October 30, 2012

First attempt at a jack-o-lantern

 

Watching "Jack" rot...measuring decomposition, describing mold in our writing using four of the five senses

 

Strings progress

First grade economics...these two enjoy playing "store" and "restaurant"

My Latvians drink pickle juice straight from the jar, but are quickly learning the ways of South Carolinians. I had to laugh when they asked if we could please have some bologna at the grocery store.

Do you ever wonder, "Who knocked the head off my angel?" This life season could be entitled "superglue".

Renee Swope of Proverbs 31 ministries reminds:

When you feel unstable, God says: You are ABLE. "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." (Hab. 3:19 NIV)

Pressing On

 

 

Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

People keep asking me how we are doing. Honestly, the kids are doing great. I am the one who is struggling. Struggling physically with a virus, struggling emotionally with little down time, and struggling spiritually, wanting to be strong and joyful, but daily faced with weakness. Yet, as I look at Scripture, struggling spiritually is not necessarily a bad thing. I fall into the hands of merciful God as helplessly as I fall into my bed at night. I toss my bad attitudes up with prayers of sparks like David did, baring his soul. Wishing I were better, knowing that I am not.

I don't enjoy feeling helpless. I like to feel together and strong, and yet I sense God's purpose in this season of exhaustion and need. I would like instantaneous joy and healing, not walking through a humbling process day after day. I have been somewhat shocked to see what my heart is truly like under pressure....not at all pretty. I see myself more clearly as a sinner in desperate need of grace than a good church girl.

Joanna Weaver writes in her book Having a Mary Spirit (the sequel to Having a Mary Heart) about "altaring" her ego. She shares what she learned from Brother Lawrence who met each day's tasks with:

"Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me." And when he failed, he acknowledged "I shall never do otherwise if you leave me to myself; it is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss."

I would like to be able to grow to this place of complete dependence on God for even my own "good" behavior. She calls it "looking to Christ rather than to one's own character for strength."

I have never been a fast runner. It seems that I now understand that I am not much of a sprinter spiritually either. God has me plodding along at a pace that I can handle. I won't win any medals, but I trust that He will bring me to the finish line in His perfect time.

"I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in (me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

 

Great Wolf Lodge

We were going to celebrate the first week of school, but instead we celebrated family togetherness on the kids' day off.

Everyone was almost happy....Almost everyone was happy...

Family dynamics on family vacations...division arises over who gets to sit in the middle of the bear chair

We had our own wolf-boy at the Great Wolf Lodge

 

Decorating with stickers to spare the back of the car from pumpkin paint

Playing horse with other friends who also bought the Living Social deal

Before the bucket dumps...and after

Story time in pj's

Cabin Life

Electronic life

 

 

Ups and Downs

The kids have been enjoying some of the fall festivities that abound. Andy took them to the neighborhood carnival Sunday afternoon.

Pampered Chef safety knives for first grade jack-o-lantern carvers

Pumpkin shaped rice Krispy treats from Pinterest

Gross science at the local toy store...not a hit with the kids

They did enjoy a fall festival

 

 

 

I have been scared the past five days, experiencing unusual swelling and aching in all of my joints. I felt like I was 80 years old trying to get out of bed and walk across the room in the morning. For someone who loves to move, teaches fitness classes, and is choreographing this year's Singning Christmas Tree, this was seriously overwhelming. Today, my good friend Gennie called to tell me that her doctor had experienced the same virus, and medicated with ibuprofen. That news was sheer relief. All I could think of was my paternal grandmother telling me about how she had developed rheumatoid arthritis at age 40. I would be crushed to learn that my genetics were taking me down the same path. I understand that there is no reason why I shouldn't have a similar fate, but I was very much relieved to think that my condition may not be permanent.

Thank you, praying girls, for lifting me up when I could only tumble into bed.

 

A word from Katie

"I believe that adoption is absolutely God ordained, but it is also about the most unnatural way grow a family. And it comes with huge heartache and huge God-wrestling.

A good God who wants only good for His children can only give good. I remember, that all of this, even this hard part, is working for the good in their lives, for the good of God and His Kingdom. I remember that these hardships are gifts that He is using to strengthen us as a family and in Him so that He may transform us into His likeness." Katie Davis.

Companion...God whispering one word- not a sermon- just enough to remind me that I am not alone.

