Yearly Update

Does anyone even check this anymore? If so, here's your yearly update. It's been almost a year since I posted last. Needless to say the kids have grown a lot! We are heading to the two year mark of Noah being home and three for Mia and Hope this summer! Time is flying by!


Jordyn is 14 now! She had a wonderful year in 7th grade but decided after praying about it that she should homeschool. It has been such a joy having her home. She works hard, gets her school work done, and is such a helper! She is definitely a blessing to us! She loves music, baking, reading, and taking care of her puppy CeeCee. I thank God for her daily!






Alexis is 12 going on 16! ; ) She loves being in middle school. She is our goofball always making us laugh, but at the same time working on her princess skills. It's hard to be a princess and a goofball, but somehow she pulls it off. Ali loves all that's girly....painting fingernails, putting on make-up, matching outfits, doing hair....if it's girly she loves it! She is quite the social butterfly but also loves being home with us(which I love!) She too is such a blessing and I love watching her grow up as well as grow in the Lord!






Camden is 9 and I cannot believe how much he is growing! He had a wonderful year of baseball last year! It was his first year to play and he loved it! We played spring ball, All-Stars, and finished up with fall ball! He couldn't get enough! We were so proud of him and had a blast cheering him on! He continues to be a tendered hearted little guy. He cares about people and loves the Lord! One of his favorite songs is Look What the Lord Has Done!







Mia will be turning 9 in a little over a month and that is one detail that she is VERY aware of! ; ) She continues to mother Hope whenever possible, but at the same time I think she is finally learning that she can be a kid too! She adores praise and worship and you can almost always here her singing. She played congas for me at church for a little while and did great, but decided she missed Children's Church. She misses her Haitian family more lately than normal, but has learned that it is ok to talk about it. She loves them so much and wants to visit as soon as possible. She is all about drama! Not necessarily bad drama just drama. ; ) Dress up, make believe, pretend play...she loves it all!





Noah is 7! In two years time he has changed so much! He has grown inside and out! He also played baseball in the fall and loved it! He started in the Spring not knowing what baseball was and went to playing in the Fall and doing awesome! He seriously can throw the ball! His little arm is a ball launcher and he's a good hitter too! He loved playing but maybe not as much as the consession stand. ; ) The boy loves to eat! Sometimes a little too much, but considering his past, I can't say that I blame him. He has decided he will never move out. He plans to live with Jeremy and I forever. We'll see if that lasts when he turns....oh....let's say....13. For now though, we are all he wants and I love that!









Last but not least, we have Hope who is now a whole 6 years old! She is in Kindergarten and her English is so good they determined she did not need ESL. She might need speech, thanks to all the thumb sucking she did, but no ESL for her! She is a sweet girl and loves to pray. Anytime she finds out someone doesn't feel good she prays for them and says, "Mom, I said, 'by Jesus stripes you are healed.'" She doesn't care who is around she wants to pray! She loved going to the beach this summer and the picture pretty much sums up what she wanted to do.





One final note....Jordyn, Alexis, Camden, & Noah are currently involved in a fundraiser for Leve Project. Leve is an organization helping break the cycle of poverty in Haiti. They don't want to treat the symptoms, they bring a cure! The kids have surrendered their closets and for every $100 raised they must wear the same shirt one more day. They have now been wearing this shirt for 11 days and are up to 18 as of today. The goal is 30 days and they are making me so proud with their efforts! If you want to help them wear their shirts longer, go to Nothing to Wear Challenge and donate. Any amount helps push them closer to their goal!

Progress.....

Once again it has been a VERY long time since I posted on my blog. Time simply goes by and trying to raise six kids effectively doesn't make for a lot of time to sit and post about it. I did, however, want to write about the progress we make, but sometimes forget we are making. It's like watching someone lose weight everyday. You don't notice the changes like you would if you didn't see it everyday.

Our girls have been home now for 1 year and almost 8 months. When they came home they knew very little English, had no idea of what living with a family looked like, was academically behind, socially behind....it's exhausting remembering. Some days it is still exhausting, until I remind myself of the progress we have made.

