I will be the first to admit (I hate admitting this) that there was a time when I thought it wasn't right to have huge families. I would look at big families and judge them wondering how in the world could they take care of all those kids.
I always thought I only wanted 2 kids until we started having kids and then we realized how much of a blessing each one of them is and the bigger your family the more blessings you have running around. I then started looking at larger families in a different way. In the last couple of years I have actually been dreaming of a mega size family. Funny how God works isn't it? Once you talk negative about something then usually God's sticks you right in middle of that situation.
When we had our extra 4 kiddos over the weekend both Chris and I realized that we both want a very large family. Chris even said "you know it would be fun if they called us with 4 again." When we put our own
selfishness aside we had plenty of time for 4 extra ones.
On Facebook this morning someone posted about a blog post and so I wanted to share it with you on why bigger is better so just click here to read it.
I know many people thought we were crazy taking in four. I really don't care though if anyone thinks we are crazy because we know the truth and the truth is that God blessed our socks off having 7 kids running around the house.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Things I Learned From Our First Foster Placement
1. The house is soooooo much fun when you have 7 little ones running around!!!
2. Children in our own backyard can be living in conditions worse than what you see in orphanages oversees.
3. God can totally bless your socks off when you say yes to something scary.
4. God taught my kids in 3 days of having 4 extra ones around more than we ever could have about giving of themselves in an unselfish way to be the hands and feet of Christ.
5. God taught me that it's plain ridiculous to fight him on things he asks you to do because chances are you have been missing out on blessings during your time of fighting it.
2. Children in our own backyard can be living in conditions worse than what you see in orphanages oversees.
3. God can totally bless your socks off when you say yes to something scary.
4. God taught my kids in 3 days of having 4 extra ones around more than we ever could have about giving of themselves in an unselfish way to be the hands and feet of Christ.
5. God taught me that it's plain ridiculous to fight him on things he asks you to do because chances are you have been missing out on blessings during your time of fighting it.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Did You Hear The News???
Well, yesterday as I was checking out in the grocery store I got the call we have been anxiously waiting for. I hate even saying it that way because you look forward to getting to be foster parents but at the same time it breaks your heart to know that the kids usually have a pretty crappy reason of why they are coming. Anyway I answered as I was paying and she said "I'm not sure this is the call you have been waiting for, would you be willing to take 4 kids?" Wow! I honestly didn't even have enough time to think about the answer to that other than I had been praying that we would accept the first call that came in because whatever it was it was in God's hands. I made a quick call to Chris and before he even had time to think about it he said yes. About and hour later I was on my way to go pick up 4 small kiddos to share our home with.
These kids came with pretty much nothing but we knew God would take care of everything and he is. I have to share a pretty cool story with you. A few weeks ago God laid it on my heart to buy a pair of sparkly shoes for a girl. I felt like I was supposed to give these to someone traveling to Haiti soon. The day I felt that I saw a pair but I didn't want to spend the money so I didn't buy them. It has truly bugged me for 2 weeks that I passed up that pair of shoes. Yesterday morning about a half hour before I got the call I was at that same store and saw another pair of sparkly shoes and I picked them up right away because I didn't want my heart to be tortured with it anymore and I just needed to buy them. When the kids came here last night they all had shoes (other than itty, bitty) except for the little girl. I didn't even think about that pair of shoes last night after the craziness but this morning I looked on the table and there was that pair of shoes I bought yesterday and guess who they fit perfectly? Sometimes when God tugs at your heart listen because he could be preparing you for something.
I don't know if we will have these little blessing around for 2 more days or who knows how long. What I do know is that if we would have answered "no" out of fear that we would have missed out on 4 amazing little blessings.
These kids came with pretty much nothing but we knew God would take care of everything and he is. I have to share a pretty cool story with you. A few weeks ago God laid it on my heart to buy a pair of sparkly shoes for a girl. I felt like I was supposed to give these to someone traveling to Haiti soon. The day I felt that I saw a pair but I didn't want to spend the money so I didn't buy them. It has truly bugged me for 2 weeks that I passed up that pair of shoes. Yesterday morning about a half hour before I got the call I was at that same store and saw another pair of sparkly shoes and I picked them up right away because I didn't want my heart to be tortured with it anymore and I just needed to buy them. When the kids came here last night they all had shoes (other than itty, bitty) except for the little girl. I didn't even think about that pair of shoes last night after the craziness but this morning I looked on the table and there was that pair of shoes I bought yesterday and guess who they fit perfectly? Sometimes when God tugs at your heart listen because he could be preparing you for something.
I don't know if we will have these little blessing around for 2 more days or who knows how long. What I do know is that if we would have answered "no" out of fear that we would have missed out on 4 amazing little blessings.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Jaxson's First Football Season
Something I honestly thought we would never be involved in is football. Chris and I know NOTHING about football! When the forms came home from school about flag football Jaxson started begging me to let him play football. I honestly kept trying to change the subject but he wouldn't quit. Finally a friend of ours told me I needed to let him play and that friend promised me that flag football is safe so my little man shouldn't get hurt.
We took him in for sign up and he was soooooo excited. Jaxson loved playing and man when he got that ball he could outrun anyone. It was fun watching him even though I still know NOTHING about football.
The coach had his hands full with Jaxson though because it was boy time for Jaxson and so he would go crazy jumping around, wrestling, running and well pretty much turned into a frog during practice because he was so excited to be around boys.
Jaxson told our caseworker yesterday that she needs to bring us a million boys.
We took him in for sign up and he was soooooo excited. Jaxson loved playing and man when he got that ball he could outrun anyone. It was fun watching him even though I still know NOTHING about football.
The coach had his hands full with Jaxson though because it was boy time for Jaxson and so he would go crazy jumping around, wrestling, running and well pretty much turned into a frog during practice because he was so excited to be around boys.
Jaxson told our caseworker yesterday that she needs to bring us a million boys.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
It's Official!
As of about 10 minutes ago we are now officially foster parents!!! Tomorrow morning we will be in the system and just waiting for our first call to come in.
I can't believe how fast the process went and to think that we could be celebrating Thanksgiving with extra kiddos in our home.
I can't believe how fast the process went and to think that we could be celebrating Thanksgiving with extra kiddos in our home.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Me & My Guy Dance
OK, I am going to try to get back to blogging more. We have exciting things happening around here and I want to keep you updated the best I can. I will try to do some catching up in the next couple of days.
The other night my favorite girls and the most wonderful husband in the entire world went to a Father and Daughter dance together. They all looked sooooo good (I told hubby he needs to start dressing up like that for me)! This is something the girls look forward to all year and they have so much fun.
We are now only 2 days away from being in the system for foster care!!! I just can't believe the time has actually come. We fought God over this for sooooooo many years then we finally say "yes" and it seems to be happening in an instant. This morning as the kids were climbing all over me we talked about how very soon they will have to share me with more kids. Paige said it will be 2 more kids, Amaya said it will be so many we will need 2 cars or a bus and Jaxson said it is going to be 1 million boys. I explained to Jaxson that we can't hardly keep enough food around for him so how in the world could we feed 1 million boys :)
It is so exciting just wondering who God will place here. We are trying to be prepared for anyone age 0-4. We bought a diaper bag, bottles, sippy cups, high chair and a baby swing we found for a very good price at a used store.
