So Busy . . .

Getting ready for our first MOPS tomorrow morning plus we are leaving for 2 nights tomorrow afternoon (minus the kids!) sooooooo I am a "little" busy and won't have time to "chat" until after Wednesday night! See you then!

Adoption Thoughts

Ever since I was a little girl, I know that the idea of adoption has floated around in my head with a hope that someday I might be able to adopt a child. More specifically, a black child. See, my mom was adopted and she has only ever had good things to say about it. Granted, she was adopted as a newborn and so she doesn't have feelings attached to another mother. But, she thinks it was a God-ordained thing that saved her life. Literally. So, the idea of being able to give a home, lots of love and maybe even life, in one form or another, by adopting a child has always intrigued me. Well, intrigued may be the wrong word. I believe that I have a lot of love to give and would be honored to share my home and my heart with another child that did not arrive in this world via my womb! I also don't look upon mothers that give their child away for adoption with anything but the utmost respect. These women have carried their child for 9 months, bonding with and loving this unseen creation. They have birthed these children. They have nursed these children. They have watched them smile, laugh, crawl, walk, run, grow and love. And, they have decided that what they had to offer was not the absolute best for their child. They had to decide that the life and future of their child is more important than keeping them close by. I cannot imagine the pain these mothers endure of having their child taken from them, even if it is willingly. No, I cannot think of these women with anything but respect.

I have told Jay many times about my desire to adopt but never once have I mentioned this to my kids. The other day, Pepe was talking about church. He wanted us to remind him to bring his Bible and his offering to Sunday School. The offering is for orphans in Africa so they can have clean water and food to eat. I guess in Sunday School Pepe mentioned that maybe the money could buy the kids some parents because as orphans they don't have parents and wouldn't it be good for them to have a mom and a dad? He was told you cannot buy people! I told him that he was right, it would be good for the orphans to have a mom and a dad. I told him that he should pray to God that God could bring a mom and a dad to the orphans. He said that he would pray that God would bring an orphan to live with US. That God should bring one orphan. No, that He should bring 2 orphans, a brother and sister, to live with US. Remember, I have never talked about adoption with him until this conversation. I explained to him about adoption and how his nana was adopted. But he came up with this idea of the orphans living with us all on his own, before I explained adoption. Maybe that boy will have more faith than I do and pray for those orphans and God will bring 2 to live with us, just like Pepe said! I think about the logistics, the expense, the space we don't have. Pepe thinks about the mom and dad, the food and the clean water the orphans don't have. I wish I could think more like him. Needless to say, I was slightly amazed at the end of our conversation! What will the future hold? Will it include the faces of a little African boy and his sister? Dare I hope?

You Are Only 3! No Bras!

I still cannot get over the fact that my son and Jesus are forever friends! Tears still come to my eyes when I think about it and when I read my last post. Think about it - the angels in heaven are having a party for my son! How incredibly cool is that!

This morning RJ saw the La Senza bag on my counter and asked what was in it. I told her I bought new bras. And a pink one! She said, with a huge smile on her face, and I quote, "For ME??". I laughed and said the obvious - no! Her smile dropped, continued to get lower, the pout came out and then the tears started. Big tears. And wailing. Lots of wailing. Crying and wailing. "I want a bra!". Yes, my 3-year old was crying because she wants a bra! A pink bra! Oh, little girl, just you wait. Soon you and I can go bra shopping together. For pink bras! Though that whole idea just about strikes fear in my heart. Bras means puberty. Puberty means . . . well, it means a whole lot more than I want to deal with right now! She is only 3. And part of me hopes she stays this way for a long time. No bras! And certainly no boys!

Matters of Eternal Importance!

So, I just came home from spending the last 5 hours shopping in Winnipeg (and no, I was not shopping for myself - and I most certainly wasn't shopping at Ricki's where the new color for the season happens to be purple which I noticed when I passed the store, slowed down slightly then quickly picked up speed and continued on in case I should be tempted to enter. Which I was. But I didn't. Whew!!) picking up things for my husband and finding decor items for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers, a program I am coordinating at our local church). Oh, I guess I did do a little shopping for me - I needed new bras. Desperately. Mission accomplished. Though it was a little disturbing finding out what size I was - I mean, really! 36A???!!! What am I - 15?? (That is no offense to the 15 year olds, just a sad state of being for this 33 year old! That's what all those kids and nursing did to me. Sob!!!).

AAAAAAAAANYWAY! I came home just after the girls were in bed. One son was waiting upstairs, the other was wailing in his bed. I was checking in with Jay when my oldest says this to me from across the house:

"Mom, guess what? I asked Jesus to come live in my heart. I was talking to him and he said that I don't have to do any school or homework or any work at all!".

Okay, did I just hear that right? Could you back that up juuuuuust a little?

Me: "He did, did he?".

Him: "No, I'm just joking. But the first part is true. I actually did."

Me: "You did? You asked Jesus to be your forever-friend?".

Him: "Yup!"