When Mia started school last year, we put her in the first grade. We had major concerns because it was obvious that she was WAY behind. She didn't know A from Z, and couldn't add 1 + 1. The school assured me that she would pick things up quickly and that we would be surprised at how well she would do. To their surprise, by the end of the year she was still not getting her papers graded. They were only using stickers and smileys so she wouldn't get discouraged. She was barely able to read the word cat and this was after tutoring, working with her at home, you name it we did it. There was talk of a learning disability but they couldn't put their finger on it. The plan was to leave her in first grade and see what happened this year.

This year.....wow the difference. She is reading great! Math GREAT! She has an A- in Language Arts, A in Math and an A in Spelling. She does most of her homework independently now, no tutoring, nothing! Wow, what a difference! We also have grown in leaps and bounds in her social skills and she is learning what it's like to live with a family. Family life has been a little hard for her. She has been hurt so much in the past that she has some pretty tough walls, but little by little they are coming down and she is learning that we are here for the long hall. She is also learning that every choice has a consequence and to receive good things we must make good choices.

Hope, well, she fooled us for the first few months. We thought, "she is so easy." She listened well. She was behind in all the areas Mia was but she seemed to always do what we asked and wanted to learn. THEN....she realized we weren't going anywhere and she should test her boundaries. ; ) All kids do this, so it was no surprise really. Little by little she also has learned about consequences, what is socially acceptable here, and she has finally learned how to play. I remember in the beginning one of the hardest things for her was what to do when the kids were at school. She could not play alone. She didn't know how. When everyone was here she could make believe with the rest of them, but when it was just her, her imagination left when the kids left. I would tell her to go play in her room for a little while(trying to force her to play alone), only to find her laying on her bed......every time. It brought me such joy the other day when I was downstairs ironing and she came out with her baby in the stroller just talking up a storm on her "phone." She asked me to watch her baby because she had to go to work. She even told me how to pretend play with her baby saying, "Mom, when I'm gone say...'it's ok baby. Mommy will be back.'" I had flash backs of that little three year old laying on her bed waiting for me to tell her what to do next. Wow! How far we have come!!

She is doing great academically too. She went to preschool August-December, but in January I began teaching her at home. She now knows all her colors, most of her shapes minus weird ones like crescent, diamond, etc. She knows all but about 3 letters. She can count to 50 with very little help, and recognizes most numbers through 20. I am amazed at how far she has come!! We are still working on choices, but we are working on that with all 6 kids. I'm not sure that ever ends.


For Noah, transition has been a bit easier. He was behind in many areas, but having spent time away from the Orphanage he appeared to settle a little easier into family life. His life away wasn't pleasant, but he did at least understand a little better what a family looks like and being accountable to a parent or parent figure. Noah seemed to have more food issues than the girls. I'm sure he experienced far more hunger than they did, or at least it seems that way with the obsession that he had and still has at times. He would take food from the kitchen and lie about it over and over and over again. We would discipline him for it and explain that he simply needs to ask and if we say no then he cannot take it. We also would assure him every time that we would always have food for him to eat. He also didn't know any English when he came home and was obviously behind academically.

Only a year later, he is reading, speaks English clearly, and is no longer taking food from the kitchen. His teacher is amazed at how well he is doing. His last report card showed everything they tested him in as being mastered! He does so well that when he doesn't know something he gets very upset. We are so proud of him and his hard work!

So, although sometimes we take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, we are still gaining ground and the Lord is with us every step we take. Jeremy and I are constantly praying for the Lord to give us wisdom, knowledge and understanding as we parent all six of our children, and He is faithful to answer our prayers! We are not perfect, but we hope someday to have 6 adult children that are responsible, respectful, and loving. We pray they will serve our awesome God with their whole hearts all the days of their life! We look forward to being this family of eight for eternity. For now, we are blessed beyond measure!

Couple of things....

First, praise God all Three Angels children are in the states safe and sound with their families! We witnessed so many miracles in this past week, and simply stand in awe of our God! Below is a picture of the kids as they waited in Florida to be united with their families!



Second, many, many, many people are asking about the orphans of Haiti, orphans of Three Angels, and how they can help or offering to open their homes, both temporarily and permanent. To answer many of the questions about Three Angels children, they are all in homes. Thank you for asking though!

