Sugar Cookie Periodic Table Project

Thursday, my daughter, Posie, decided she just had to do this project out of her Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics book. She did it all on her own so it took a few hours to complete, but she was persistent and completed it right before heading off for ballet. This was the one subject she really wanted this year and she has thoroughly enjoyed it! She has completed all kinds of fun and interesting experiments.

Emergency placement

Last week, we received our first placement. It was an emergency placement. We actually received 2 different phone calls in one week, but only felt led to take on one placement to begin with. We never thought we would get 2 different calls back to back. Welcome to the world of fostering!

Friday afternoon we received our first call to take in a baby - yes a baby! I never imagined our first placement would be a baby. We were not prepared at all for a baby - no crib, car seat, bottles, formula, etc. Nothing! They laughed when I told them, "No problem, Walmart is down the street." Within a couple hours, he arrived on our doorstep. A precious baby boy with a big, beautiful smile despite all he had just been through.

He came with very little just as we had heard would happen. Thankfully, his worker had stopped by the rainbow room to pick up formula, bottles, and a few outfits. What a blessing this was!

He amazed us all with his happy and giggly personality as he was carried in and looked around at all the animals. He was a little more cautious as he looked around at the adults and children.

We realized very quickly that he is healthy and a very busy and curious child.

After listening to his heartbreaking story, we realized he may not be coming and going very quickly. He may be with us awhile.

This last week has been a learning experience as we learn all we can to truly help and comfort him during this time. We had to learn how he liked to be held, how he sleeps, what and how much he likes to eat, what comforts him when he's upset, etc. We're still learning.

The first night he woke up several times scared and looked around frantically as if trying to figure out where he was and who this strange lady was picking him up.  He had a hard time relaxing in my arms. Then, he finally would relax enough to fall asleep.

After the first night, he seemed to relax more and sleep better. He now seems more calm and relaxed in my arms and in his crib. Thank you Lord for giving this little baby some comfort.

We were surprised at how quickly he started attaching. It only took a few days before he started favoring me over others and crying when I walked away or went out of his view. I thought this would take much longer. When we go places, friends will ask to hold him, but he will quickly want to come back.

God is so good! He knows exactly what this little guy needs and He is showing us each step of the way. We feel so honored that He chose us to take care of this sweet precious baby boy.

Official foster parents

We found out one week ago that we are now certified as foster and adopt parents! It took a little longer, but we can now foster children. We feel so blessed and honored to be trusted with the precious children God will bring into our lives.

I am so excited, because I feel this was a door we had shut. We thought we only wanted to adopt and did not consider that God may have wanted us to become foster to adopt parents. We found the adoption process to be a very long and emotional journey. Each time, you are hoping and praying to be the chosen family only to find out another family was chosen or no family was chosen at all. Many of the children we asked for are still waiting for their forever family on the website. We can only know in our hearts that God closed that door on us. They were not the child or children for our family. During the last two years, we received many calls asking us to foster to adopt a child or children, yet we could not because we were only adoption certified only. I am just excited because now I feel God is choosing the children for us. Thank you Lord!

This last month we have had the privilege of doing respite for a couple foster families while we waited to be certified. They were all a joy and some more work than others. A couple kids needed close supervision. Just in a few short days we kept the children, I really came to respect what foster parents do every day. 

We had our first official call a couple weeks ago to take in 2 small children to foster to adopt. They were so excited until they found out we were not actually complete. They wanted a family who was completely certified. We had thought we were complete or close to complete; however, we had a couple more things pop up. So, the children were given to another family; it was not meant to be. 

Now, we are ready to begin our new journey! I know With God all things are possible. He will be with us every step and every child. I pray He shows us what each child needs who comes through our door. I know our lives and hearts will be touched by them as well!

New foster/adopt adventure!

Hello friends,

We are constantly asked by friends and family if anything is happening in our adoption adventures. For those who have not heard, here is the update and we want to share our new adventure we are starting.