Better

Thank you, Pinterest, for inspiring our phases of the moon snack. You know you're a teacher-mom when the only reason you buy your kids Oreos is when you can split them apart and make visual aides out of them!

My non-homeschooled first grader playing school when she gets home from school...those markers and chart paper are so inviting! Her "students" were all her stuffed animals dutifully sitting in the floor around her as she made her class pet chart.

First trip to the mountains for the newest Davises

A Saturday for football and sitting around eating ice cream cones in rocking chairs on a porch.

Using cookie cutters for symmetrical shapes

 

Motherhood Perspective

My friend Megan stopped me in the hallway at church on Sunday morning to offer encouragement after reading my weepy blog posts. My automatic response? More tears. A Bible study leader had written earlier in the week to say that she had me on her heart... More tears. I walk around the house numb at night trying to feel anything. Trying to think clear thoughts....barely able to function past a certain hour. I even spent time curled up in the corner of my laundry room floor in the dark when A was away again traveling, just listening to the thump of the clothes in the dryer. The repetitive noise was comforting that life was moving forward, even if I couldn't do one more thing that day, when I had given all that I had to give.

Megan drew the illustration of how comatose you are when you have a newborn and you are up multiple times a night attending to your child's needs. You feel as if your life is over and that it will never be the same again. But then, a year later, when the dust has settled, you barely remember how exhausted and overwhelmed you were. It's all a blur. I think that's the only way we are convinced to consider having a second child, by the gift of forgetting the automaton experience.

I have birthed three babies and have walked through this cycle three times before. Each time it has been demanding. Each time, I have mothered and met needs in love and faithfulness (but not joy). I know that joy will come in the morning, but right now it is night. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am tired of crying every night. I am tired of feeling spent and grouchy. I love my family. I want to be a cheerful Mary Poppins Mom instead of dumpy grumpy hag-wife. I'm angry at bureaucracy. I'm mad at God for not making this easier, although I realize from the lives of Jesus, Paul, Job, Jeremiah, etc. that obedience is not a cakewalk.

You don't ever ask a sleep deprived new Mom how she is loving life. She is just trying to survive. She will whip out the camera and show you all the joyful moments another time...and in time, all those moments in-between the pictures will fade.

Boxes for Katje

 

This is a great Reading Rainbow book and DVD from the library that tells of American goodwill to a little girl, and then to a town in Holland after the war. It helps clarify the line between necessity and luxury. It also has excerpts of children packing boxes to help those rebuilding lives damaged by hurricane Katrina. We watched this before going to pack our Operation Christmas Child boxes. Our newest Davises really enjoyed picking things out to bless other children for Christmas.

 

Pier One hot chocolate tin can be used to teach combinations

As with the watermelon earlier this summer, we estimated the weight and circumference, and then checked our guesses to see who was the closest....always a contest with these five!

Hundreds charts make it easier for younger learners not to lose count

 

Waiting for vomit

 

 

Our pastor recently showed us how one side of this statue is much shinier than the other from all the little hands touching it as they go by on the way to worship.

 

 

Jon 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.

Jon 2:2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

Jon 2:3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.

Jon 2:4 ....... I will look again towards your holy temple

Jon 2:5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

 

 

Jon 2:7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

 

Jon 2:9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

Jon 2:10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

I am waiting for vomit. I know that this stage of seaweed wrapped around my head drowning in overwhelm is not the end of the story....so I wait in humility. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.

Perhaps, one day, my crown of seaweed will be transformed into a laurel wreath to lay at His feet.

 

Here and there

 

Our Latvians love cold ketchup squirted right from the bottle on top of their Asian rice.

 

A secures our place in Latvia

God was good to us. When the translator failed to show up at Tukums orphan court early this morning, our attorney was able to summon another to make the drive from the capitol city...instead of "coming back next week" as they suggested! The judge liked the photo book we had made of our time together, so I would suggest that to any other families making an adoption journey to countries like Latvia where multiple trips are part of the process.

Shadow art

Human sundial

The autumn sun is so strong through our porch doors. I really do clean the glass...then ten minutes later a band of children...some ours, some neighbors, declare a Nerf war and a brand new set of prints appear as they rush out the back door to enjoy the last few rays of daylight until the dinner bell rings.