End of an era

Well, today I packed up the bottles and yesterday I sent back the pump I'd borrowed. My baby is beyond these things and it is time to let the reality show in my cabinets. A little sigh, but it's ok. This is the way it's supposed to be, so off to the next stage!

Day to day notes

Not a whole lot going on around here, but I do have some stories to share.

I'm not sure if you remember the day we announced homeschooling and the crying that followed. We realized it was a shock, but the most important thing was to be obedient to God so His blessings could follow. I guess it was over a week ago now, but we were driving somewhere and Samuel asked if we could homeschool forever. Of course, my first internal reaction was "yes, we'll do it. I'm thrilled you can see the great in it in spite of the issues we have some days." But my response was, "We'll pray about it and if God says to do it, we will." Samuel's response,"And if He says no, can we still do it?" We're getting there!

I've noticed that the hardest days we have are after Catherine has been up past her bedtime. If she has something special happening that day, she will try to hold it together. However, if there is nothing special for me to "take away," her behavior can deteriorate quickly into tears and whining, which I don't tolerate. I've seen her turn it on and off too many times to think she can't control her behavior. After we have a little talk or I send her to her bed, she amazingly comes back with a better attitude, which I praise her for. Samuel's hardest thing has been not talking back and arguing with me about things. I have to remind him that he would NEVER talk to his teachers at his old school that way. Usually after a talk, he is much more respectful and thankful, showing the real Samuel that everyone loves and speaks so highly of.

Of course, I love my children regardless of their behavior, but there are things that I will not put up with. And then I also have to apologize if I behave poorly and use myself as an example if I've had a bad attitude and reacted in a way that is less than lovely. Thankfully, we are all still growing and learning and becoming more like Jesus.

One of the neat things that have happened because the kids are home is that they've been able to see Caleb growing and learning new things. The so enjoy playing with him and cheering him on when he's trying to stand or do something new. Yesterday, we got out his MegaBlocks to build something together that he could play with, too. I so appreciated Samuel's attitude when Caleb kept taking apart Mr. Ping's noodle shop (from Kung Fu Pando). We were able to laugh about it instead of getting ticked.

Caleb has been learning to stand up and works on it frequently during the day. This morning, S & he were playing in the living room and S came running into me saying "Caleb just stood up all by himself for about 60 seconds!" He was so excited to witness what C is doing. C is getting used to us clapping for him and claps for himself when we cheer. He's taken a half step twice as he's getting ready to crash, so it's coming soon! It's so sweet to see him with his buns up in the air as high as they can go!

Samuel's $519 worth of popcorn is here and he is ready to deliver it NOW! However, it's been rainy and not so nice out, so we need a good day. Unfortunately for him, he's ready in the middle of the day when people are working and it's so hard to wait!

Today was Veterans Day, so we went to school, invited the Urbans to join us for their V. Day presentation. The 4th grade puts it on and it was very moving. One cool thing was that a man from WWII was there and stood with his cane to tell when he served. He looked rather frail and couldn't remember the years, but we were all so moved by him and the sacrifices of all the Veterans there. Makes me very thankful to be an American.

The older Urbans came over for several hours to play this afternoon and fun was had by all. Again, good to have a fun family to play with. A funny thing was that Samuel wanted to play Game Cube and watch a movie and Simeon wanted to play Legos! Rarely see that one. We've got some fun things planned the next few weeks with them, which is pretty exciting. They lent us a book about Pilgrims' manners and eating habits. At the end of the book are several recipes. We've already made Bannock Cakes, which Samuel couldn't decide if he liked or not and kept coming back for more just to see if he liked them better the next times! Catherine liked them, especially drenched in syrup. Caleb even enjoyed them and ate and ate. I'm looking forward to the next recipe.

For your viewing pleasure

We got new pictures last night of Hannah! It had been over 2 months since the last and we really needed something to encourage our faith that things are moving. Someone Buddy just met gave us some money toward the adoption and shared the story of Mephibosheth again with him. David sought out "M" through the whole land so he could show kindness to him, providing the very best for this orphan, treating him like one of his sons. God cares for orphans and we KNOW He's bringing our little girl home quickly!!!

A glimpse into our home school

This morning, we were really close to being done with work and were going to head to the library. Both S & C were very excited to finish. They like to read to me on our couch so were have some snuggle time together. Samuel wanted to do oral math facts with me at the same time Catherine wanted to do her reading. Caleb was awake and wanted to be with us while he played with his sword. So, picture the 4 of us on about 1.5 couch cushions, Catherine doing reading, Samuel saying his math facts, Caleb waving the foam sword all over, and me trying to pay attention and help each as needed! Kind of a circus, but a very enjoyable one!

I took the plunge and finally bought a car seat for Hannah! In July I bought her some clothes in a reluctant effort. Things were not moving along, we hadn't had progress in months and had no clue on a court date. So glad I didn't buy much, because she may never fit in them. I felt ready now to buy something that says we're really ready for her and are acting like it's coming true. Everyone was excited about it. Caleb had a great time in the box! Now, we just need a big enough vehicle to fit all 6 of us in...

amazing kids

Last night, we were praying with the kids before bed. Much to my surprise, it went like this...
Samuel- "Thank you Lord for this day. Protect us, watch over us, and keep us safe. And God, help Mr. Obama come to know you and change his heart. Amen"
Catherine- "Thank you Lord for this day. Help us have a wonderful day tomorrow. Protect Mr. Obana and keep him safe so he can know you. Amen"

God news

Last night we watched a bit of the returns before the kids went to bed. The kids went with me to vote yesterday and were very patient for the hour we were at the polling place. They were well aware that one candidate "wants to change the world and wants to kill babies," as Catherine says. We were really clear on what our beliefs are and why we were voting as we did. However, I kept reminding them that God is still God, He'll always care for us, protect us and bring blessing to us no matter who is president. We also talked about how God can move on the President's heart to favor the righteous even if he isn't.
So this morning we woke up to find... God is STILL good! He is still going to bless us! We still have Someone greater to take care of us. We're so thankful that this is true and we can rest in that as we go through this term in office. We'll just be reminded more than ever to lift up the government in prayer each day.