This summer, we were told we would be chosen for a sibling group of 3 precious children and at the last minute, they decided on another family because we are military. Even though we will be retiring in 2 years, they did not want to see these children have to relocate if we do possibly move. This seems silly to me given that many of my friends have moved in the last year and none of them are military families, however; I believe it is all in God's hands. Everything happens for a reason and I am truly at peace knowing our God is in control. I asked Him to shut doors on those He does not want us to have and that is what He continues to do.

We have asked for over 60 children of all races, ages, and sibling groups in the last few months.  Many of the children are on the TARE website. Many are children who are not getting adopted and still remain on the website. We have friends and family who are upset wondering why we are not getting chosen. Please don't be upset, because I only want the child/children God wants for our family. He is only doing what I asked. I asked and He is faithfully answering my prayers.

From the beginning, I felt we closed the door too quickly on becoming foster certified. Because I am not allowed to homeschool these children, I didn't think we were supposed to foster. It's been heavy on my heart for over a year, so I decided to call up Lutheran Social Services because CPS is not currently certifying foster or adoptive families in our area. After speaking with Lutheran, they said it would be an easy transition. They said they would request our paperwork from CPS and we would start the process with them. They believe it will only take a month to be certified. We have trainings and appointments planned all this week and next. I can't believe it could possibly take only a month. With CPS, it took many months. The process was very slow. Now, I'll keep you updated on how long it actually takes. We started on Friday, Aug. 16th with the orientation.

My husband and I believe this will be a fun new adventure! I am excited to see who God brings to us. All along I have asked God to choose the children for us and now I feel He will be the one completely choosing the children and placing them in our hands. Thank you Lord! I am thrilled and honored that we will be given the opportunity to give a child the love they deserve - even if it is only for a short time.

Free online classes for homeschoolers to check out!

Here are some free classes your children can take online. I recently discovered these through friends. I can not personally recommend them yet because we do not have any experience with these classes, but I have heard good things and wanted to share with others. They are recommended from Christian friends. These are great websites to try out for those who are trying to save money or move frequently. No books or money needed. Bonus! If you try out any of these websites, let me know what you think. I would love to hear.

• http://education-portal.com/academy/course/us-history-i.html: Education Portal. Many classes are offered on this site. There are videos to watch, lessons to read, and quizzes to take after. At the end of the class, there is a practice CLEP for your children to take if they would like to possibly take the CLEP exam after and receive college credit. This might be a great way to earn college credit if the college your child plans to go to accepts the CLEP exams.
• http://allinonehighschool.com/full-curriculum/history/early-american-history/: Easy Peasy has all sorts of online curriculum for children of all ages. This link is for their highschool classes. You can type in Easy Peasy for the younger grades. It is all laid out for you each day with lessons, activities, quizzes, and tests. I found the Education Portal through this website. And, yes, this is Christian curriculum!! Here is some information on why she began this website. http://allinonehomeschool.com/about/
• http://virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/: Here's one we signed up for last year but did not actually use because of our busy schedule.  We signed up for the at your own pace Apologia General Science in the middle of the year. This is a great homeschool site with free online classes; however, you will need to buy the textbook that they are using. Most of these books can be found used.  If you are interested in the live classes, check it out soon because classes will be starting. I am excited to see what they are offering this year. Read about them below and check out their website.

  Welcome to VHSG

  "Thank you for considering VHSG for your home school classes. We are a home school online course co-op. Unlike an online school, we are an association of parents (and sometimes professional tutors) that have a passion area that we would like to teach but we are not interested in doing it for money. We just want to build and share something that we love and need a place to share it that doesn't cost a lot of money. VHSG is a project that runs on voluntary donations that provides training, tools, and that free online place for those that want to teach something and in turn a place for home school families to come and sign up for those free classes."

Our Curriculum/Classes for 2013-2014

Curriculum/Classes 2013-2014

Here's what we are planning to do this year. I included some activities as well. This is going to help me as I prepare my children's transcripts. All of the extra things are important to keep track of.  Of course, my plans may change as the year goes on. That's what I love about homeschooling. You don't have to do everything you planned or you may not like something you planned. I always love to look at what other homeschoolers are doing and get ideas from them. Hope you see something that might help you as you are deciding on curriculum. It's amazing how many choices we have now!  

