Courageous

If I had to think of one word to describe our Joy, it would be courageous.

She has no clue how rough her tiny life began.

She doesn't know the orphanage director gave her the name Chun, the character "meaning 'effect a miraculous cure and bring the dying back to life,' which bears our hope that she would recover upon treatments."

Kasidi officially started physical therapy today, and she accepted every challenge! The therapist showed me how to use stretching and standing techniques in play. And Kasidi totally responded to her. The only onslaught of panic was when she asked me to remove a cushion from the couch - ack, how'd that get in there?!?

Kasidi Joy, you are a child of the God of redemption!
He has amazing plans for you, baby girl!
And the fact that I get to be your mommy leaves me in complete awe!

We also received letter confirmation of her appointment at Shriners on October 28th. Who knows ~ maybe by then she'll be walking!

No life, no past, no heart...

"We need to also cling to the truth that no life is too broken, no past too imperfect, no heart too wounded for our loving God to redeem and begin to heal. Jesus has extended the invitation: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' (Matthew 11:28) We need to accept his invitation and find rest and hope in him and all that he has made available to us.
~Dr. Karyn Purvis~
Created to Connect

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Hail Damage

The night sky left something behind.

As evidenced on the Beast.

And Little Beast, who goes to the shop tomorrow for damage caused by the sprinting deer.

Coulda been worse.

Praising the Lord there are no windows broken and our new metal roof isn't on yet.

Truth in words

Somehow this morning I stumbled onto this blog and read this post.
I am so grateful.
Though I don't know this family, I know their struggle.
I know their joy.
I know their hurt.
I know their LORD!
Our closest friends know we are still "after the airport."
It's an amazing articulation of daily life in the trenches, on the mountaintop and everywhere in between, especially for parents of kids from hard places.
Go ahead, have a read.

100%

Pure JOY!

Okay, back to work...if I must.

Princess Road Trip

Yesterday was Kennah's first appointment to meet her surgeon. So we made a day of it.
We snagged a little friend (Miss Emily).
And had lunch with a big friend (Thanks, Susan!).
Dr. Miller's nurse is so awesome she made 'little girl sized chairs' for the princesses.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round..."

Sorta like a tea party

Poor Emily saw her doctor earlier this week and was not interested in seeing another, so Mr. Clayton's lap was the safest place for her, thank.you.very.much.

And they all lived happily ever after, as princesses do.

PT Cruiser

Yep, she cruised through Physical Therapy ;-)

The therapist showed us a mini parallel bar set that a family had constructed and donated, and Kasidi wanted so badly to get on it...so we tried it. The little squirt grabbed the bars and slowly walked the length of the thing. Then she went backward! I guess next week we'll get a new piece of furniture...

And, Kuyler-son, the rest of this post is for you. Finally, the three pictures of your car I've promised :)

But I digress.

I'm so excited for Kasidi to start PT. I think she'll have her wheels in no time!

BUT...Shriner's called yesterday and told us her clinic appointment has been moved from next Friday, September 23 to Friday, October 28 :( Another month we have to wait to see what's really going on with our Joy.

It also happens to be two weeks before we go to BGCenter in NY.

Which happens to be 10 days before we take two princesses to the cleft clinic.

I hereby declare November removed from the calendar...except it holds Kolton and Kasidi's birthdays, so maybe not.

Mum's the Word!

Remember these beauties from a year ago? All 150 of them!
We are selling mums again!
We've pre-ordered 50 large mums ~ 25 yellow and 25 orange.
Mr. Greenthumb is also growing pumpkins, and they will go nicely with a mum (or 10).
All proceeds go to our trip to BGCenter in November.

Yellow
Orange. (actual mum from last year) They are ginormous!

Only $15 each!

She's Gonna Do It!

I am confident our Joy will walk one day very soon!

Last night she made it to a squatting position...then stood up for a second!!! Of course, I missed the photo, I was so excited!