Soooo...what's been happening in your world lately?
The other night my favorite girls and the most wonderful husband in the entire world went to a Father and Daughter dance together. They all looked sooooo good (I told hubby he needs to start dressing up like that for me)! This is something the girls look forward to all year and they have so much fun.
We are now only 2 days away from being in the system for foster care!!! I just can't believe the time has actually come. We fought God over this for sooooooo many years then we finally say "yes" and it seems to be happening in an instant. This morning as the kids were climbing all over me we talked about how very soon they will have to share me with more kids. Paige said it will be 2 more kids, Amaya said it will be so many we will need 2 cars or a bus and Jaxson said it is going to be 1 million boys. I explained to Jaxson that we can't hardly keep enough food around for him so how in the world could we feed 1 million boys :)
It is so exciting just wondering who God will place here. We are trying to be prepared for anyone age 0-4. We bought a diaper bag, bottles, sippy cups, high chair and a baby swing we found for a very good price at a used store.
Soooo...what's been happening in your world lately?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Orphan Sunday
Sooo...many emotions are going through my head today. Today is a day where Christians around the world celebrate adoption, teach about God's heart for orphans and share God's heart for orphans.
Over the last couple of months as we have been preparing to become foster parents God is opening my eyes to many, many things. Yes, I fight for adoption almost every day of my life. I advocate for children constantly and adoption and God's heart for adoption is something that comes up in about any conversation I have with people. The thing I honestly don't talk about much is that adoption isn't easy!
I wise man once told me that that if God calls you to something that chances are it is not going to be easy. If it were easy then you wouldn't need God to get you through it would you? If God calls you to something it is going to be bigger than what you think you can handle. I also learned that God didn't call the people in the Bible to big things that were already equipped to handle big things. God called the fisherman, the man with a speech problem and he said "just follow me."
An exercise our trainer had us do was to write down everything in life that was important to us like family, spouse, computer, car, church, food, house, health. These were all on separate pieces of paper and then he told us we had to choose 2 of them really fast to give up and then he kept going until everything we had was GONE in an instant. He explained how for many, many kids in the foster system this is what happens. In an instant a child can get off of a bus to find police at their home, their parents are being hauled off to jail, they can't go in their house or take any clothes because of evidence that might be in the house and then they are taken by strangers to another strangers house and told they will be living there for awhile.
Did that just break your heart? It did mine! Think of how upset you get if you lose a family member or a friend and these children are losing everything the have in an instant and we fear bringing them into our home because they might have some anger issues. What if they world turned away from you if you just lost everything in the world you had and yet your were upset about it? What if it was just too hard for your friend to give you a hug so instead your friend chose to just look the other way and ignore you? Isn't this what people are doing every single day? Aren't we choosing to walk away from Jesus? I did for many, many years because I was too scared of the foster care system.
Don't let Satan use your fear to stop you from giving love to these kids!!! Yes, I will cry if and when we loose children and they go back home but I also know that when Jesus comes to knock on our door and he is hungry, needs a place to sleep, needs a full tummy, needs someone to cry on, needs someone to let him get his anger out we will open our door to him.
It's hard! The thing is that Jesus didn't spend his time on earth doing things that came easy. Jesus spent his time with people that were suffering. Jesus came to set an example so that tells me that he didn't ask us to take the easy route.
Over the last couple of months as we have been preparing to become foster parents God is opening my eyes to many, many things. Yes, I fight for adoption almost every day of my life. I advocate for children constantly and adoption and God's heart for adoption is something that comes up in about any conversation I have with people. The thing I honestly don't talk about much is that adoption isn't easy!
I wise man once told me that that if God calls you to something that chances are it is not going to be easy. If it were easy then you wouldn't need God to get you through it would you? If God calls you to something it is going to be bigger than what you think you can handle. I also learned that God didn't call the people in the Bible to big things that were already equipped to handle big things. God called the fisherman, the man with a speech problem and he said "just follow me."
An exercise our trainer had us do was to write down everything in life that was important to us like family, spouse, computer, car, church, food, house, health. These were all on separate pieces of paper and then he told us we had to choose 2 of them really fast to give up and then he kept going until everything we had was GONE in an instant. He explained how for many, many kids in the foster system this is what happens. In an instant a child can get off of a bus to find police at their home, their parents are being hauled off to jail, they can't go in their house or take any clothes because of evidence that might be in the house and then they are taken by strangers to another strangers house and told they will be living there for awhile.
Did that just break your heart? It did mine! Think of how upset you get if you lose a family member or a friend and these children are losing everything the have in an instant and we fear bringing them into our home because they might have some anger issues. What if they world turned away from you if you just lost everything in the world you had and yet your were upset about it? What if it was just too hard for your friend to give you a hug so instead your friend chose to just look the other way and ignore you? Isn't this what people are doing every single day? Aren't we choosing to walk away from Jesus? I did for many, many years because I was too scared of the foster care system.
Don't let Satan use your fear to stop you from giving love to these kids!!! Yes, I will cry if and when we loose children and they go back home but I also know that when Jesus comes to knock on our door and he is hungry, needs a place to sleep, needs a full tummy, needs someone to cry on, needs someone to let him get his anger out we will open our door to him.
It's hard! The thing is that Jesus didn't spend his time on earth doing things that came easy. Jesus spent his time with people that were suffering. Jesus came to set an example so that tells me that he didn't ask us to take the easy route.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
It's Finally Here!!!
Ok, this is totally one of my very favorite times of the year!!! Can you guess why?
Click here and go check out the angel tree and come back and tell me who your top cutie of the year is. Can you guess who I think is the top cutie of the year???
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sitting Here Wondering
When I was pregnant I was so anxious to find out if it was a boy or a girl. With Amaya we found out as soon as we could but with Paige we chose to wait ( I wish we wouldn't have since she ended up being a NICU baby and the delivery didn't turn out as I planned).
When God showed us our son there was no wondering, we knew we were bringing home a boy and we even knew how old he would be.
Now with this foster care thing we totally have no idea what child/children God will be having us share our home with. We should have everything done around Thanksgiving and our house could be filled with itty, bitty tiny feet.
Or...God could end up filling our home with a little bigger feet or even several more feet.
It's a lot harder to prepare for your new arrival when you don't know if it's a boy, a girl, a newborn or a 7 year old. We don't know if the child will be healthy, sick or disabled. We don't have any clue what color our child/children we get to love on for a season will be. It's the same excitement as waiting for that ultrasound other than we don't know if our child will weigh 5 pounds or 60.
All I know is that there are 5 very excited people in our house waiting until that day we get that first phone call. This process has been such a great way to be talking to the kids about being the hands and feet of Christ, reaching out to those in need, working hard (trying to get the house ready for the homestudy) and also teaching them about waiting.