Okay, so at this point I run to him and hold him and hug him and tell him that was the best thing he could ever tell me! I will see my son in heaven one day! What could be more exciting than that?! Apparently this monumentous event happened last night as he and dad were reading the Bible story about Peter and James following Jesus. Daddy asked if Pepe wanted to follow Jesus and he said yes. They talked with Jesus and he made the most important decision of his life. Which I only found out about 24 hours later. I was in a meeting yesterday, in my own house, but only found out tonight. Like all that time I spent in school with him today just wasn't enough time to tell me! I digress! My point? My son loves Jesus and wants to follow him! I couldn't be happier! Thank you, Lord!!!

Almost Family

For the past year, we have spent every third Sunday with a very special group of people - our care group. Some people refer to these types of groups as small groups but I like care group better. Why? It epitimizes the reason we get together. Because we care. Our group consists of 12 adults and 12 children (age 6 and under). This past year we would get together for a potluck supper then the adults would sit around and talk while the kids ran wild! It was great for everyone involved, especially the kids. Tonight we met just as adults to discuss plans for the future. Do we want to keep getting together? Do we like this thing called "care group"? The answer is a resounding "YES"! These are some of the most important people in my life, people that understand who I am and love me anyway. People who can make me laugh or make me cry. People who love my children. People who push me in my faith journey. Or my parenting journey. Or in my marriage. People that are more than just people - they are my friends. They are my 'almost family'! They are the biggest reason we still attend the church we do. They give me something to look forward to. They give me a reason to open up and share. This next year we will meet as adults every other care group Sunday and I am SO EXCITED! I love my kids, I love their kids but sometimes with all those little ones running around, it is hard for us adults to dig deeper. Find out what is really happening. This year that can change. We will be just the 12 of us - 6 couples. Couples that hopefully can talk about anything and everything. Couples that will pick you up when you are down, give you a hug if that is what you need. Couples that will cause your walk with the Lord to be richer, more significant. Couples that will hold your marriage to a higher standard, expect more from you while loving you on the journey. I am so blessed to have these friends in my life. I hope you have friends in your life that are able to be that source of encouragement, that place of laughter and honesty, those arms that will accept you, no matter what! Friends that are your 'almost family'!

Waiting . . .

One might wonder why I am sitting and writing a blog at 11:53 pm on a Saturday night. Surely I should be in bed getting some much needed rest before a busy Sunday. But, alas, no. I am wide awake. Waiting. For my hubby. You see, he is still in the combine, just as he has been for the past 12 hours. Yup, he left at 11:30 this morning, and, other than bringing him his supper, I haven't seen him since. (And, just to let you know what a hard worker he is, he was up at 6 this morning to do his chores at the barns {we are hog farmers}, came home around 10, mowed the grass, hung out with the kids, scarfed down breakfast and lunch then off to the fields.) For some reason, when he is gone, I cannot go to bed until he is home. It just doesn' feel right. Especially when I know he is supposed to come to bed. Sometime. Just not sure when. So, I wait. What do I do while waiting? I snuggle into my couch, grab a cozy blanket and a book and settle in for a read, my new-yet-trusty quote book by my side. This time it is "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado. I think I need a constant reminder of his grace. My need for grace is obvious. The fact that Jesus gives it out so freely and lovingly is still a bit surprising. And the quote book? Well, it is just a hard-cover spiral-bound notebook but it contains bits and pieces of inspiration. Things I read that really make me think. Words that say what I am thinking better than I could say them. That sort of thing. Makes each book I read more memorable. Makes it easier to find inspiration if I can jot it down in a book that is easily reviewed. So, if you don't mind, I am going to find those books and that blanket and settle in for a wait!

We Need a Side Car in John Deere Green!

As I mentioned earlier in a blog, I was waiting for the day Jay was "relegated" to the combine. Today was that day. And, as I have every year since we started having kids, I packed up the troops and took them out to the fields for a ride! And what a ride it was! 7 of us, all snug and cozy, in the cab of that John Deere combine.

This was Ari's first tractor ride (well, at least while outside the womb!) and she seemed to enjoy every minute. I am not sure that I have found something she doesn't like. Ali, however, was a different story. Her hesitation was apparent to everyone around. The wails started the moment Jay made his way up the ladder. She was not so impressed with this mammoth machine. And who could blame her? The stubble in the field (just the stubble, not the complete stalks) came up to her knees. The combine is huge to an average adult - to this wee little 2 year old, it must seem extraordinarily huge and just as loud! She did manage to calm down a few minutes after settling into the surprisingly quiet cab. Then she started talking. About the "bombine"! She started turning the steering wheel and putting her handle on the throttle. She was good to go!

Things are a "little" snug when you stick 7 people in a cab meant for 2! So we have decided we need a sidecar. A combine sidecar in John Deere green. That way none of us have to miss out on the action.

Today's machines were working the canola. And canola dust is thick and black. It coats everything. Anything you touch is black. And anything you touch afterwards becomes that same black. RJ figured that out first-hand.

The boys couldn't wait for us to leave and have the cab (and the comfy seats) to themselves. Thus ended the family ride for the year! But it was memorable and we would do it all over again! With 8? Well, that might be pushing it!!