Tuesday we meet with PT to outline the therapy plan. I'm excited to learn ways to encourage, strengthen and teach her how to get upright. She's already gotten so much stronger in the three months she's been home.

Thank you for praying for Kolton. Got a call from radiology today that when his muscle tore, it pulled a bone chip with it. We'll know more tomorrow when we see ortho.

Friday Night Lights...in the ER

Let me just say I praise the Lord we are home this morning! Last night's game was a bit more exciting than we'd hoped. We were one touch down from ending the game, and Kolton was making his third TD run down the field when he stumbled and fell just short of the goal line. He said he felt something pop and couldn't lift his leg to finish the drive.

Dad joined Kolton in the ambulance...and we followed in hot pursuit in the Beast. (Which I now think you could add flashing lights and it would serve as an ambulance. Or add a flip-out stop sign and it would serve as a bus. Or maybe it's the new Winnebego.)

At first the ER doc was talking about breaking or seperating the growth plate in his hip...and that just doesn't sound good. X-ray revealed there is no bone involvement and the plate is fine! (thank You, Jesus!)

He's apparently torn, strained or seperated muscle(s) near his hip bone. You can actually see it move. He's really bummed at the thought of finishing the season on the sidelines...but we are praising the Lord it's not any worse! We see the ortho team Monday to learn more...

By the way, the Devils did score the touchdown to end the game!

*Thank you to everyone who gathered Kolton's things, hung around waiting for the news, followed us to the ER, prayed for Kolton and offered to take our kids! We so appreciate each one of you!!!*

Bags to Bring Kalia Home!

My friend Mandi is on day 100 of the wait for LOA to bring their daughter Kalia home.
It's been an excruciating wait, full of trials, but Matt and Mandi are fighting for Kalia to come home.
There are two ways we can help!
1) Pray for God to continue to move mountains on Kalia's behalf, including miraculous provision.

2) Join their fundraising efforts to pay the orphanage donation by getting a shot at these beautiful Vera Bradley bags.
But hurry, the fundraiser ends September 29th...and I'm praying they have LOA before that!
Please check out Mandi's blog for details.

*UPDATE* Beyond Love ~ Redemption and Remediation Required!

*update at the bottom*

This is a really tough post to write. I struggle to keep a balance between my child's privacy, informing and encouraging prospective and adoptive parents and living out the purpose of this blog, which is to glorify God in all things. You may not share my opinion, but if you have not shared my experience, please be kind.

I remember when God broke my heart for older children waiting to be adopted. It totally caught me off guard. He showed me the plight of many left in their birth country with no family to care for them. He drew me to families who had walked this narrow path. He opened my eyes! While there are many ways to ‘defend the least of these,’ Clayton and I sensed clearly that God was asking us to open our hearts and home to an older child.

So we jumped in with both feet, armed with the Lord’s strength, the faith of a mustard seed and total dependence upon His provision.

We educated ourselves, prepared our children and soaked in peace beyond understanding, even though our son’s file was full of gaps and we were taking the road less traveled.

It was a gloriously exciting day when we met our son 22 months ago. He was scared to death, and so were we, but we soon warmed up to each other. We could tell right away that he had suffered neglect, and as much as he tried to hide it, the scars of his many losses were evident in his eyes.

We were probably naïve – no, we were naïve – in thinking if we just love our son enough, he will be whole again. We’re pretty laid back folk. We tend to take things in stride. Although we were prepared to fight for our son’s life and soul, we had no idea how big the battle would really be.

Early on we noticed immature behavior. Pretty typical for a child experiencing delays due to institutionalization. Then there was anger… Defiance and disobedience… Disrespect... Disconnect. .. Memory and language processing issues… Frustration…and anger.

Based on what little we’ve been able to understand about his past, his behaviors over the past 22 months, all the testing and treatment we’ve sought and the counseling consultations we’ve had, we believe we are dealing with an attachment disorder and other issues.