When God showed us our son there was no wondering, we knew we were bringing home a boy and we even knew how old he would be.
Now with this foster care thing we totally have no idea what child/children God will be having us share our home with. We should have everything done around Thanksgiving and our house could be filled with itty, bitty tiny feet.
Or...God could end up filling our home with a little bigger feet or even several more feet.
It's a lot harder to prepare for your new arrival when you don't know if it's a boy, a girl, a newborn or a 7 year old. We don't know if the child will be healthy, sick or disabled. We don't have any clue what color our child/children we get to love on for a season will be. It's the same excitement as waiting for that ultrasound other than we don't know if our child will weigh 5 pounds or 60.
All I know is that there are 5 very excited people in our house waiting until that day we get that first phone call. This process has been such a great way to be talking to the kids about being the hands and feet of Christ, reaching out to those in need, working hard (trying to get the house ready for the homestudy) and also teaching them about waiting.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Watch This Video!
WOW! This video has been going around Facebook for a couple of days but I hadn't taken the time to watch it. This morning I saw it posted by 3 different people and I decided that I would watch a couple of minutes of it. Once I started watching though I couldn't shut it off. Please take the time to watch this video and then share it wherever you can.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
OK...OK...OK
I haven't blogged for a while because life has been busy and crazy and well I don't get many comments anymore so I simply was beginning to think I was the only one reading my blog. Thank you Christina for the comment letting me know your still reading and yes if we lived next door we would have coffee in our PJ's together.
Here is an update of what has been happening around here:
Our shop is booming and we feel so blessed. Not only are we busy in a little town that no one thought we could make it in but everyday we have lots of regular visitors that love to come in and chat and it truly blesses our day. We love running a business the old fashion way.
The kiddos are starting to get involved in everything including Jaxson playing football now. I promise I will get pictures soon. My camera was dead when I tried to get pictures.
I am now a Brownie leader for some very precious girls in our little town. Our first real meeting is tomorrow night and I am so excited. Never in a million years would I have dreamed I would be a leader of any kind but when you step out in faith and let God carry the fear it can be so much fun.
The most exciting thing happening around here is that we have started the process to become foster parents!!! Over the last 3 years we have wanted to add to our family so bad but we just didn't have the things we needed to make that happen like insurance. It has been a huge fear of ours to be foster parents but after watching my brother and his wife do it over the last year and seeing the need for loving homes we started considering it. The last little one they brought in was what truly tugged at our hearts and as soon as Chris saw a picture of him and heard his story he said "Sarah, make the call." Sooooo...we have now started our paperwork, our training, moving rooms around and getting our house ready. God blessed us with a car that will hold 3 more kiddos so who knows who God will let us share our home with for awhile and maybe forever. Once again I'm choosing to let God carry my fears and I'm choosing to have fun getting prepared.
So Christina, that's what has been happening here ;)
Here is an update of what has been happening around here:
Our shop is booming and we feel so blessed. Not only are we busy in a little town that no one thought we could make it in but everyday we have lots of regular visitors that love to come in and chat and it truly blesses our day. We love running a business the old fashion way.
The kiddos are starting to get involved in everything including Jaxson playing football now. I promise I will get pictures soon. My camera was dead when I tried to get pictures.
I am now a Brownie leader for some very precious girls in our little town. Our first real meeting is tomorrow night and I am so excited. Never in a million years would I have dreamed I would be a leader of any kind but when you step out in faith and let God carry the fear it can be so much fun.
The most exciting thing happening around here is that we have started the process to become foster parents!!! Over the last 3 years we have wanted to add to our family so bad but we just didn't have the things we needed to make that happen like insurance. It has been a huge fear of ours to be foster parents but after watching my brother and his wife do it over the last year and seeing the need for loving homes we started considering it. The last little one they brought in was what truly tugged at our hearts and as soon as Chris saw a picture of him and heard his story he said "Sarah, make the call." Sooooo...we have now started our paperwork, our training, moving rooms around and getting our house ready. God blessed us with a car that will hold 3 more kiddos so who knows who God will let us share our home with for awhile and maybe forever. Once again I'm choosing to let God carry my fears and I'm choosing to have fun getting prepared.
So Christina, that's what has been happening here ;)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Closing My Shop
After prayer and an answer from God I have decided to close my Etsy shop. Many things have been changing in our lives including starting the process to add to our family. I prayed about what to do with my supplies and God answered, I ignored him and well then he just wrote it clear as can be on a message to me on Facebook.
At a later date I will tell you who will be using my supplies for a very special purpose.
Anyway for now I am offering a discount code to receive 30% off of anything in my shop (code is shopclosingsale) so I can reduce inventory. All the profits made from everything left in my shop will go to www.reecesrainbow.org.
Click here to shop.
Could you please help me spread the word about this discount code and my shop closing? Thanks!
At a later date I will tell you who will be using my supplies for a very special purpose.
Anyway for now I am offering a discount code to receive 30% off of anything in my shop (code is shopclosingsale) so I can reduce inventory. All the profits made from everything left in my shop will go to www.reecesrainbow.org.
Click here to shop.
Could you please help me spread the word about this discount code and my shop closing? Thanks!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Please Don't Turn Away From This Post!
See this child? How old do you think she is?
She is 11! She is 11 years old and weighs 10 pounds. I hope your heart just dropped to the floor because mine did. She needs a family and she needs a family NOW. This child cannot wait on a family to raise the money to bring her home the money needs to be ready so a family can get her home as quick as possible.
Click here to see how you can help.
She is 11! She is 11 years old and weighs 10 pounds. I hope your heart just dropped to the floor because mine did. She needs a family and she needs a family NOW. This child cannot wait on a family to raise the money to bring her home the money needs to be ready so a family can get her home as quick as possible.
Click here to see how you can help.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Vacation Day #6
Day #6 was a day Amaya had waited and waited for. When we were looking for things to do on our trip Amaya happened to see me pull up a site that had an aquarium that had Beluga Whales. Amaya started screaming with excitement saying we had to go there because that was her teachers favorite animal. So on Day #6 we left Massachusetts and headed for Connecticut to visit the Mystic Aquarium.
As soon as we walked in we saw the beautiful Beluga Whales. Sorry I didn't get better pictures Mrs. Moore, I had a very cranky child at the time.
The Mystic Aquarium was so nice. Our favorite part of the aquarium I didn't even think to get pictures of. They have a huge sting ray petting pool and we had so much fun petting them. They would come up to us like dogs and we would just pet them. We stopped to do this a couple of times.
Another favorite was the birds they had. They had this room full of parakeets, cockatiels and other friendly birds that you could go in, feed and hold the birds. We had so much fun and didn't want to leave that room but I got pooped on and it was very, very hot in there.
After a very hot day at the aquarium we left to find our hotel. Let me tell you that it was not an easy task to find a place in CT that would let 5 of us stay in a room. I actually gave up looking on the computer and finally called a Bed and Breakfast and asked them where in the world could we stay that would let 5 of us stay in a room. The B & B told me that they could only think of ONE hotel in all the area that MIGHT let all 5 of us stay in a room. I called that place and trust me we had to pay for the privilege of having 5 in a room but the room, hotel and the private beach was worth the money I guess.