Now, may I say something that I hope doesn't come across wrong? Not sure why I asked because I am going to say it. ; ) Many people are throwing out offers left and right to bring a Haitian child into their home, and although I think it is great that so many care, I'm not sure that many are truly prepared for what might lie ahead. There should be NO rash decisions made. First of all, many of the children won't speak an ounce of English. Second, their culture is NOTHING like ours and these kids have been exposed to situations we cannot begin to comprehend. Third, there are steps that would need to be taken before anyone could actually open up their home. Our local social services will be involved with these cases and from what I understand homestudies have to be done, which can be costly.

Also, our kids have been home now...the girls for a year and a half and Noah ten months. The girls are still adjusting to this life, learning our culture and what is acceptable and what is not. Noah too, obviously, having been here for a lesser amount of time. The girls have struggled in different ways than how Noah struggles, largely due to the time he spent away from the orphanage. I'm not complaining, just saying. Even though they knew for a long time they were coming here. Even though I knew Creole. Even though we were aware of what challenges we might face, having had a LONG time to prepare for them. Even though, even though, even though, even though....it's hard for them. It's hard for us. It's hard. Having said that, I haven't regretted for one moment that the Lord gave me these children. They are my children in every way and I will always be thankful for them!

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from pursuing this, I just would want you to be aware of what is involved. You would have a child in your home that doesn't understand a word you say and who has been taken out of all they have ever known. They won't necessarily look at it as you "rescuing" them. For many, in their little minds, there wasn't anything wrong with their life.

I guess I'm just saying, please pray before making any decision. Make sure it is what the Lord is asking of you and not simply your heart strings being pulled for the moment. The Lord gives us grace to do His will, not necessarily ours.

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Thank you to everyone who has given, will give, has prayed and will continue praying!

Our God is an Awesome God!!!

Quick update! All 26 Three Angels Children's Relief children are receiving travel documents as I type this to come to the US!!! 23 of them going to their forever families! God has worked so mightily in this situation! It will be so much better for the recovery efforts of TAs, to not have the concern of the children's well-being! As well as, who knows how many more children in Haiti need us now! Please continue to pray and donate! The need is overwhelming! However, today, we rejoice at the miracle of our children coming home!

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Also, join us in praying that the Lord continues to work out EVERY detail for the arrival of the children! We need planes to get them where they need to go!

Three Angels Update

What we *think* we know.

Dear friends, family and supporters -

We still have only gotten limited communication and are anxious to get feet on the ground (hopefully by tomorrow) to give us a real picture of what the need will be. Information is spotty and often unreliable but this is what we feel fairly confident communicating.

• First, your fund-raising efforts are working and we are experiencing a generosity that we pray continues - this will truly be a joint effort with every person who gives.
  
• We have had reports that the air quality is starting to bother some of the children. However, all of the kids, even the "sick" ones still seemed to be doing well - they are out playing and being silly.
  
• Thanks to Megan Haug we were actually able to get some pictures of the children today - it certainly did us all a level of good.
• We also received pictures of the property and in the light of day the prognosis is not very encouraging. Our structural engineer will hopefully give us better news
• We have heard good news of friends who are alive: Alix, Reggie, most of our nannies, Gabriel, Madame Valet... yet there are still those we have not heard from. Many of those who have returned to Three Angels have lost loved ones and are grieving.
  
• We are truly hoping to be able to secure 'parole visas' for the children and get them to the United States as soon as possible. We are not sure if this is attainable but are working diligently to pursue every option.
  
• Haiti is in a very tenuous state right now and will only continue to deteriorate in the coming days. We hear that tension is rising. Price gauging for things like fuel are a reality and will become worse as fuel become more scarce. People will become even more desperate as water and food become scarce.
  
• All civilian flights to Haiti were halted Thursday at the request of the Haitian government because there is no room at the damaged airport for more planes and no fuel to spare for departing aircraft. We are still hopeful that this will change in time for our team to arrive tomorrow afternoon.
  
• From one of our friends in Haiti, "We are starting to see people on the streets with their mouth and nose covered with a cloth or a mask as the stench of death is beginning to hang in the air. In our particular area it is not as bad as some places where bodies are stacked on the side of the road and still buried in rubble. Today as I was on the road, I was passed by a police pickup truck that was stacked with dead bodies. I assure you that no photo can communicate the pain and despair that so many are feeling as we are now entering the days of discovery."

We truly appreciate your donations, your prayers and your offers of assistance.