For this reason we have decided to take our son to the Boris Gindis Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment & Remediation in New York for a Combined Developmental, Neuropsychological and Educational Assessment

A combined developmental,
neuropsychological and psycho-
educational assessment conducted by
Dr. B. Gindis is recommended for a
child, exhibiting symptoms of certain
cognitive impairments (memory,
attention, comprehension, language
issues), behavioral problems or
emotional disturbance, the nature of
which needs to be understood to
develop a comprehensive remedial
program for this child. Our multifaceted
assessment includes developmental,
neuropsychological and psycho-
educational evaluation components; it establishes the diagnosis and provides detailed analysis of the neurological impairment in question as well as remedial programming and school-related educational recommendations for your child. Bgcenter.com

Our hope is that we will get answers regarding our son's educational/emotional/social/developmental needs so that we can implement the plan formulated by the BGCenter, allowing him to live a productive adult life of independence. Time is not on our side!

The only problem with this plan is that it’s costly. We estimate the trip to and services at BGCenter will cost approximately $6,300. Our insurance might refund some of the costs, but with our high deductable we aren’t expecting much, if anything. We know the Lord will provide the dollars we need to help our son in this way.

Since we believe this is necessary and we simply don’t have the funds, we have decided to hold some short-term fundraisers. This is a decision we’ve struggled with. We are willing to fight for our son, even if it means humbling ourselves once again, asking for prayer and support and working like the dickens to raise the money for special medical care.

The Lord is always faithful, and He never changes! We know that nothing and no one is beyond His redemption!

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (KJV)

*update*

I'm ashamed of even questioning God and His faithfulness!
Just this morning I set our BGCenter appointment for mid November and reviewed all the details of the trip. Meanwhile, Clayton and Kasidi were in town getting some things done to the van when he decided to go to lunch, turning into one place but realizing there wasn't much for Kasidi to eat there, he left and went elsewhere. He saw a family that buys corn from us, and they spotted Kasidi and started asking about the kids. He asked them to pray about our trip, and the woman said she wanted to help and would we accept a substantial amount of money toward the treatment?!? She wrote a large check and said, "It's from God!"

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are renewed every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lam 3:22-24

Resting up from Labor Day :)

What an awesome weekend! The Corkern family visited us, and we solved all the world's problems and got caught up on family happenings :)
Our two families have grown by four kiddos since we were last together in April!
They arrived in time for our first football game of the season.
Saturday we went to the parade.
WTG, freshman class! Float champs you are! But that 'Class of 2015' thing is kinda weirding me out!
The theme: Around the World in 2011.
This cool pic netted Kenzie a champion ribbon.

Sunday we celebrated Kuyler's birthday with lots of friends.

Monday we celebrated Clair's birthday! She turned 8, and it's the first time her birthday has ever been celebrated. What a blessing to be a part of that.

And to add to the coolness, Clayton and Doug drove to OKC Monday morning and picked up the Beast! She has arrived, has 150 car seats installed and a cool decal on the back window.

Tuesday was Kasidi's physical therapy assessment, and she scored higher than expected!

Today we meet the insurance adjuster to estimate the DDD (dumb deer damage) to Junior Beast.

Kenzie's softball tourney starts tomorrow.

And we have our 2nd Friday Night Lights after that.

Seems like I should post more pictures, but I'm resting up from Labor Day!

Up in Your Grill

Literally.
He left his DNA.
And possibly more.
Up in my grill...my door...and the door behind me.
Kasidi, Kennah and I were making the one-and-a-half hour trip to the pediatric dentist this morning, when in broad daylight, from the trees sprang a deer. (that sounds poetic, but it wasn't)
He was fast.
Not fast enough.
In a split second I felt I had two choices: swerve and risk rolling my car, possibly injuring my babies, or hitting the critter and taking the damage.
I've never hit anything before, and I was surprised by the impact. And surprised at how sore my arms are from gripping the wheel...and my leg from mashing the brake.
Praise the Lord we are ok! I was able to drive the car, and the girls wouldn't have known anything happened but for my scream.
The up side: I get my exercise climbing over the console because my door won't open.
The adjuster will meet me next Wednesday *sigh*.
But we may be picking up the Mamavan at the airport Monday!!!!!
Lord, thank You for your protection!