Finally, finally we found a place that had SHELLS!!! The beach at this hotel was covered in shells and the kids went crazy!
Our room at this hotel had a balcony overlooking the ocean so Chris and I put the kids down early that night and we got to spend some relaxing time on the balcony.
As soon as we walked in we saw the beautiful Beluga Whales. Sorry I didn't get better pictures Mrs. Moore, I had a very cranky child at the time.
The Mystic Aquarium was so nice. Our favorite part of the aquarium I didn't even think to get pictures of. They have a huge sting ray petting pool and we had so much fun petting them. They would come up to us like dogs and we would just pet them. We stopped to do this a couple of times.
Another favorite was the birds they had. They had this room full of parakeets, cockatiels and other friendly birds that you could go in, feed and hold the birds. We had so much fun and didn't want to leave that room but I got pooped on and it was very, very hot in there.
After a very hot day at the aquarium we left to find our hotel. Let me tell you that it was not an easy task to find a place in CT that would let 5 of us stay in a room. I actually gave up looking on the computer and finally called a Bed and Breakfast and asked them where in the world could we stay that would let 5 of us stay in a room. The B & B told me that they could only think of ONE hotel in all the area that MIGHT let all 5 of us stay in a room. I called that place and trust me we had to pay for the privilege of having 5 in a room but the room, hotel and the private beach was worth the money I guess.
Finally, finally we found a place that had SHELLS!!! The beach at this hotel was covered in shells and the kids went crazy!
Our room at this hotel had a balcony overlooking the ocean so Chris and I put the kids down early that night and we got to spend some relaxing time on the balcony.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Jaxson Starts Kindergarten
I can't believe the day has finally come that we have all 3 kids in all day school. Jaxson has been waiting for this day for so very long. Jaxson just craves school and learning and he was more than ready.
I woke Jaxson up at 6:30 this morning and he said "mom, why is it still dark outside?" and I just told him to get used to it because that's how early you have to get up now that your big.
It took Jaxson a total of about 5 minutes to get ready since he was so excited.
Jaxson is in the same class both the girls were in so he felt pretty much at home walking in the room this morning. Jaxson was all smiles and ready to get started.
I can't believe how much he has grown in the last 3 years!
I woke Jaxson up at 6:30 this morning and he said "mom, why is it still dark outside?" and I just told him to get used to it because that's how early you have to get up now that your big.
It took Jaxson a total of about 5 minutes to get ready since he was so excited.
Jaxson is in the same class both the girls were in so he felt pretty much at home walking in the room this morning. Jaxson was all smiles and ready to get started.
I can't believe how much he has grown in the last 3 years!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Vacation Day #5
Sunday was our relaxing day. When we woke up it was raining so we just decided to go do some laundry. It is really amazing how much laundry a family a five can go through in a couple of days. The laundromat was a new experience for us and it took us a while to figure it out, get the zillion amount of quarters ready we needed (we decided at $10 a load we need to open one ourselves), and finally get our laundry going. The kids were amazed by the machines and sat there almost the entire time watching them. I was amazed at how many clothes you can get into one of those industrial machines (yes I want one!).
We then wanted to walk around downtown Gloucester to see the local artwork even though it was pouring down rain. We went and bought the kids rain ponchos (they only had adult ones) and so it looked like we were walking 3 little ducks.
After we were soaking wet we went back to the hotel to dry up. The ocean in front of our hotel was so beautiful because the waves were crashing up against the rocks about 25 feet up. When the rain finally stopped we decided to go find another beach. It was sooooo, soooooo, soooooo cold that we stayed about 5 minutes. Paige and Jaxson didn't notice the cold because they kept racing on the sand.
Since we were freezing, it was Sunday night and not much to do, we decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory. We had the best family dinner we have ever had there and Jaxson and Paige had us laughing so hard we couldn't even talk to the waitress. The waitress was even about ready to roll on the floor from laughing at them. Honestly I think we had the best service that night you could ever get because the waitress wanted to keep coming back to see what silly things they were doing or saying at the time. Anyone that knows Jaxson knows he is a total showboat and when you get him and Paige going together it is beyond funny. Not to mention they were crazy about each other that night and kept hugging saying "I love you my twin."
I LOVE my family!!!
We then wanted to walk around downtown Gloucester to see the local artwork even though it was pouring down rain. We went and bought the kids rain ponchos (they only had adult ones) and so it looked like we were walking 3 little ducks.
After we were soaking wet we went back to the hotel to dry up. The ocean in front of our hotel was so beautiful because the waves were crashing up against the rocks about 25 feet up. When the rain finally stopped we decided to go find another beach. It was sooooo, soooooo, soooooo cold that we stayed about 5 minutes. Paige and Jaxson didn't notice the cold because they kept racing on the sand.
Since we were freezing, it was Sunday night and not much to do, we decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory. We had the best family dinner we have ever had there and Jaxson and Paige had us laughing so hard we couldn't even talk to the waitress. The waitress was even about ready to roll on the floor from laughing at them. Honestly I think we had the best service that night you could ever get because the waitress wanted to keep coming back to see what silly things they were doing or saying at the time. Anyone that knows Jaxson knows he is a total showboat and when you get him and Paige going together it is beyond funny. Not to mention they were crazy about each other that night and kept hugging saying "I love you my twin."
I LOVE my family!!!
Vacation Day #4
Day #4 started out very relaxing (for Amaya and I anyway) as we woke everyone up early to get to the beach. Amaya made me promise to wake her up early so she could go find some good shells. It was about a mile walk to the beach but that mile walk was walking next to the rocky shore line so it was a beautiful walk. Finally Amaya's eyes got very big as she saw what she had been waiting and waiting to see.
It was so beautiful but there we hardly any shells and the ones we did find were broken. I felt so bad for Amaya because she had planned on finding the perfect shell for everyone she knew. Amaya didn't care much though because she just kept finding beautiful broken ones and said "they are still beautiful momma".
The kids wrote their names in the sand, played in the water, looked for jelly fish, and just loved being there.
Diane and Pete made plans for us to meet them in Boston that afternoon. They told us to catch the train to Boston and they would meet us at the train station. The train wasn't bad at all other than it was full of teenagers going to a concert. I was shocked beyond shocked of how parents let these kids get on a train and go into Boston by themselves not to mention how they were dressed.
Pete and Diane were waiting for us as soon as we got into Boston and they took us out to lunch at a very cool Italian restaurant.
After lunch they took us on a walking tour of Boston. I think Pete had a little fun showing us around. The buildings were just beautiful but the kids got board really quick so Pete found a place they would have fun.
This is the frog pool for the kids to play in and in the winter it becomes a skating rink. The park that this pool is in is beautiful. After they played some in their we continued walking until it was time to go on out "Duck Tour."
