The Hard Stuff

It is really hard to be thankful for the things you wish were not so.

Thousand Endless Gifts

131.  Pain

Reminds me of our imperfection,

and the need to be healed

132.  Fear

that I might diligently Hide in Him

133.  Weariness

that I might rest in Him

134.  The Unknown

teaches me to trust in Him

135.  Humility

puts me in my place

and He in His

136.  Heartache

Woos me to our One True Love

137.  Hunger

so I might feast upon His word

138.  Barrenness

that I might opens my heart to His children

139.  Insecurity

so I might discover the peace that surpasses understanding

140.  Darkness

so I might search for His light

What 'cha doing? Wordless Wednesday!

Latin

Telemann's Minuet 14

 Pretending to sleep!

 Dreaming

 Waiting for a walk!

What are you up to today?

Weekly Passages

This year I decided to try to read through the One Year Bible.  I try to do this every year, and really struggle with keeping up with it.  Every year, I have started strong.  Then I miss a couple weeks, and find myself unable to catch back up.  I will skip ahead to where everyone else is at, missing out on huge chunks of scripture.

I did not want to do this again.  I started a blog.  I needed something to help me keep up with my reading.  It is pathetic, I know.  I wish I could sit here and tell you that the Word of God is so inspiring that I wake up anxious to read whatever it is HE has for me to learn.  But there are days when I am so distracted by my circumstances that I am just not motivated enough to believe He has anything important for me to hear. 

But I am finding that He does have important, inspiring, relevant words for me, everyday.  I do not always find the time to share these words in my blog.  But the last three months have been so rich.  My mind whirls as I read about the Israelites and how they fumble about.  My heart pounds as I listen to the Lord and His deep desire to dwell with His people.  What amazing days those must have been.

Anyway, if you are reading the One Year Bible this year, I would love to hear what you are learning.
You can catch up with us at here! 

Shepherds, and Pastures, and Cups Overflowing....

When my heart is tipping over with grief, and consumed with worry over the future,

Our gracious Heavenly Father bestows upon me a reminder of His goodness in Psalm 23. 

How could I sit in my angst

when He promises us...

Endless Gifts...



121.  Our own personal shepherd...on duty...24/7

122.  We shall not "lack"...for anything...

ever

123.  green pastures

124.   quiet waters

125.  Our own person tour guide...on duty...24/7

(who stakes HIS own reputation on our ability to navigate life)

126.  no.more.fear

127. guidance and discipline 

128.   A feast in the midst of a battle

129.  overflowing cups

130.  Goodness

Lovingkindess,

Dwelling in His house

Forever!

Spring Sensory Giveaway!

Some of you know that one of our yahoos has been diagnosed with a sensory disorder.  Li is our four year old.  She is full of life and teaching us so much.  She is the most energetic kid I have ever met.

She is friendly and outgoing and inventive.  She indulges in all of her senses, from smelling every bottle of shampoo on the drugstore shelf to slowly rubbing lotion up and down, and up and down, and up and down her legs!  She will take enormous amounts of time washing her hands um, arms after playing outside because those bubbles are just too much fun to just wash her hands and rinse them straight down the drain.

Li has a hard time with her senses, too.  She cannot handle bright light.  She frets if she hears a repetitive noise and cannot make it stop.  She has a hard time chewing and swallowing broccoli.  She would rather tuck that green veggie into her cheeks like a chipmunk instead of actually eating it.  She ends up with broccoli juice running down her shirt!  She can be incredibly un-huggable...and yet very huggable at the same time!
Li is not all that excited about wearing jeans.  She spends most of her time in leggings and really cute skirts.
Which is fine with me, because she looks, well, really cute!

Yep, our Li makes life really interesting and really fun. 
Understanding her sensory disorder helps us understand her.

It is always good to connect with others that are struggling with the same issues.  So we have joined a
 SPD blogger network.

Networking is always a good thing, right?

When I was rummaging through my reading this morning, I found that SPD  and Soft Clothing were having a giveaway! 

