That's How We Roll

This mama loves family photo sessions!  And it doesn't seem like a "family" photo without the 7 big kids, but getting all 18 of us together and dressed up has proven nearly impossible since the last family wedding, over a year ago!  The result: no family photos since Kaison has been home!

This has to change!  So we set out to get a family photo, sans big kids.  We were all dressed and at the Cousins'.  I even took my good camera.

There were 75 pictures taken, but this is a sample of our reality.  Fun times :) 

We love family gatherings, and the cousins always have a blast.  So whether memories were memorialized in pictures is irrelevant; they were made!

Happy 2017, y'all!

So Much News!

 I apologize for the delay in drawing and posting the winner of our giveaway!  Here's the thing ~ It takes Lifesong several days to post contributions, and we didn't want to miss anyone who contributed through the last day!

Once we knew we had all donors identified, we drew, and the winner was...

BRANDY PANCOAST!

So I contacted Brandy, and she surprised us by sharing her desire for us to keep the items and use them for additional fundraising!  Seriously?!?

And so here's what we did:

We already had a fundraiser dinner and silent auction planned for April 17, so we included the package in the silent auction!

We are so thankful for everyone who has contributed to our Lifesong matching grant!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

About the dinner.  We prepared food for four days.  We had decided we wanted to serve only the best.

We prepared enough food for 250 to 300 people.  Our menu was beef barbacoa tacos, Mexican rice, lime cilantro rice, refried beans, garlic lime cilantro slaw, all the fixin's and sheet cake.  The silent bake auction included coconut cream and pecan pies, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls.

*A very special thank you to Kooper and Kayden for helping me in the kitchen!  To Francis for the tortillas, beans, rice and salsa!  To Ginna for organizing the silent auction, serving and baking chocolate chip cookies!  To Becky for running the kitchen and baking brownies!  To Abby and April for making salsa!  To Tina and Ladena for serving!  To Megan for printing fliers!  Amanda for helping clean up.  And to EVERYONE who helped, came to eat, prayed for us, or had any part in this mega event!*

Silent Auction

We had praised the Lord all week for whatever He would do with this dinner.  Once again, we were blown away!  Completely stunned!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  And to Him be all glory!!!

The grand total was $12,764!!!

Here's the best part.  Because we needed $2600 to fill our $5000 matching grant with Lifesong, that much was sent to them, turning it into $10,000!!!  That means that this dinner actually brought in $20,000 toward bringing our little Treasure home!  We are only $6-7,000 from being fully funded!

Speechless!  Thankful!  Totally in awe!

And now we are waiting on Travel Approval, which could come any day.

Little man, you are dearly loved!

So Much News...

I'm excited to say that I am officially a wedding planner!  For my oldest girl, that is!  We have an engagement, folks, and even with all of my uncrafty-ness and non-creativity-ness, I get to be mother of the bride!

The plans are coming together, thanks to much help.  Her daddy and I are thrilled, but wait till the wedding day, and you'll see a grown man cry for sure!

Kasidi Joy is finished with serial casting, and she rocked it, as always!

Khloie has matured by leaps and bounds since starting school!  Seriously, I can't believe her language development!

Kohlby's six-month-home anniversary is coming up, and he's the busy bee that keeps us hopping.

And then there's this news!

And if you'd like to sport an awesome tee for a great cause, you've got 9 days to grab one of these!

Be the Change

Stay tuned for the rest of the story...

The Wedding, Part I

It occurred to me that I've never shared the wedding pictures, shame shame.

Here's a teaser...

CHS Farm Family of the Year Photo Contest

We are still hunkered down in corn harvest!  This is our last week, and it's been a great season.

I wanted to let you know that our family is entered in a Farm Family Photo Contest, and we'd truly appreciate your vote.  You can vote once a day, every.single.day.

It would be fun to treat our hard-working kids to a ball game if we win this contest.  So our kids appreciate your vote :) 
Thank you!!!

Vote HERE

We've Got it Goin' on: Crazy

Celebrating the halfway point of 2015 Harvest!  We are tired.