When Pete and Diane were trying to figure out where to take us in Boston they thought about the Duck Tour so they made reservations for us. This was truly one of the highlights of our trip and was sooooo much fun. The Duck Boats are vehicles that can drive on land or in water and you get to do both on the tour. The driver/comedian even let Jaxson and Amaya drive the boat in the water. The driver tried everything she could to get Paige to do it but she wouldn't.
Guess what the girls bought to remember their ride?
It was then time to say goodbye to Diane and Pete. They took us to the subway (by the way I really, really don't like subways) and we were totally lost on what to do but we figured it out. Then off to the train station where the thousands of kids that had just been to a concert were waiting to get on the train also. I ended up having to yell at some teens that were trying to trample my 6 year old so they could get on the train first but after we got on it wasn't bad at all.
Thanks Pete and Diane for making this day so much fun!!!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Vacation Day #3
Day 3 was soooo exciting for us because we were headed to see the ocean and go whale watching. It has been several years since we have been able to spend time at the ocean and we were so very ready. We got up, got everyone ready, Pete and Diane made us breakfast, and we loaded up the car. We then started our 2 hours trip to Gloucester, MA (where "The Perfect Storm" was filmed).
Our first stop was to find out where we would get on board to go whale watching. Thank goodness for some amazing customers of ours, Ivan and Robin, for letting us use their GPS or we would have never, ever gotten anywhere in Gloucester or anywhere else on the coast. We finally found where we needed to be and had 45 minutes to eat lunch before we took off.
Pete had warned us not to sit inside the boat and I am so thankful he gave us this tip. The whales were pretty far out so we were in the boat for about 2 hours before getting near the whales. We were all fine until all the sudden Jaxson got sick. I had to go inside to get paper towels and then the sea sickness started hitting me and well, all the rest of us but everyone was able to hold it down so far other than Jaxson.
Finally we got to the place the whales were and it was simply amazing! I would have taken more pictures but I wasn't doing very good at that point We saw about 30 different whales though and they were feeding so we really got a good look and them and it was truly amazing. If you look close in this picture you can see one.
After the boat started heading back we all started feeling better other than Paige and then she just couldn't hold out any longer and she got sick. We found out that trip was a pretty rough trip and they had to go out farther than normal and a lot of the passengers were sick (that is one boat I would not want to work on). They actual go around handing out plastic bags and cleaning up messes. Anyway after Paige got sick then we were all fine. The faster the boat went the better we all felt.
Finally it was time to go find our motel. Let me just say that with a family of 3 young kiddos that I am a HUGE fan of motor inns. Our motel was beautiful, wonderful, clean, friendly and we were able to back the car up to our room. The best part was that this was the view from our room.
The view was spectacular!
Our first stop was to find out where we would get on board to go whale watching. Thank goodness for some amazing customers of ours, Ivan and Robin, for letting us use their GPS or we would have never, ever gotten anywhere in Gloucester or anywhere else on the coast. We finally found where we needed to be and had 45 minutes to eat lunch before we took off.
Pete had warned us not to sit inside the boat and I am so thankful he gave us this tip. The whales were pretty far out so we were in the boat for about 2 hours before getting near the whales. We were all fine until all the sudden Jaxson got sick. I had to go inside to get paper towels and then the sea sickness started hitting me and well, all the rest of us but everyone was able to hold it down so far other than Jaxson.
Finally we got to the place the whales were and it was simply amazing! I would have taken more pictures but I wasn't doing very good at that point We saw about 30 different whales though and they were feeding so we really got a good look and them and it was truly amazing. If you look close in this picture you can see one.
After the boat started heading back we all started feeling better other than Paige and then she just couldn't hold out any longer and she got sick. We found out that trip was a pretty rough trip and they had to go out farther than normal and a lot of the passengers were sick (that is one boat I would not want to work on). They actual go around handing out plastic bags and cleaning up messes. Anyway after Paige got sick then we were all fine. The faster the boat went the better we all felt.
Finally it was time to go find our motel. Let me just say that with a family of 3 young kiddos that I am a HUGE fan of motor inns. Our motel was beautiful, wonderful, clean, friendly and we were able to back the car up to our room. The best part was that this was the view from our room.
The view was spectacular!
Vacation Day #2
On day 2 we left Niagara Falls and headed on our 6+ hour drive to Massachusetts. If you have never been to up state New York you are truly missing some of God's amazing creation. We finally saw the sign we had been waiting for for soooooo long.
I do have to say we were a little disappointed at how simple the Welcome to Massachusetts sign was but, oh well. About an hour and a half later we finally pulled into Chris' mom's driveway.
We have never been here to visit before because it was such a long drive with little ones. This is the first year we were brave enough to drive the distance. It was so nice to get to see where she lives and it was so relaxing. They took us to dinner at a place that had a huge deck you could eat out on and it was the perfect place for the kids to get to stretch after being in the car for about 17 hours in 2 days.
In Pete and Diane's backyard they have some guests ( a fox family) that the kids were very excited about. Below is a picture of them. We only got to see one of them napping but this is a picture Diane sent me.
We also had to take a picture of their fence because it is the coolest fence we have ever seen. They saw this fence in a magazine and they built it themselves. Isn't it cool???
I am so glad we finally decided to make the trip!
I do have to say we were a little disappointed at how simple the Welcome to Massachusetts sign was but, oh well. About an hour and a half later we finally pulled into Chris' mom's driveway.
We have never been here to visit before because it was such a long drive with little ones. This is the first year we were brave enough to drive the distance. It was so nice to get to see where she lives and it was so relaxing. They took us to dinner at a place that had a huge deck you could eat out on and it was the perfect place for the kids to get to stretch after being in the car for about 17 hours in 2 days.
In Pete and Diane's backyard they have some guests ( a fox family) that the kids were very excited about. Below is a picture of them. We only got to see one of them napping but this is a picture Diane sent me.
We also had to take a picture of their fence because it is the coolest fence we have ever seen. They saw this fence in a magazine and they built it themselves. Isn't it cool???
I am so glad we finally decided to make the trip!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Vacation Day #1
We just had an amazing vacation with three of my favorite kiddos in the world! I wanted to blog about it because this is kinda like my journal. It is rare for Chris and I to take a big vacation, I think the last big vacation was when we were first married. Last year we took a mini trip to Michigan but we decided this year we would go visit Chris' mom in Massachusetts. The cool thing about going to MA is that either way we went it was about the same difference so we decided to leave going north and come home south so we just made a big circle.
On day #1 we had the alarm set for 3:45am but Chris and I were so excited that we woke up at 2:30am and we were out the door by 4am. Our first stop was in Erie, PA to meet a very special woman that works for Operation Christmas Child. Kathy was a HUGE support to Amaya when she was doing her shoebox project last year and we couldn't just drive by without stopping in to meet her. Kathy makes thousands and thousands of shoeboxes every year!!! Have you ever met a person that is so in love with God that you can just feel God's presence being around when they are near? Kathy is one of those people!!!
