proud that he didn't ask.  Then, Laura and I were discussing it and this is actually how it went down, "Laura Fowler, if you offer me some food I can have some."  Yes, it was cute.  That boy always finds a way around the system.  Back to square one!!

~Cody, Lauren, and Sam have all had strep throat in the last week.  Abby's migraines have been off the charts.  Isaiah has needed to do breathing treatments for a cough he is developing.  Laila is the only one that hasn't had some medical issue.  I have successfully given 2 of the kids their antibiotics incorrectly.  I basically overdosed Cody the first day by giving him  his pill twice rather than the prescribed once a day.  I discovered today that I have only been giving Lauren half of her medicine each day.  She was supposed to take 2 pills twice a day.  Instead, she has been taking 1 pill twice a day.  I really think I might need to hire a personal assistant soon!!

~I want to end this post with a beautiful story.  This is a story about a family who is very dear to me.  Over the last 2+ years this family has followed God's calling to foster/adoption.  If you know anything about that journey, you know it is not easy.  Theirs has been exceptionally painful at times.  I have watched them love over 10 children in this timeframe.  They have sacrificed and loved so well.  Yesterday, we got to stand with them along with at least 75 other people and watch them adopt their sweet, spunky, sassy little Amiah Eliah Hope.  This little girl was meant for this family.  This family has been waiting for this little girl.  I remember the day at church that I knelt with Ellen at the altar as we prayed about bringing this child into her home in the midst of some very difficult situations.  None of us had any idea what would happen over the next year and a half.  Yesterday was the culmination, celebration, and completion of the work that God has been doing.  

Presenting:

The Goad Family(and the judge)

It was so touching to watch each member of the family commit to Amiah to love, protect, and cherish her in their own unique way.  I can't wait to see the plans God has for this little girl.  Isaiah had his moments at the adoption as well.  At one point, the judge asked if one of them wanted to introduce the family members that were present.  Isaiah raised his hand, because, of course, the judge was speaking directly to him.  When it was over, Isaiah said, "I almost cried that was so beautiful."  I don't know if Laila and Isaiah remember their court date or fully understand the significance of that moment, but Laila was hugging and kissing me the whole time.  It was like she got it.

Congratulations, Goad Family!!  We love you!!

Clean Hands

I was Laila's washing hands, and I just had to stop and take a picture.  I love those sweet little hands. 

They are so much bigger than they were 3 years ago when we met her.  She has grown and blossomed so much.  She is my little cheerleader always encouraging me throughout the day.  She will say, "Mommy, you are beautiful.  Mommy, your voice is beautiful.  Mommy, I love you so much."  Truly she says these kinds of things all day long.  Not to mention all the hugs and kisses she so freely gives.

Whenever we wash hands, we sing one of two songs.  One I came up with called, "Scrubby Dubbers."  It goes like this, "Scrubby dubbers, scrubby little dubbers."  I know, brilliant, right?  I don't know how I came up with that, but I like to make up little songs during our daily tasks.  That is one of them.  I have made up songs for brushing teeth, putting on lotion, rinsing out hair, etc.  You name it, I probably have a song for it.  I love it when one of the kids starts singing them on their own.  It is a little piece of me that they are taking on themselves.  It is my fingerprint on their lives.

The other one (for which I will not take credit) says,

"Give us clean hand, give us pure hearts.  Let us not lift our soul to another. 

Oh, God let us be a generation that seeks, seeks your face, O, God of Jacob."

It may sound silly, but even as I sing that song and wash their hands, I am praying that for my children and for me.  That we will have clean hands and pure hearts before God.  In that tiny, little average moment of my day, I see God's Hand and want to seek Him more.

A New Calling for Our Family

I have some pretty big news to share.  After 20 months of what I would call some major character building, healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and really, a very different lifestyle for our family, God has called us back into a ministry position.

It all began with this event in Sept. '10.  That day changed the direction of our lives and catapulted our family in a whole new direction, a new journey.  We have seen God's purpose along the way.  We know what He was doing both in us individually and our family as a whole.  We are different people for this experience.  He has shown us once again(because for some reason we have to be reminded over and over) what His provision in our lives looks like.  He has used His people to bless us in ways we couldn't have imagined.  He has broken strongholds.  He has reshaped identities.  He has opened our eyes to reality.  He has used this "rest from ministry" as a time to help us define who we are, what we value, and what we want to be about in our lives.  It was so painful for me.  I think I might have cried for at least 6 months.  I have mourned losses, experienced new beginnings, been hurt deeply, and communed with God in a more intimate way.