Midweek (and More)

For several years our Ministerial Alliance has hosted a community picnic during fair week. There's good food, fellowship and fun.
Well...it's not always fun trying to get this many kids to eat when they want to play...

There was singing

Lots of water

And it was hot (like 109)!

But we survived!

And we'll do it again next year!

On another note, thank you so much for sending me your prayer requests! It's my privilege to lift you up! We serve an awesome God!

Prayer Requests?

…being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:21

It’s been almost 2 months since I received many of your prayer requests, and I know God has already moved mountains. I think it’s time for updated requests, so please leave a comment or email me.

If you email me with your request and you have a blog, I’d love it if you would give me the address!

Back to Normal!

Or a little-less-chaotic-than-corn-harvest normal.

And back to Dad driving the school bus!

Which means I can put two pre-schoolers on the bus.

Which means it's Kasidi Joy and Mama at home.

Oh happy day!

We have a super fun and busy week planned with the hopeful arrival of the Big Mamavan from Florida, the local fair, first Friday night lights and the arrival of good friends for the weekend!

BRING.IT.ON.!

Don't Make Me Come Back There!

After six months...
two sets of document production...
60 days with the Taxpayer Advocacy Service...
our Adoption Tax Refund landed in our account yesterday!!!
We are stoked!
Because sometime this week this new.to.us Big Mamavan will be sitting in our driveway. (She'll never look this clean again). Thanks, Ralph, for finding her for us!
All she needs is a stompin' adoption decal, maybe a personalized license plate, and six car seats :)
We've checked ~ she will hold six car seats, three teenagers, one college kid when he comes for a visit, and a mama and daddy seated comfortably at the head of the khaos. (we checked into the cargo variety with the cage in the back, but...)
She gives a whole new meaning to my rear view mirror rant, "Don't make me come back there!"

On a slightly more serious note, when we accepted the Lord's invitation to journey with Him down the adoption path again last August, we knew our vehicle was too small. Much too small. It didn't keep us from moving forward, but we were concerned about how we would haul this Krew from one place to another. So we asked the Lord to provide a way, without debt, please.

In January we heard rumblings of the adoption.tax.credit.now.turned.refund.for.tax.years.2010.and.2011. But we didn't think we'd qualify...until we spoke to our accountant! As soon as the IRS released the form in February we filed and expected a refund big enough to answer our prayers! Like 90% of other adoptive parents, we've had the privilege of being audited, staying on hold and waiting. But we are waiting no more, and our prayer of a year ago has been answered!

THANK YOU, JESUS!

Eight by 8!

Yesterday I put six kids on the bus at 7:30.

Kolton ~ 10th

Kenzie ~ 9th

Kooper ~ 8th

Kayden ~ 3rd

Kambry ~ K

Kaeleb ~ Pre-K


(and I can't get this picture to move!) But when my littles got off the bus at 4:11 this was the reading, and they looked like wilted flowers :(

At 8:00 I took these two Treasures to PreSchool.

I was worried about Kennah.

It was her first day in another facility, away from Mama since May 22.

SHE DID GREAT!

And big sister showed her the ropes.

Monkey business all.the.time.

I am certain if I survive this week, I can do anything!

Last week of corn (poor, exhausted Mr. Greenthumb)

4 softball games

1 football scrimmage

county livestock show

back to school youth bash

Kuyler's birthday, although we aren't celebrating till Labor Day weekend because he can't eat after his wisdom teeth extraction :(

I can't find the time to work... ah, well.