Since we got our day started a little early we were able to stop by Lake Erie for a little bit. It was a great break for the kids to be able to run and splash in the water for a little bit since they had been in the car for about 6 hours and we still had 2 more hours to go that day.
Our last stop for the day was Niagara Falls. When we got to the falls we were shocked of how cold it was. We left home with it being about 100 degrees and it was so cold there the kids couldn't swim and we had to wear jeans and jackets. It was beautiful though and the kids loved it!
Chris and I were so thankful that God blessed us with a Suburban right before our big trip. We drove around 2000 miles on our trip with kiddos that were happy 99% of the time and that made us happy.
On day #1 we had the alarm set for 3:45am but Chris and I were so excited that we woke up at 2:30am and we were out the door by 4am. Our first stop was in Erie, PA to meet a very special woman that works for Operation Christmas Child. Kathy was a HUGE support to Amaya when she was doing her shoebox project last year and we couldn't just drive by without stopping in to meet her. Kathy makes thousands and thousands of shoeboxes every year!!! Have you ever met a person that is so in love with God that you can just feel God's presence being around when they are near? Kathy is one of those people!!!
Since we got our day started a little early we were able to stop by Lake Erie for a little bit. It was a great break for the kids to be able to run and splash in the water for a little bit since they had been in the car for about 6 hours and we still had 2 more hours to go that day.
Our last stop for the day was Niagara Falls. When we got to the falls we were shocked of how cold it was. We left home with it being about 100 degrees and it was so cold there the kids couldn't swim and we had to wear jeans and jackets. It was beautiful though and the kids loved it!
Chris and I were so thankful that God blessed us with a Suburban right before our big trip. We drove around 2000 miles on our trip with kiddos that were happy 99% of the time and that made us happy.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
We Have Been Treasure Hunting!!!
Several years ago Chris and I decided we were done with car payments. We new we didn't need a new car, we just needed a car that we could trust if we took care of it and something that fit our family. It has been the biggest blessing not to have a monthly car payment because there have been times in the last couple of years after the economy crashed that we wouldn't have been able to make a car payment.
When we got pregnant with Amaya 8 years ago we bought what we thought was a family car that seats 5. Now that we have threee kids we quickly learned that it's not big enough. We have missed out on so many opportunities because our car wasn't big enough. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to ask a kid to go to church with us or to VBS or just wanted to be able to take one of the kids friends out with us.
One other thing our car was not big enough for was adding to our family. That's right, we believe our family is not finished growing yet but we needed a place for another one to come home.
I have also dreamed of having a car big enough to put a wheelchair in just in case God has a child planned for us that would be in a wheel chair.
We also need a vehicle that could tow since we buy broken cars.
After a couple of years of dreaming and dreaming of having a big car but not willing to buy until we had the money we finally got our new (OK, not really new it's a 96) car that will be able to hold our dreams, passions and anything God has planned for us. This car has room for three more kiddos!!! The best part is that we know God had this one picked out for us because when we called about it without Chris saying anything the guy said he would drop the price by $1,000 and the car was well worth what he was asking before he dropped the price. I love how God provides!!!
When we got pregnant with Amaya 8 years ago we bought what we thought was a family car that seats 5. Now that we have threee kids we quickly learned that it's not big enough. We have missed out on so many opportunities because our car wasn't big enough. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to ask a kid to go to church with us or to VBS or just wanted to be able to take one of the kids friends out with us.
One other thing our car was not big enough for was adding to our family. That's right, we believe our family is not finished growing yet but we needed a place for another one to come home.
I have also dreamed of having a car big enough to put a wheelchair in just in case God has a child planned for us that would be in a wheel chair.
We also need a vehicle that could tow since we buy broken cars.
After a couple of years of dreaming and dreaming of having a big car but not willing to buy until we had the money we finally got our new (OK, not really new it's a 96) car that will be able to hold our dreams, passions and anything God has planned for us. This car has room for three more kiddos!!! The best part is that we know God had this one picked out for us because when we called about it without Chris saying anything the guy said he would drop the price by $1,000 and the car was well worth what he was asking before he dropped the price. I love how God provides!!!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Help! We Need Fans :)
Yesterday a customer said they found us by searching Facebook. I went to our Facebook page this morning and Facebook said we had to start a new page so we could do it with the new system. As I was getting the page ready it said we need 25 fans to get to be able to do the next thing.
So....if you want to help me would you please come like our fan page so I can do whatever I need to do next. If you are in Indiana, Ohio, northern KY or even southern Michigan would you share our fan page on your Facebook. Chris specializes in some things that people are willing to drive for. Thank you!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-to-B-Automotive/173109126089428
So....if you want to help me would you please come like our fan page so I can do whatever I need to do next. If you are in Indiana, Ohio, northern KY or even southern Michigan would you share our fan page on your Facebook. Chris specializes in some things that people are willing to drive for. Thank you!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-to-B-Automotive/173109126089428
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Kids In Action
Something that gets me excited it to see kids in action, working for GOD. Something I learned when I was about 19 was that God used kids in a way that he cannot use adults. I think sometimes God calls children to do the big stuff because to be honest, as adults our faith is much smaller than it is for children.
I learned a big lesson last fall when Amaya did her project for Operation Christmas Child that when God uses children that you better watch out because he can be big.
Yesterday Megan posted on her blog that her children have a very special project going on and I wanted to share it with you. You could be part of God using children to make some big things happen. You could also be part of encouraging children in doing God's work. Click here to go check out what they are doing. Megan said yesterday that the kids get so excited and dance around everytime they get an order.
I learned a big lesson last fall when Amaya did her project for Operation Christmas Child that when God uses children that you better watch out because he can be big.
Yesterday Megan posted on her blog that her children have a very special project going on and I wanted to share it with you. You could be part of God using children to make some big things happen. You could also be part of encouraging children in doing God's work. Click here to go check out what they are doing. Megan said yesterday that the kids get so excited and dance around everytime they get an order.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
INJUSTICE
Wow, you don't even need to watch the news anymore to know what's happening in the world. I open Facebook to find many, many people very upset today. I will not state my opinion because to be honest I don't watch enough news to make an opinion. I have also learned that the news is usually anything but accurate and the true story is rarely told.
What I do know is that many, many people are very mad because they feel a certain person is guilty of murder. Aren't we all guilty of sin? Isn't there times we should all suffer the consequences of something we have done but for one reason or another we have gotten away with something when someone else has paid a high price for the same thing.
John 8:7
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
There is a judge much bigger than any judge here on earth that can outpower any judgement made here on earth.
While people are busy watching and yelling at the news, many children are dying right under our noses because we chose a starbucks coffee, a nice steak dinner, we chose to have a calm life of just a couple children, we chose air conditioning, we chose the easy path. There will be a day when all will be judged including me. Should we be held responsible? I think God will hold us responsible and I know I have failed many, many times.
This child has HIV and will probably die without a family. Are you willing to fight and get angry about the injustice of this child in the same way you are yelling about the news or will you let her die. You are angry that the child on the news died and her mother wasn't found guilty but yet thousands of kids wait in foster care in your own backyard and yet you do nothing.