Please continue praying for the many people we haven't heard from, some of our staff, birth families, etc. We long to hear word that they are ok. Also pray for peace to remain. As people get desperate for food and water, things could decline. Peace needs to remain in order to get the help they need. Thanks for checking in and again if you are considering donating, Three Angels needs your help!

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Earthquake Update.....

This picture is of the Caribbean Market we have walked to on numerous occasions.

Good morning, everyone. It's so hard sitting here in my comfortable home watching as so many of my friends and loved ones are suffering and possibly dying. I continue to trust in the Lord that He will strengthen, encourage, protect and deliver them!

The orphanage complex has suffered damage. The outside walls are all down, things inside the Orphanage are a mess, furniture turned over, stuff everywhere. I was fortunate enough to "talk" with Megan this morning on Facebook and she said, "it really is amazing. out of all the missionary families and other orphanages we've checked, everyone seems pretty okay and yet, you walk down the street and there are dead bodies lined up... i went into the O yesterday, i was amazed no one was hurt" It is obvious the Lord was watching over our little ones.

Currently, the staff is taking care of the kids at a nearby school, Quescaya Christian School, along with Abbey a volunteer that had been homeschooling the kids in the afternoon. Please pray for her, this is by far more than she planned for, more than anyone planned for. We do have some food at the complex so the cooks are preparing it and delivering it to the kids at the school.

There is a small group of four heading down tomorrow, our beloved Dr. Jack, a structural engineer, our fearless leader Gretchen, and an adoptive parent. They will be assessing the damage, the safety of moving the children back home, and simply caring for the kids, our neighbors and families of our employees. I say simply, but nothing in Haiti was simple before... let alone now. Please pray for them! They will need protection, strength, endurance, peace, and wisdom.

If you haven't already, please consider donating. Three Angels as well as many other organizations need your help!

Consider donating today!

Please help!

I know I haven't posted in a really long time, and I'm not sure how many people will even see this. I just want to call for help for Three Angels. I'm sure many of you know of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday. Thankfully, the children were all kept safe, but there is damage to the Orphanage. Please considering donating today to help with the recovery of this massive quake. James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." To donate go to www.threeangelsrelief.org

Kids can be funny....

Noah..."When I get big like Camden, then I will know what to do."
Thankfully, that means we only have about a year and Noah will have it all figured out.

Hope.... when asked what she will be when she grows up..."Umm, I won't pee and suck my thumb."
Way to set those goals, Hope! You really raised the bar on this one. ; )

Endurance

Endurance - the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina

I started to post about my run yesterday, which I am, but when I started to...I felt like it was turning into more than that. So....endurance....the ability or strength to continue... despite...stress or other adverse conditions. Is it just me or does that sound like life? It seems, more than ever, people need endurance to live life. People need that ability or strength to continue despite stress or other adverse conditions.

I believe we are in the last days, as referred to in the Bible. Mark 13:⁵ And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁶ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. ⁷ But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. Who can read this and say these things are not happening? We are living in what the Word has said we will live in in the last days.

I believe the return of my Lord Jesus is drawing nigh! I watch and pray for His return, but He isn't here yet and that brings us to endurance. Luke 21:26 says men's hearts will fail them from fear and expectation of those things that are coming on the earth. We need strength despite the stress! We need the ability to continue regardless of the adverse conditions.

Where will we obtain that strength or ability known as endurance? I know where my strength and endurance comes from. It comes from the One who endured all things for me! My strength comes from the Lord, my Maker, my Savior! Psalm 27:14 in the Amplified says, Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. See in Luke 21 just after the the verse saying men's hearts will fail them from fear the Word continues in verses 27 and 28 by saying, Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Our strength, our endurance will come as we lift up our heads, as we wait and hope for and expect the Lord! Isaiah 40:31 also tells us that strength will come as we wait. But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. I think I just wanted to encourage anyone that reads this. If you are feeling stressed, tired, faint, or feel surrounded by adverse conditions, know that your strength will come as you wait on the Lord. He will give you the endurance you need to get through each day. He will not leave you nor forsake you! He loves you and He too is waiting and longing for the day when He can come and take you home!

I experienced endurance in a way yesterday that I never dreamed I would. I ran a half marathon. My goal was to run the whole time, never walking, and to end somewhere around 2 hours and 30 minutes. I told myself to be happy, even if it took longer, just with finishing. I'm not a natural runner. I run slow. It hurts. It's hard. BUT there's something about running that draws me in. I can't seem to not do it. I'll admit I enjoy a short run, three....four miles that's fun, but 13.1 that's a challenge(for me).