The Stirring

This week I saw a picture that has rocked my little world and stirred my heart. I wish I could share the photo with you, but because the enemy is on the prowl it has been temporarily removed from my friend Adeye’s blog.

Some of you saw it. Many responded to the urgent plea for help. But this is not a post just about adoption.

So here’s what transpired. Adeye has been advocating for those ‘forgotten.’ And God has been faithful, and He has been glorified! *Please forgive me if I get the dates wrong.* On August 17^th Adeye posted, without details, an urgent need and plea for large items such as iPads, cameras, eReaders, etc, for a fundraiser.

The next day, August 18, folks had responded in such a huge way that she had thousands of dollars in fundraising items, and she posted about a precious little girl who is now 11 years old, weighs less than 20 pounds, and is literally dying in a mental institution because that’s what happens to some children, orphaned, and deemed a burden in short-staffed facilities. A child needing rescued. A ransom required. A family needed.

The mission was to raise the ransom so that when the Lord called a family forward, they could race through the paperwork and not have to worry about the funds. The goal was $22,000. In less than 24 hours there was over $23,000 raised!!! And a few days later Adeye announced that a family had stepped forward to bring this precious Treasure home! ONLY GOD!

It’s one thing to say that God is faithful; it’s another to be in a place of requiring His faithfulness!

So what happened in my heart? I’m ashamed to say. When I saw the urgent post I only had time to skim it and then rush out the door. I couldn’t get this precious one off my mind so I decided I would post the need on my blog the next day. But… the next day the need was met! But what rang in my heart was that I had missed an opportunity! While I sat on my hands waiting for a convenient time to respond, the Lord was not sitting still, waiting for lil ole me.

See, He doesn’t require my response; He doesn’t force my response; and He doesn’t need my response. Does that release me? My heart says NO!

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” Matthew 27:24

I can’t wash my hands of my responsibility. When I make no decision at all, I’ve really decided “No.” No matter what excuses I make, no matter how reasonable they seem, they are still excuses. We tell the youth this all the time ~ an excuse is a lie disguised as a reason. Ouch!

Even if we don’t say the words, how many times do our actions (or inaction) say, “When I retire, I will…; When my kids are grown, I will…; When I achieve this, I will…; When my life slows down, I will; When I finish this, I will; Tomorrow, I will…”?

Talking to the self here, folks, talking to the self! This little girl’s picture is a reminder that I am not promised tomorrow, and I’m certainly not promised retirement (again, please tell me where that is in the Bible!).

And I’m not just talking about the giant leap of faith to bring a very ill child home from another country; I’m talking about the needs of the person sitting next to me, the widow down the road, the teen in crisis, the sick, the dying, their families…

Serving isn’t always convenient. In fact, it can be downright dirty at times. Am I willing to get my hands dirty? Am I willing to face rejection? Am I willing to be wounded? Am I willing to have my heart broken?

I wanna be there! I don’t want to get so accustomed to ignoring God’s voice that I no longer recognize it! So now what?

James 2:17 says, In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

No matter how much I think about serving, dream about serving, hope to serve or talk about serving, it is just that ~ a thought ~ if not acted upon. My prayer is that the Lord would give me the energy every single day to act.

I love this quote:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, “Wow, what a ride!” ~ Author unknown

That’s the way I want to live my life. I don’t need to arrive at Heaven’s door well preserved. After all, I get a new body someday! This temporary vessel was made for helping. Not.for.helping.myself.

Some days will be tough, even impossible. But nothing is impossible for my God! When I’m at the end of myself, He is completely able to carry me forward, no matter how rocky the path seems.

Lord, please continue to stir my heart in such a way that I must act! Don’t ever give me a false sense of peace for sitting on my hands. Help me to love as You love, to act as Your ambassador and to use every resource You’ve given me to Your glory!

All Day Long

My goodness, I just have to stop a moment and tell you something!

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Psalm 71:8

Mr. Greenthumb just reported to me (yes, at 5:30 am) that we need to sell more corn today because it is abundant and perfect!!!