Who is guilty?
What I do know is that many, many people are very mad because they feel a certain person is guilty of murder. Aren't we all guilty of sin? Isn't there times we should all suffer the consequences of something we have done but for one reason or another we have gotten away with something when someone else has paid a high price for the same thing.
John 8:7
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
There is a judge much bigger than any judge here on earth that can outpower any judgement made here on earth.
While people are busy watching and yelling at the news, many children are dying right under our noses because we chose a starbucks coffee, a nice steak dinner, we chose to have a calm life of just a couple children, we chose air conditioning, we chose the easy path. There will be a day when all will be judged including me. Should we be held responsible? I think God will hold us responsible and I know I have failed many, many times.
This child has HIV and will probably die without a family. Are you willing to fight and get angry about the injustice of this child in the same way you are yelling about the news or will you let her die. You are angry that the child on the news died and her mother wasn't found guilty but yet thousands of kids wait in foster care in your own backyard and yet you do nothing.
Who is guilty?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Missing My Friends
Last night as I was getting ready for bed I went to close out my computer for the night when I noticed a message on Facebook saying I won a Kindle from the Millions of Miles blog. I couldn't believe I won it and needless to say I was really, really excited because this is something I would never have bought for myself. I was so excited, bouncing off the walls a bit, that Chris told me to get out of bed and go downstairs and have fun looking at books I could download on this when I get it. I started looking at some books and then I started thinking about some friends of ours that are very dear to our hearts.
Honestly, due to something that happened a couple of weeks ago I have been thinking about these friends many, many times a day for the last few weeks but last night I was really missing them.
Rob was a pastor at a church we attended. When I first met Rob, to be completely honest, I never thought I would be close to him because he was sooooo smart. When I say smart I'm talking walking dictionary (kinda like my dear hubby). Well to be honest I have never been book smart but at least I have common sense. I went to a Sunday School class he had and I thought I needed a dictionary to be in the class. I later found out that I was pretty much the only one in the class that wasn't a walking dictionary so he was teaching in a way most people in that class would learn.
Rob and his wonderful wife Mari then started a Bible study for young adults. I was sooooo scared to go because I didn't think I was smart enough but my hubby talked me into going. Boy was I shocked to learn that Rob and Mari were the most down to earth people I have ever met in my life. Not only was Rob able to turn off the dictionary teaching but Rob taught in a way that anyone in the room could learn, be challenged and most of all be accepted for who they were.
Mari had an amazing ability to make everyone feel like they were just one of her kids and she accepted ANYONE.
Rob and Mari were there for some of the hardest times in our lives.
Last night as I was praying for Rob and Mari I found a sermon that Rob just preached a couple of months ago. I was just talking the other day to someone about how people are so different outside of church walls and Rob talks about that in this sermon. The sermon was so good that I want to share it with you. You can click here to listen and you can even listen while your doing other things online.
Rob and Mari, if you are reading this I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you for teaching me that pastors are normal people too. Thank you for always opening your home to those that need to be loved. Thank you for being there for us whenever we needed you in the very dark moments of life. Thank you for never giving up on God even though life hasn't been easy for you. Thank you both for being YOU and for being so real! We love you guys and miss you very much.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
KINDLE GIVEAWAY!
Several months ago I opened a blog for the first time that had me laughing so hard I was laughing out loud. It was so good that I went and emailed my friend Rett right away to have her go read the blog. I tried to find the post that had me laughing so hard but I couldn't find it, sorry.
Anyway this blog is written by a mom who is very real, very funny and she blogs about everyday life as a mom, a wife, a woman and she just happens to be an adoptive mom. This blog is not only for adoptive families though. This blog is good for any mom out there and you will not get bored with this blog.
Millions of Miles is giving away a Kindle to her readers!!! Go check out the blog and see how you can get a chance to win (OK, I don't really want you to win because this would be really nice when I go on vacation).
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CLICK HERE!
Anyway this blog is written by a mom who is very real, very funny and she blogs about everyday life as a mom, a wife, a woman and she just happens to be an adoptive mom. This blog is not only for adoptive families though. This blog is good for any mom out there and you will not get bored with this blog.
Millions of Miles is giving away a Kindle to her readers!!! Go check out the blog and see how you can get a chance to win (OK, I don't really want you to win because this would be really nice when I go on vacation).
CLICK HERE!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Foster Care Adoption? Let Me Be Honest
If you have been hanging around my blog at all you kind of know I have a bit of a passion for orphans. So many children live each day without a place to call home. I can't imagine my kids ages 5,6 and 7 living a life without parents.
Chris and I have wanted to bring another child home since the day that Jaxson came home. The thing is that since that day we have ran into road block after road block including insurance being a big road block since we are self insured and since our hearts are in special needs adoption.
We have done international adoption, I have advocated big time for international adoption but to be honest I haven't so much for domestic adoption or foster care adoption. The reason I have not advocated much for that is because I don't know much about it, it is scary to me because it is not as cut and dry as say an adoption from China.
Lately some Facebook friends have been putting pictures up of children waiting right here in the USA. I have taken some time to look through some waiting kiddos and to read through the stories and my eyes have been opened big time to kids waiting in our own system.
Did you know???
Thousands of children wait in just about every state in the US that are free for adoption.
Many, many sibling groups are waiting for someone willing to keep brothers and sisters together.
Adopting a child from the foster care system costs little and sometimes nothing.
The child might even be covered by Medicaid even after being adopted.
Please take some time to check out adoptuskids.org and see some of the children waiting for homes.
Chris and I have wanted to bring another child home since the day that Jaxson came home. The thing is that since that day we have ran into road block after road block including insurance being a big road block since we are self insured and since our hearts are in special needs adoption.
We have done international adoption, I have advocated big time for international adoption but to be honest I haven't so much for domestic adoption or foster care adoption. The reason I have not advocated much for that is because I don't know much about it, it is scary to me because it is not as cut and dry as say an adoption from China.
Lately some Facebook friends have been putting pictures up of children waiting right here in the USA. I have taken some time to look through some waiting kiddos and to read through the stories and my eyes have been opened big time to kids waiting in our own system.
Did you know???
Thousands of children wait in just about every state in the US that are free for adoption.
Many, many sibling groups are waiting for someone willing to keep brothers and sisters together.
Adopting a child from the foster care system costs little and sometimes nothing.
The child might even be covered by Medicaid even after being adopted.
Please take some time to check out adoptuskids.org and see some of the children waiting for homes.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
I'm So Proud of Him!
Last August we walked out in complete faith to have Chris open his own shop. When I say complete faith I mean COMPLETE FAITH! We didn't have a lot of money and we did not have a building but we did have faith and we knew this is what God was calling us to do. Right away my dad offered to let us rent his barn so that was a big detail we were able to check off the list.
Chris has been in the car business for a very long time and he was so tired of how the system worked, pushy sales, techs with little knowledge doing high paying jobs in places you pay thinking your getting a quality technician. He was tired of the way techs get paid because that usually means poor work quality (not always but a lot of times) because the faster the tech gets the job done the better he gets paid.