When I started running a few years ago, I did it just to lose some weight and found I began to enjoy it. I lost some weight and found it easier to maintain if I kept it up. Then I started hearing friends talk about this half marathon in Evansville. What? Run 13.1, are you crazy? This is what I thought. I was impressed by their dedication, ambition, and endurance, but yes they were crazy.

Well, it turns out that crazy is contagious. Last year I trained for it and the week before the race ran 10 miles and injured my foot. No half for me, I could barely walk. This year I began training again. Praying before every run. There were times I thought....I don't know if I can do this. Lord, this is hard! Then other times I thought....I think I can do this. Lord, You are my strength! Back and forth I would go, confident then not so, back to confident then wavering again. One thing I was, though, was determined. I have a little stubborn streak in me, and sometimes it comes in handy. ; ) I was determined to do this thing that seemed so difficult and unnatural.

Saturday, I began thinking....Oh my gosh! What have I done? What was I thinking? A half marathon? Oh my gosh! I set the alarm and began to get things ready in the afternoon and that's when the nerves really hit. This was really happening. Oh golly! In addition to the obvious distance, the weather didn't cooperate either. I despise running in the cold. I feel like my lungs are freezing. I prefer to run in heat, so of course on Sunday as we head to the start line it's 40 degrees. Dressed in layers, off we go. Laura and Jason Burton, Jamie Newcomb and myself hop the nice warm shuttle bus to Reitz Hill.

As to not bore you with a play by play of the actual race, I'll jump ahead. I DID IT!!! I ran the race that was set before me with endurance. I never walked, not once. I finished with a time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 37 seconds! I have to say it was a very proud moment for me. My mom, step-dad, niece, and husband drove around town cheering me on all morning and capturing pictures. I was so thankful! They'll never truly know how much that helped me! It was so encouraging to see them! I also had a couple of friends cheering at different points! It was an awesome(freezing) day!

Here's a few pictures.....(for those of you not on facebook)

Me and my neighbor, training partner, and amazing friend, Laura!

Trying our best to stay warm.

And we're off!

Half way!!Two of our fans trying to stay warm! Thanks Mom and Doug!!!

Trying to finish strong!

Myself, Laura, Jason and Jamie with our medals! Happy it's over!!

Thank you, Lord, for the endurance to run this race! Not just the half marathon but this race you have set before me called life! I thank You for being with me every step of every day! I wait, hope for and expect You, my Lord, to come to my rescue! I look forward to your appearing!

Thank you, Laura for being an awesome training partner and friend! We've had some great laughs during all of this and I will remember this for many years to come!

Thank you, Mom, Doug, and Janessa for being our cheering squad! You were so awesome and so encouraging! Thanks for braving the dark, cold, windy morning to be there for me!

Thank you, Jeremy for encouraging me, even when I made goofy, determined choices. Thank you for chauffeuring the cheering squad around town and capturing so many great pictures of the day! You are so good to me! I love you and thank God for you everyday! Thanks for running the race we call "life" with me!

Race for the Cure 2009

Saturday is this year's Greater Evansville Race for the Cure 2009! I am really looking forward to this years event. Last year, some of you may remember I walked it with Mom and Jordyn. We laughed and cried all day! It was an amazing experience! This year we will set out again to enjoy our day celebrating what the Lord has done in Mom, Jeremy's grandma, and in prayer for his step-mom, who was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Please check out my personal page by clicking the link below and considering helping me reach my goal!

My Personal Page!

These pictures are from last years race!

Jordyn, Mom and I getting ready for the big event!

Jordyn walking in celebration of Meemaw and Grandma Butus!!

Mom walking in the survivor parade! I will never forget this moment!
It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!

Wow!

Updated: 12:59pm - Hope is at school!!!


Has it seriously been almost two months since I posted on here. Sorry, to any of you that still check! I would say, "I'll do better," but honestly I probably won't.

So much has happened since my last post. We moved, church camp, school started.....we have been busy, busy, busy. Let's see if I can summarize for you.

We had a great summer! The kids have had fun playing with friends, riding bikes, swimming, camping, typical summer fun! Here's a few pics we captured of our summer fun!