At 8:00 or so I can start making more phone calls, then go to work, be back in time to take Kenzie to the softball bus at 2, take Kolton to football practice at 3, hopefully make it to the softball game, and sell more corn for tomorrow.

The Lord never ceases to amaze me. Did I tell you we needed the crop to produce an indescribable amount of good corn to make up for the 3 weeks we lost? I just know it's going to happen ...because that's the kind of God I serve!

Woo to the hoo and praise to the Lord!!!

Dedication Day

Today we stood before our congregation and committed to raise our two newest Treasures in the ways of the Lord.

What an awesome responsibility.

What an incredible blessing to know our children will be taught by godly Sunday school teachers, VBS workers, G Force workers and the body of Christ.

We love ya'll!

And I promise I'm working on putting the 'stirring' into words...

Stirring

Thank you, dear friends, for praying for Kuyler's routine surgery, for the crop and for our family. Your prayers mean so much to me!
Surgery went great; he is resting.
The crop is in the Lord's hands. We're trusting He has restored it!
And finally, I just have to warn you the Lord has really been stirring my heart.
I'm in prayer over how to put it into words.
I just want to be totally truthful.
Until then, I'll let Him continue stirring this burden I have.

Corn, Surgery, Changes...

If you think of Kuyler today, will you please pray for his wisdom teeth extraction. I'm taking him in right after we finish picking corn around 8 this morning.

And then he moves back to college tomorrow. This year is different, knowing this is probably the last time he will 'live' with us. We've been privileged to have him come home every summer to help with the crop...but next May he will graduate, hopefully get a job, and have no reason to come back except to visit. That makes me sad. I know we are supposed to raise our children to become independent. I know this. And he is independent. He lives in a nice home with several other godly men and has a job during the school year. But I really love having Kuyler around! He's an awesome young man of God. And his little brothers and sisters adore him!

Another change is that we are picking corn very late in the season. School starts next week, and we have more than a third of the crop left in the field. Our plan is to pick it all within 7 days! The awesome thing is that if it's good corn, we have people lined up to buy it! Will you please pray with us that the Lord has restored His crop!

This is going to be a fast-paced year. We've got two high school athletes in full swing of their sports. Kenzie's already had several softball games, and Kolton's first football scrimmage is tomorrow night. We can't wait for Friday night lights! And hosting Fifth Quarters. And softball in cooler weather.

Sorry this post is kinda all over the place. That's pretty much where my mind is at today. We really are in a season of change.

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14

I'm Done!

School supply shopping, that is! Or at least I quit.

And as of today, haircuts are done too!

I can see her beautiful eyes again. She's thrilled about it too.

And so is this one.
That's better. The others were so excited they wouldn't sit still for a picture.
Kenzie has her own salon thing goin' on, working on her french braid.

It's a rough life!
Kambry works to pay the bill :)
These people insisted we eat at McD's. Salad for me, thank.you.very.much.
Notice there are no other people of the adult variety. Not pattin' myself on the back or anything; just sportin' a kickin' new do that makes me feel super - lol :)

Now we're nearly out the door for more of this...
On the agenda tomorrow:

Back to picking corn after a 2.5 week break.

Kuyler's wisdom tooth extraction.

Softball in the afternoon.

More Medical

Because everyone dreams of seeing two doctors in as many days, Kennah went to the dentist today. I know, don't be jealous! And because I'm still rallying back from yesterday's trauma, Daddy had the privilege of taking her.

X-rays confirmed what we've suspected ~ lots of missing permanent teeth. And she's going to need several root canals on her baby teeth. So we were referred to a pediatric dentist who will put her under general anesthesia and hopefully do all of them at one time. She will be in braces for a long time, but thanks to talented doctors, she will have beautiful teeth one day!

Somehow I just don't think that's going to console her much when she sees the dentist, the cleft team and the speech therapist in the next 30 days...