Chris had wanted for so long a place that he could be honest with people. Chris wanted a place where people would get quality work from a very experienced technician. Chris wanted a place with low overhead so people could afford to bring their cars to him.
I can't say it has been easy, some weeks the bills get paid by prayer alone but we know God has our back so they will get paid.
We have been very, very careful about buying things so that we don't get into trouble. One thing we have put off is buying a lift because they are not cheap. Chris has been working so hard doing it the old fashion way with jack stands and it has not been easy and it takes a lot of extra time. After 9 very long months of using jack stands Chris finally got a working lift today!
I am so very proud of my amazing husband and am so blessed to to have the most caring, smart, not to mention cute, ASE Master Certified technician there is.
Hey Chris, I AM PROUD OF YOU!!!
Chris has been in the car business for a very long time and he was so tired of how the system worked, pushy sales, techs with little knowledge doing high paying jobs in places you pay thinking your getting a quality technician. He was tired of the way techs get paid because that usually means poor work quality (not always but a lot of times) because the faster the tech gets the job done the better he gets paid.
Chris had wanted for so long a place that he could be honest with people. Chris wanted a place where people would get quality work from a very experienced technician. Chris wanted a place with low overhead so people could afford to bring their cars to him.
I can't say it has been easy, some weeks the bills get paid by prayer alone but we know God has our back so they will get paid.
We have been very, very careful about buying things so that we don't get into trouble. One thing we have put off is buying a lift because they are not cheap. Chris has been working so hard doing it the old fashion way with jack stands and it has not been easy and it takes a lot of extra time. After 9 very long months of using jack stands Chris finally got a working lift today!
I am so very proud of my amazing husband and am so blessed to to have the most caring, smart, not to mention cute, ASE Master Certified technician there is.
Hey Chris, I AM PROUD OF YOU!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Have You Seen Tanner?
Look at this cutie!
Tanner has a FULL GRANT to cover his adoption and now he just needs a family. Could you be his family? Has God been whispering to you about adoption or maybe He is knocking you over the head (I know some people he has to do this too). Maybe you should consider this getting knocked in the head ;)
Please help spread the word about Tanner and you can find out more info about him by clicking here.
Tanner has a FULL GRANT to cover his adoption and now he just needs a family. Could you be his family? Has God been whispering to you about adoption or maybe He is knocking you over the head (I know some people he has to do this too). Maybe you should consider this getting knocked in the head ;)
Please help spread the word about Tanner and you can find out more info about him by clicking here.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Adoption Auction
My youth pastor from a few years ago ;) and his wonderful wife are getting pretty close to bringing home 2 little cuties from Congo. The adoption has been finalized and now they are finishing the paperwork and praying for God to supply the rest of the money they need (it is still a lot that they need).
Read this about the long journey they have been on:
In January 2008, Mark and Diane felt the need to do something to help orphans, specifically through adoption. After much prayer, they started the process of adopting from Ukraine. After spending 6 weeks in Ukraine, they came home without the 2 children they were hoping to adopt. After a time of grieving for the children they had grown to love, and seeking God, the Goins' began the process of adopting from Congo. When they learned that the children in the orphanages there get 1 meal every other day, they were drawn to do something to help. In December they chose Nathan and Kiera to join their family. To read more about their story, go to: www.goinsgan6.blogspot.com
A friend of theirs is helping them raise money by having an online auction. Please check out the auction, bid, and help them finally be able to get these kiddos home soon. Click here to go to the auction.
Read this about the long journey they have been on:
In January 2008, Mark and Diane felt the need to do something to help orphans, specifically through adoption. After much prayer, they started the process of adopting from Ukraine. After spending 6 weeks in Ukraine, they came home without the 2 children they were hoping to adopt. After a time of grieving for the children they had grown to love, and seeking God, the Goins' began the process of adopting from Congo. When they learned that the children in the orphanages there get 1 meal every other day, they were drawn to do something to help. In December they chose Nathan and Kiera to join their family. To read more about their story, go to: www.goinsgan6.blogspot.com
A friend of theirs is helping them raise money by having an online auction. Please check out the auction, bid, and help them finally be able to get these kiddos home soon. Click here to go to the auction.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
7 Year Old Rapper
I checked Facebook this morning and I found this video that made me smile and I thought I would share it with you.
Many, many children with down syndrome wait for families to come make them feel beautiful. You can visit www.reecesrainbow.com to learn more about these waiting children.
Many, many children with down syndrome wait for families to come make them feel beautiful. You can visit www.reecesrainbow.com to learn more about these waiting children.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Spring Sale and 5/5/5 Project
I have been so busy helping my husband in his business lately that I haven't had much time to focus on my shop and helping little ones find families.
In honor of www.reecesrainbow.org 5/5/5 warrior project to help 5 year old orphans find families I am offering you a sale and a chance to help some precious kiddos find a family.
Through the month of May you can use the discount code SPRINGSALE2011 at checkout to receive 20% off your order.
With every order I will also donate $5 to the 5/5/5 project or to a family fundraiser through my shop.
You can check out the 5/5/5 project by clicking on the button below.
Have fun shopping!
PS You can share this with your friends :)
In honor of www.reecesrainbow.org 5/5/5 warrior project to help 5 year old orphans find families I am offering you a sale and a chance to help some precious kiddos find a family.
Through the month of May you can use the discount code SPRINGSALE2011 at checkout to receive 20% off your order.
With every order I will also donate $5 to the 5/5/5 project or to a family fundraiser through my shop.
You can check out the 5/5/5 project by clicking on the button below.
Have fun shopping!
PS You can share this with your friends :)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Pictures!
It has been a while since I shared some pictures so I will remind you what my precious children look like :)
Aren't they cute???
Below are a couple pictures of Jaxson who has decided the name Jaxson is "OLD" so he is now known as Jax. Jax has been busy bouncing off of walls, reminding Chris and I about every 10 minutes that he needs a brother named Samuel, talking, eating, bouncing off walls (did I say that already) and making knots out of anything he can find.
Jax also decided he was going to learn to ride his bike with no training wheels and NO HELP. It took him about a day to learn and he didn't even fall learning how to ride.
I will update on the girls soon.
I also wanted to share a wonderful blog with you called Millions of Miles. This blog has a adoption fundraiser link on it (you can link up if your fundraising) and there really is some cool stuff. I ordered a couple of shirts yesterday.
Have a good day!
Below are a couple pictures of Jaxson who has decided the name Jaxson is "OLD" so he is now known as Jax. Jax has been busy bouncing off of walls, reminding Chris and I about every 10 minutes that he needs a brother named Samuel, talking, eating, bouncing off walls (did I say that already) and making knots out of anything he can find.
I will update on the girls soon.
I also wanted to share a wonderful blog with you called Millions of Miles. This blog has a adoption fundraiser link on it (you can link up if your fundraising) and there really is some cool stuff. I ordered a couple of shirts yesterday.
Have a good day!
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