The Lord worked it out for us to purchase a new home(new to us). It has been awesome to see how the Lord worked every detail out for us to move and He did it VERY quickly!! We feel so blessed to have more space (inside), we have great friends next door, and the kids are loving living in a neighborhood!


The weekend we moved, the kids all headed off to church camp! Again, the Lord worked it out. We were able to do the big stuff without needing to entertain, feed, bathe, etc....the kids. They were off having a WONDERFUL time at church camp with their friends! I would include a picture, but I wasn't there! ; )

School is in session and the kids are loving their new schools! We didn't move far, but far enough to need to change schools. The transition has been smooth and we are almost settled into our new routine. Hope starts school today, but here are some pics from the other kids first days of school. Jordyn is in 7th grade, Alexis 5th, Camden 2nd, Mia 1st and Noah kindergarten.



Hope starts PreK today and let me tell you she has NOT been patiently waiting! ; ) She is so ready to go to school and for the last two weeks has asked multiple times everyday, "When am I going to school? Am I going to school? Do I go to school today?" I'm not sure why she spoke as if we had never discussed these details, because we had......in great length......everytime she asked! For some reason there was something that blocked the words from my mouth to her ears, because everyday we had the same coversations. I admit it finally came down to me saying, "Hope, don't ask again." We are both excited that she will start school today! ; ) I will try to post pics from her first day soon, but in case I forget, here's a beautiful picture Jordyn took of Hope while we were camping.


That's it for now. There's so much more I could post, but I don't have time to post it and you don't have time to read it. I'll just end by saying the Lord has been so good to us!!

Update...

I apologize for my lack of updates. I wish I had more time to tell you all the little details, but I'm usually too busy dealing with all the little details. ; ) Today I am almost home alone, so I'll take a little time to give you a sneak peak into our summer. 5 of the kids are at a pool party today. Unfortunately, Noah made some poor choices at church last night and his consequence was not going to the pool party. I have to say that this was a hard thing to follow through with, for two reasons. One, I was looking forward to a day all to myself. As you can imagine, with six kids, those are few and far between. Actually, they simply don't happen. I love my life, but who wouldn't enjoy a little peace and quiet for at least a few hours, right? The second reason is obvious, my poor little guy had to watch all the other kids get up excited about the party, get their swimming suits and sunscreen on, and sadly watch from the back seat as everyone filed out and began greeting their friends at the party. Thankfully, their was no meltdown, just quiet whimpers as he was reminded of his poor choices and the need to make better ones. I hope it's a lesson he learns quickly.

This brings me to one thing I've noticed with my children. My oldest three have always been better for others. They are good for me, but typically FABULOUS for other people. There have been rare occurrences of course, but mostly when I let them go somewhere I know they will behave. My younger three, however, are not that way. They will test the boundaries and see just how far they can push. This is hard. I think in some ways people tend to let them get away with more, sort of compensating for the life they had before coming home. Unfortunately, this doesn't help. We have found that, more than ever, they need those strict boundaries and they need them enforced. It isn't fun, but needful. It's not always fun being the parent. Just like today, I wish I could make this a fun one on one day with Noah, but what message would that send. Act bad in church and you get special/fun time with Mommy. So, we are home alone, with everything at our disposal, yet there will be no swimming, no trampoline, and no movies. I hope it's an example to all of my children that behavior when Jeremy and I are not around is just as important as when we are. Mia seems to have figured it out pretty quickly. Her obedience with others has come a LONG way!! We are so proud of the choices she is making in our absence! Now if we can just get Noah and Hope to follow suit!

Enough of that, let's talk about fun stuff! Last week Noah celebrated his 6th birthday! For weeks leading up to it I would ask him what he wanted for his birthday. He would respond, "I want cake and for you to sing Happy Birthday to me." Ok, consider it done! It was the sweetest thing! He did finally ask for a bike. Everyone had a bike or a trike but him, so that seemed like a fair thing to ask for. As you can see below, he was pretty happy with it!


It really was wonderful having him home! We had the privilege of spending his third birthday with him at the Orphanage, but all the others had been missed! This one was so special. We had a party at my sisters for him and Father's Day. My sister asked me to bless the food and as I thanked the Lord for our fathers and for the miracle of Noah being home, I barely made it through the prayer. Our Father has been so faithful to us! We are amazed at the miracle of our son!