It hurt.  It was hard.  BUT, it was God's plan.  I accept it and eventually have embraced it.  Along with the rest and healing we have experienced has come the deep desire to minister again.  We love The Church(I am using caps to emphasize the "church" as a whole, not a specific body of people.) and truly believe it is God's plan for us as believers.  We feel called to minister in The Church.

That is where a new calling comes in.  Both Rick and I have felt our hearts being tugged for ministry.  I am called to be a pastor's wife.  He is called to be a pastor.  We have been challenged to live that out over the last 20 months apart from an official role.  Now, God is calling us back to a lifestyle of ministry, one that I have deeply missed.

On May 7, Rick will begin his role as Executive Director of Operations at Mountain Springs Church here in Colorado Springs.  That title is a fancy way to say that he will be doing a role that he is really good at.  He will lead, minister, strategize, develop, implement, and further God's Kingdom through the local church.  He is excited.  I am excited.  I feel like a part of my heart for ministry has been pieced back together.  We are excited as a family to move forward in this new calling.

There will be loss.  We have been at Vanguard for 11 1/2 years.  It is all our kids really know.  I am thankful that they do not have to move or leave their schools or even their friends.  Regardless, there will be a time of adjustment.  Who knows what emotions that will bring about in all of us.  We are confident that God has called us to this and will sustain us through this transition.

I know this post has been long.  If you are still with me, I just want to share one more thing.  God has given me a picture of what He is doing.  The picture is that He is taking what has been broken in our lives over the last 2 years and is restoring it.  The really beautiful part is that He has shown me that He is not only restoring it, but making it better than the original.  That is what He does, doesn't He?  He uses the pain, hurt, and loss to shape us in such a way that when the journey is over, we are better than we were before.  We see God differently.  We see ourselves differently.  We see others differently.

 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  1 Peter 5:10

GOTCHA, Forever

Monday was the 3-year anniversary of Isaiah and Laila joining our family. There were lots of days we could choose to celebrate from the 5 week time period 3 years ago that we spent in Africa going through their adoption process. Because the process was challenging in country and we weren't sure when we would all be together as a family again, we choose to celebrate the date we were finally all together. I wasn't convinced until we made it through U. S. Immigration that they were finally ours forever.

I will never forget this moment:

We were so weary from the battle we had just completed. We were exhausted physically from over 24 hours of travel with 2 children that did not speak or understand English. We were exhausted emotionally from the 5 weeks of ups and downs in the adoption process in a culture that does things very differently than ours and from being away from Lauren, Abby, and Sam for so long. We were exhausted spiritually from the warfare that is involved in rescuing orphans from the enemy and giving them a family forever.

Our family went from this:

To This:

Isaiah went from this 3 years ago:

To this today:
Laila went from this 3 years ago:
To this today:

When looking at these pics, Abby said, "Now I call that an Extreme Makeover!" I would agree. What a difference a family can make. What a difference they have made in our family!

We celebrated throughout the weekend. We started with some swimming, one of their favorite activities.

Pizza dinner
Maggie Moo's Ice cream
Yep, her poop was blue the next day!

I am so glad we could match her tongue to her shirt.
He looks like he ate a Smurf!
Blue teeth
Cody had green ice cream, but absolutely did not want me to see his green lips, teeth or tongue in the picture. Yes, he is a teenager.

I can't believe it has been 3 years, but I absolutely cannot remember life without them! I am so thankful for the blessing of adoption and the impact it has made on our family!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

I cannot take credit for this recipe, but it has become a family favorite. I like it because it is different than anything else I fix, most of my family loves it, and it is easy. My friend, Elaina, served this to us at life group, and I have been fixing it for my family since. I thought I would share it with you.

This is how the quesadilla looks before you top it with a tortilla and bake it

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

(amounts of each items depends on how much you want to make)

Chicken Breasts

BBQ Sauce(we like Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce)

Tortillas(I use flour, but corn would work also)

Black beans (drained and rinsed)

Cilantro

Red Onion

Shredded Cheese(I have used mozarella, colby jack, or a mexican mix)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Boil chicken breasts and shred. Mix meat with enough BBQ sauce to coat. Lay tortillas out on a cookie sheet. Put chicken, black beans, cilantro, red onion, and shredded cheese on each one. Put another tortilla on top of each quesadilla. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy.

I always serve these with sour cream to dip and cilantro lime rice on the side.

It is so yummy even as leftovers. You really should try them!