Life and Portfolio's

Wow life has been busy around here lately. We have soccer three days a week, church, homeschool, hanging out with friends and a new baby around who requires multiple visitations a week...... It leaves little time for blogging. I haven't forgotten about you, really! There is hope though. Summer break is almost here! Ah the time out from homeschooling!

Speaking of homeschooling....it's time for me to get on the ball with my homeschool portfolio's. This is my second year of doing them and I still don't really have an organized system. I started out at the beginning of the year doing great. I kept putting things in the binder each week. But I quit around October. Yep I haven't put anything in it since then and haven't even started going through everything. If anyone has any portfolio tips at all feel free to share! I could use the help for sure.

And because every blog post needs a cute picture....

Warm weather love. ❤

Call me Cake Boss

My son will soon be celebrating his 8th birthday. This year he wants a star wars themed party. As I was looking online at lots of beautiful cakes my sister told me "We could do that". And so we tried.

 It could use a little extra work but it's not bad for a practice cake is it? Now I just have to get through the pressure of making one for the "real deal" without going into a full blown panic!

Adoption picnic

Yesterday we had a busy fun day. We had soccer games, fun with friends, and went to our adoption agencies annual picnic. Which turned out to be a blast! There was lots of free food, and games. They had a cake walk where hubby won us a cake. And also had one of our adoption friends give us a few cakes her kids had won. Tonights plans are eating cake! :) They had great prizes for the kids. Alex and Rory both got one  they love. There was free girl scout cookies, and lots of time spent playing on the merry-go-round. A great day. I wish that I had brought my camera or that my phone battery wasn't just about dead when I got there! Oh one more thing, hubby and I also got to talk with the lady we are waiting on in regards to our homestudy. She said we are just about done. And that very soon we will get the email with the homestudy for us to review. Can someone say excited? I am so ready to have this thing finished!!

Eight years together and we sorta forgot

Yesterday was our anniversary. We have been married for eight years now.

Funny thing is. We kinda forgot.

Yep. It's official, we are getting old.

We got up. He went to work. I started my day at home. And we both forgot that it was the day we had gotten married eight years ago. I think what threw us off was that we celebrated our anniversary this past weekend. We went on a kid free date! Shopping, and out to a nice dinner. It wasn't until about 3:30 yesterday evening that I remembered. I was out vacuuming the van when I thought, oh my gosh its our anniversary! I hurried up and called my hubby. Small talked for a minute to see if he knew, then said "So do you know what today is"? It took him only a second. He very quickly, kinda yelled, "Happy Anniversary"!! He pretty much was thinking at that point, that he was dead meat. That he had forgotten and I had sat home all day waiting for him to say it. He was quite relieved to find out I had forgotten as well. So I ended up making his favorite dinner when he was on his way home. And he showed up with a giant hanging basket plant for me. Win win. :)

Thankful for eight years together!!

 

Writing on the "before I die" wall on our date night

 

The oops I forgot our anniversary plant

Celebrating Spring

I am so glad that spring is here!! One thing I have found with homeschooling is once the warm weather hits it is hard to stay inside!! We start schoolwork and soon find ourselves looking out the window, wishing we were out for summer break! Around here we have been trying to get our work done as soon as possible and then run outside for some fun.

 

Today we had a busy day. But we still managed to get out for some sunshine!

I snapped these two pictures of the kids discovering the blooms on our tree.

They were all excited and even proceeded to hug the tree. Yep. I have little treehuggers on my hands.

So thankful for this time of year.

Supporting and Understanding the Adoptive Family

I read this post through an email I received today. And just had to share it.

Since our family is in the adoption process I have been reading up on all the different ways to properly attach, what to do when first getting home, proper ways to include family members.... This post is an awesome one to send to your friends and family via email. Or even just to share on your Facebook page! Check it out. It includes things like,

 Please don't feed our kids.

Please don't try to get our child to like you the most.

Attachment takes time and work.

And,

 Our new additions are not celebrities....

Supporting and Understanding the Adoptive Family

One More to go!!!

Just finished homestudy visit  #3!!!!

That leaves us with one more visit to go!!!

What else have we been up to? Enjoying summer break of course!

 We have been gardening, watching fireworks, going to a wedding, seeing a theater production, and hubbys birthday was yesterday. Busy, busy, busy. And very blessed.

Where have we been?

That's probably what your wondering. Things have been hectic around here. Two weekends ago our kids came down with a cold, they were sneezing , coughing, fussy.. and just feeling horrible. We had to miss our P.R.I.D.E. class. Which really bummed me out, but I knew we can make it up. 


The kid's seemed to be feeling a little better by Monday. Then Tuesday night I heard Alex crying and went to see what was wrong. He was laying there shivering like crazy. He said he tried to come get me but was to dizzy to walk. I carried him to my bed and checked his temperature. It was 105.7 . So we left for the ER. 
He was out of it and saying all kinds of crazy things. And talking to his sister who wasn't even with us.


We prayed the whole way there and his fever was already dropping when we got there. They told us that it was just a virus and that it should be better in a few days. But Thursday afternoon his fever shot back up again. Something just didn't seem like a virus. So we took him back. Turns out somehow they missed that he has pneumonia. So we have been nursing our little boy back to health. And once again missed another P.R.I.D.E class.

So that's where we have gotten in our adoption the past few weeks..no where! 

But I am so thankful that our little boy is getting better.And that our God is a healer. We can always make up the class or start in another round once everything is back to normal.:)


And we need a few pictures..

we got snow in October!

feeling beat after eating some halloween cake

Time to embrace the camera

                                                          

                                        Time to embrace the camera! 

I took the kids outside this morning to gather leaves for some leaf rubbings..we also ended up finding a snail, which was way more interesting then the leaves!And we stopped to get a quick pic of me with little Miss ( little man was to busy playing to have his picture taken). Not the best picture, the sun was in our eyes...but it's a picture of us together! :) Then it was inside for school work.

Sunny Days

We have been hanging out in the backyard enjoying the warm evenings and just relaxing as a family..

                                                                   playing ball

Being goofy...

Just hanging out...

                                                               

Thank you God for this time together.

The little things

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand.".... Zechariah 4:10

Everything we do for God starts out as something small...even the mighty men and women of the bible started out as a tiny baby. But sometimes we feel like we have to do BIG things NOW.

Take a step back, look at the small things you are doing trying to follow God, giving what you can, even if it's not much, helping others even if it's just a bag of groceries, looking into adoption, even if right now it's all info meetings...they are big in God's eyes. |

These are acts of faith. Saying God even if it's only something small I'm going to do it. Maybe it's homeschooling my kids, cleaning the church....the small things no one sees matter. They matter to God. And sometimes He will turn them into something big.

Our whole lives really are about the little things,

A new flower

Little hands

small

precious

things.

Things that most of us let slip on by. Take the time to enjoy all the little things today.

4 More Days!

That's how long have to finish packing and get moved out!! We are super excited! We are still not done with schooling, and it's been a little hard getting it done with everything going on lately..But next week we will be in our new place and should be finishing upour last week of kindergarten!!! Come on Summertime!!!




Yesterday was a great day. We went down to the river in Harpers Ferry and just spent family time hanging out, playing, and fishing. Later that evening we also went to my moms for a cookout.

It's so great to have that extra day of rest. Sometimes we get so busy with life. We all need those times to just be still.

Enjoying candy

fishing

Just enjoying his blessings!

My heritage from the Lord

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with

them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)