Check this out:

From the Soft Clothing website:

Soft Clothing for All Children and The SPD Blogger Network are co-sponsoring an incredible Sensory Friendly Spring Giveaway!  2 Grand Prizes will be given (one for boys, one for girls), and will each include the following sensory friendly items, which focus on fine motor development, dramatic play skills, sensory integration, creative expression, auditory exploration, and of course, fun!  Whatever holiday or season your family celebrates, there is something in this stocking for someone you love!

Your Sensory Prizes!

 Puffy Easter Basket (Chick) Pottery Barn Kids (boys prize)

Puffy Easter Basket (Rabbit) from Pottery Barn Kids (girls prize)

"I'll Tell You Why I Can't Wear Those Clothes," by Noreen O'Sullivan

Soft Seamless Sock 2-pack

Vestibular Wedge

Sensory Body Sock

Alex Toys Monster Bubbles

Alex Toys Sack Racing: Frog and Monkey 

Squiglet Fidget Bracelets 

One complete Springy Soft look for girls OR

One complete Springy Soft look for boys

 

 

Go check it out! 

 

 

I am hoping to share more about our adventure with Li here on our blog.  If you have a child with sensory disorder, please leave a comment!  I would love to hear your stories! 

Under the Trellis- March

The weather is finally starting to warm up!

The Yahoos have been out everyday, playing under the trellis!

I wonder how different this will look in a month!



Twelve Years Ago Today...

 12 years ago today...

 a sweet, amazing young lady did a very brave thing...she chose to let go of the tiny little baby girl God has given her. This baby girl she had nourished, looked after, and protected inside of her for nine months...The baby girl she had struggled to give birth to (for a good 19 hours!) The baby girl she had snuggled with, slept with, breastfed, and watched over for the first 2 weeks of her life... This God-fearing, creative, nurturing soul took that baby girl and placed her into my arms, and asked me to be her momma...
12 years ago today!

On that day...12 years ago, Jeff and I were at a christening for our niece. She was 3 months old, and our hearts were breaking. You see, we had been told, 2 weeks earlier, that the baby girl we thought might be coming home, was going home with her birth mama. We were heart broken...and the last thing we wanted to do was go to a christening for the first baby girl in our family!

But we went, and shared that special time with our family. We were so at peace, we knew that our little niece was such a wonderful gift to us all. We left that evening, went home and settled down in our jammies...ready to snuggle up and relax after such a hard day.

The phone rang. We knew it was our social worker from the agency. She had planned to call us that night, just to check in with us both and see how we were doing after going through a "change of heart." Jeff answered the phone in the kitchen. I grabbed the extension in the bedroom. We met each other in the hall as she started to talk.

"Well," she said, "I am glad you are both there. I need you to get in the car and drive down here. You need to come right away. Do not stop for anything, we have everything you need. Your baby girl is waiting for you to take her home!"

Jeff looked at me, tears in his eyes. His dream of a baby girl had just come true.

"Well," he said, "Could we put our clothes on first?"

The baby girl we thought we had lost was placed into my arms that night. She looked right at me, as though she knew she was right where she belonged. Her birth mama tells me when she saw the look on Mac's face; she knew she had made the right decision. She knew that Mac belonged with us.

So today we praise God for Mac's birth mama, and the amazing gift she brought into our life 12 years ago. We praise Him for the courage she has and the complete, unconditional love she gives to Mac, our other daughters and to us. What a privilege, what an honor to know her. And I pray everyday; I might be as courageous and loving as she.

Just a note:  This is a re post from a few years ago.  Mac's birth mom is still very much a loving amazing example to us all.  We adore her and thank God for her everyday.  Mac is so very much like her birth mother, and we praise God for the striking resemblance, both physically, and spiritually. They love the same things, experience life in the same ways, and even use the same words!  Knowing Mac''s birth mama has helped us understand who Mac is!  What a glorious gift adoption is!  People say how blessed Mac is to be a part of our family, but we believe we are abundantly blessed to have her for a daughter, and her birth family as a part of our family!

12 years ago we began a glorious journey with the arrival of our Mac!  God has since added three more to the mix!  What a blessing and privilege to have our little ones with us!  We praise the Lord every day for them!