Camden is loving summer! He loves to swim, ride his bike, jump on the trampoline, you name it he likes it! Two days ago he found a turtle in the yard, so for a couple of days he was allowed to keep it. He has been trying to get me to let him keep it as a pet, but I assured him that the tortoise was created to enjoy life outdoors in the wild! I reminded him that if that's where he was created to be, that is where he would be happiest. We have big plans of releasing him tonight at a pond near our house. Camden has asked it be a special time of riding bikes, rock skipping and tortoise releasing. ; ) I think we can handle that. Seriously, you would think we've had this thing for years. Apparently, they are buddies and will need this time to say their goodbyes.


Camden has grown up so much! He will be in the second grade this year and I have NO idea where the time has gone! He's learning to be a great big brother. Today, he wanted to give Noah a toy since he couldn't go to the party. Jeremy explained that it was a very nice thought, but that Noah needed to understand this punishment and therefore he couldn't be given a "gift." Camden teared up. He has such a tender heart. It doesn't always surface, but I love it when it does.

Hope and Jordyn continue to have a sweet little relationship. They are true sisters from driving each other crazy one minute to have fun together the next. The night before our Haiti trip, Jordyn let Hope sleep with her. As you can see here, they were having tons of fun at their little mini-slumber party. Hope LOVES spending time with Jordyn, and I think it goes both ways.


Hope has changed so much. She was still such a baby in so many ways when she came home, but now she is becoming a little girl and full of personality! She is so excited about starting school in the fall. She will be in Pre-K and cannot wait! I think it will be good for her in many ways, but it reminds me of how fast time will go. It seems once school starts you turn around and they are 12. I hope I can remember to enjoy every moment, because I know it won't last long.

Speaking of 12, Jordyn will be in the 7th grade this year. Wow! That doesn't seem possible! She has turned into an amazing young lady with a heart to please the Lord. I am so proud of who she is. She's really at a great age right now. She's old enough to have some responsibility but is still Mommy and Daddy's little girl. I don't want her to grow up so fast, but I'm excited to see the woman God has created her to be.

Alexis has changed so much lately too. She is outgrowing her princess side. She assures me that she will always, "be my girl and Daddy's princess," but my little girl is growing up. Haiti was such an amazing experience for her and it was hard for her coming home. She still misses the kids! I think it really opened her eyes though to what a great life she has. She has been so helpful and talks about the fact that even though we have a lot of work to do, it's so much easier than the way things are done in Haiti. She really recognized how much harder life is for Haitians than for us. I was so proud of what she learned and brought home from that trip. She handled it so well and showed me how mature she is now. Again, where does the time go?


Ali is such a beautiful girl, inside and out! So many people have said, "I have never met anyone as sweet as Alexis." It's true, she has such a sweet nature. She can bring the drama too, but all in all she is a sweet, sweet girl!

Mia is in summer school right now and is enjoying it WAY more than she thought she would. She just loves to meet people and learn all about them. I think she knows more about her bus driver than she does me. ; ) She loves to talk! She was behind in several things at school but her communication skills were incredible! For many of you, I know this doesn't surprise you. At this point we just need to figure out how to get her to stop talking. ; )


This picture is who she is, full of life, and enjoying every moment. Ok, maybe not every moment, but most of them. She has a little stubborn side and wants to do what SHE wants to do, but she, for the most part, simply enjoys life. She loves to help people! She genuinely loves people! Our social butterfly, indeed!

If you saw my previous post you know that Jeremy and I celebrated our 16th Anniversary last week. Thanks to my Momma, we were able to go out for dinner and a movie. We talked about the next 16 years and how fast it will go! We are so blessed with a wonderful marriage! We simply love being together. Girls night out/guys night out, they can be fun, but we would rather be with each other. He always makes me laugh and I hope I make him, at least, half as happy as he makes me.
Whew! I made it! I don't know if you read it all, but don't worry there won't be another long post like this for a while. ; ) Thanks for checking in with us!

I'm so blessed!

Happy Anniversary, Jeremy! 16 years and all I know to say is I'm so blessed! I love you!

Family Photo!

After many years of our family photos being incomplete, I would like to share with you our new, and complete, family photo.

Cundiff Family, (always) a party of eight!