I've mentioned this before, but I feel very strongly that you should not compare yourself or your children to other homeschoolers. No child or family is alike. No one learns alike or may have the same interest. It's okay if your child is taking math that is two years behind his grade or working 2 years ahead in Literature/Grammar. Each child is unique and as homeschoolers, we can work at the child's level, not what the school says is required of their age. As you will see below, I decided to use history that is said to be below where my son is and he will be doing math ahead of where he should be. I do what works for our children; not what others say they must be doing.

I would also love suggestions for a few things I am still considering: Typing for older kids, and my high school son might want to be an architect. I would love suggestions for curriculum, websites, or books he could use.

I buy the majority of my curriculum used from http://homeschoolclassifieds.com/, ebay.com, and from co-op sales. We get most of our books from the library and there are a few I buy new once a year. Check out my favorite websites for websites where I get free curriculum. I'm going to add some great new websites I found through friends recently.


My children are going into 7th & 8th grade next year. Here is a list of curriculum my children will be using for the 2013-2014 school year and classes they will be taking. I'm still  deciding on some subjects.


History/Geography/Literature/Bible for Posie: Sonlight Core E - Intro to American History:  A friend let us graciously borrow this curriculum. We've never used Sonlight so I am excited to try it out. I believe this will be our favorite subject this year. My daughter saw all the books and she looked like it was Christmas! She is thrilled about History this year for the first time in years!

History/Geography/BibleLiterature for Shrimp: I decided to use the Sonlight History with both of the children and I will just require more for my highschooler. I may ask him to do additional research and write essays.
Later or as we go, I might have him use this free website http://education-portal.com/academy/course/us-history-i.html to take a History class while earning college credit. It even has a practice CLEP test to take after. I'm not sure if we will do the CLEP test however, because we don't know where our son will go to college and I heard many colleges do not accept CLEP. There are more classes offered on this website. Check it out!

Geography for Shrimp: I was just asked to be a home-bound teacher for a sweet boy I tutor. They asked if I would teach him geography at home as well as be his reading tutor. After much prayer, I felt God may be wanting us to do this. So, I decided I will teach both my son and this boy World Geography. I'm going to add in many hands on to make it more interesting.

Math: Posie: Saxon Algebra 1/2
Shrimp: Saxon Geometry


Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, & Literature 8th grade: Abeka - http://www.abeka.com/: combine both children
We will be using spellingcity.com to study the Abeka words and vocab


Writing: IEW Levels B & C at co-op:
   http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/mhw-s
I will be teaching IEW level C to highschoolers, so Shrimp will be in my class

Clarinet (Year 2) : Shrimp at co-op

Language: Posie: Chinese (year 2) at co-op, Shrimp: free Spanish language course at home he won from winning Spelling Bee last year

Logic: Shrimp at co-op

Ridgewood Analogy books at home: Both children love doing these

Criminal Science: Posie at co-op (I was very surprised when she told me she wanted to take this.)

Science: Shrimp: Physical Science Abeka 9th, Posie: Science: Posie loves the Apologia books so she is doing the new Exploring Creation through Chemistry. She is so excited about this! I wish I would have been excited about chemistry at her age. She wanted this so bad that this is one of the few books I bought brand new this year since it just was released in Aug.

Typing: Not sure what we're using yet. Again, would love suggestions. We have only tried Typing Instructor so far. Need something new.

Architecture: I found a couple neat websites I would like to share: http://architectureatzero.com/tools/, http://www.archkidecture.org/
I also have him doing different activities for us since we are starting the foster process. He created a floor plan of our home with square footage and a fire escape route. My next project for him will include designing his dream home.

Co-op: At one of our favorite co-ops this year, I will be teaching: High School IEW Level C, 1st-3rd grade Books Alive class, and a Preschool class. This co-op meets every Friday where we have a bible/worship time and 3-4 classes after depending on how long you stay. We are part of several homeschool groups and we love each and every one of them. We go on different adventures with each and have wonderful friendships. We are so blessed to have them part of our lives. I would encourage those of you who are not part of one to seek out a local homeschool group.