And thankful!

The Lord's crop is so good!  And I am so thankful to work side by side as a family, and with folks we consider family.

I'm chasing my tail.  Can't keep up with the chores or anything else.  Unless you call me to order corn.  I can keep up with that ;-) 

And the food.  Oh, the food.  Sometime between the book work, taking orders, marketing and sorting, I committed to feeding the crew every day.  I enjoying loving people through food, so it works.

With two-plus weeks to go, we pray to finish strong.  Then we'll go back to the normal, slow pace of life.  Hahahahahahaha.

Once Again...

...we interrupt this regularly scheduled chaos to bring you sweet corn harvest!

The first two days have sold out!

Umm, yummmm!

All praise is due Him!

As always, the alarm rings much too early, and we go to bed much too late, but it's a short season, and we will survive.  Almost every Krew member really wants to help in some way or another (well, except for the ones who have to be on the sorter at 5 a.m.).  We're letting them take turns going with Dad, count back change and take orders.  Maybe by next year they'll run the show ;-) 

To Him be all glory!!!

Three Months!

It's hard to believe three months have passed since Boy Wonder was placed in our arms!  Despite the break-neck speed of the past few months, we've had incredible bonding time.

Gotcha, Kohlby Zane, March 2015!

 This is his personality - he brings the happy!

 And the funny!

Bless the boy and his pink.

Precious!

Kohlby, 

You are forever a son and a brother.  I am so blessed to be your mama.  I am also thankful for all the people who helped us get you home.  You are energetic, fun and affectionate.  You add a little sunshine to every day.  I look forward to what the Lord has for you, and I cherish each moment I get to hold you.

Mama

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:18

Our Life - Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

It's nothing fancy, but we wanted a slide show for our sharing time tomorrow.

Please pray we make much of HIM!

No One Told Me

In preparing for our testimony this weekend I've been putting together a little slide show, and here are some of the gems in it :) 

One boy and one girl

had 3 beautiful children

Kuyler, Kolton & Kenzie

and then the Lord broke their hearts for the orphan, and this family of 5 grew...and grew.

Kayden Faith

 Kambry Hope

 Kaeleb Jon

 Kooper Joe

 Kinley Grace

 Kasidi Joy

 Kennah Janae

Khloie Nicole

Kohlby Zane

No one told me that my heart could be so full!

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

It's About Time

Chaos before the glorious wedding :)

I figure it's about time for life to settle into some sort of normal around here.  But I'll be darned if 'normal' doesn't keep changing the boundaries.  Yep, we're on shaky ground if we're waiting for 'normal' in our neck of the woods.

We just celebrated the marriage of Kolton and Alllie (I'll share that later when we have more pics and I have permission).  They are a beautiful couple, and it was a beautiful ceremony.  I'm reminded how quickly time flies as next month Kuyler and Caitlin celebrate their first anniversary!

In a few weeks we have the privilege of sharing our testimony with a Ch*nese ministry.  We're really excited...and a lot nervous.  Our prayer is that we would speak the truth of the gospel and that God would be glorified.

Then in July it's corn harvest, and that's just a season of nose-to-the-grindstone and don't look up till it's over!  The cool temperatures have slowed the crop growth, but the Lord has spared us of any damaging storms.  

Our summers aren't exactly 'lazy days,' but we're used to a bit of chaos.  The main thing is that we keep perspective and make time for extended family and friends.

Even though our life is on the crazy side, there is One who is unshakable and unchanging!
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8


He is the only One who can keep us grounded.  And no matter what circumstances or chaos I'm faced with, I can trust Him.

Oswald Chambers says it like this: 

"We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways....If I am a friend of Jesus, I must deliberately and carefully lay down my life for Him.  It is a difficult thing to do, and thank God that it is.  Salvation is easy for us, because it cost God so much.  But the exhibiting of salvation in my life is difficult.  God saves a person, fills him with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, 'Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful.'"

Friends, are you trusting Jesus in the chaos of your everyday life?

To Him be all glory!

Saturday

We finally had a free day.  

And it was glorious!