 Geography Fair, Biography Fair, and Science Fair with co-op


Spelling Bee with co-op: Shrimp


Speech/Drama: Fall/Spring at co-op (this is our children's favorite)

Field trips/Community Service: I will be setting up many fun trips for one of our homeschool groups.

Summer Engineering for Shrimp: He has done this for 2 summers now. I would highly recommend this to any child interested in a science field ( PREP) It is a free 7 week program for children finishing 6th - 10th. He is learning algebra, problem solving, logic, engineering, architect class, & physics. It has been a great experience for him and helped to boost his confidence. In Texas, there are several TEXPREP programs. Check it out and see if you live near one.

Ballet for Posie: This is Posie's passion!


Youth group at church  

Dinner time:  Our family just started a new thing for dinner time. Each child researches and presents10 facts on a person or place to us at dinnertime. This has been fun and interesting to see what and who our children will choose. Later, we will change it to informing us on a news story they read that day. Some interesting topics: Hitler, The Dog Whisperer, creator of Mine Craft, cereal, & St. Basil's Cathedral.


Reading:
My children love to read and will be known to go through a book a day. They love all kinds of books. Both of my children have loved reading the classics, but they have also enjoyed mysteries, adventure, poetry, nonfiction, and book series.  I do not pick out books based on a certain level of reading. I try to pick out real living books for my children: high-quality literature with real-life experiences. But mostly they choose their own books.

Selecting children, having faith, and the waiting game

I wanted to write this post because we are currently in the waiting game again and I felt I left out some information in a previous post about selecting children to adopt. We have been selecting children and waiting since April. After praying for God's will, God showed us He does still want us to adopt, so we have been seeking children of all ages and groups. And, yes, we are still waiting!

One of the things not shared with us in the beginning was that a family can select as many children as they want. Now this is for the state of Texas. I'm not sure how it works in other states. We thought we could only ask for one child or one group at a time. No, you can choose as many as you are interested in at a time. Our sweet, patient worker sometimes submits for up to 5 a week for us.

This can be a hard time as you select a child based on one picture and a short description of that child. I don't know about you, but how can you know this is the child God wants you to have?

Well, I decided to give it all to God and I would urge you to do the same. And I mean completely trusting in Him and what He wants for your family. I realized the more and more we looked, we were still being very selective.

We initially only wanted children between the ages of 6-10 and no more than 2 children. Now, I am asking for all sorts of children, even sibling groups of 3, which my husband said no to. The only thing we realized is we don't believe He wants us to have a child older than our oldest son, who is now 13 and that we can't take in a severe child. Besides those 2 things, we are trusting God completely. Are you?

Every day I would look at the website and the broadcasts sent out to us and realize we were still being too selective. I started asking for several children a day asking God to shut the door on the ones He does not want us to have. Yes, my friends and family do think I'm crazy! But, I am not about to tell God what I believe He wants for our family.

This has given me an incredible peace as I realized He is doing exactly what I asked for. We have received a few phone calls and emails saying we are being considered for different children. Occasionally,  we hear that we were not selected for a child or children, but mostly we don't hear back at all. Thank you, Lord, for shutting those doors!

One day I received a phone call saying we are being considered for a group of 3. An hour later another group of 3. I'm not sure if God wants us to have one of these groups or if He is trying to show us something. Whatever it is, I am trusting Him to close the door if they are not the ones He wants for us.

We know we are currently in the top 3 for one of the sibling groups, but again, we have been waiting for over a month. We do know we are still being considered and there is a new selection date, so we are just waiting.

Do we see ourselves with 3 or want 3 children? No! But, do we really know what God wants us to have? Again, No! We just have to trust that He knows what is best for us and who needs us.

I have had friends and family who roll their eyes or make comments about how many I have submitted for. They think I'm being impatient or testing God. Or they'll make comments like I don't think God wants you to have older ones again or I don't think God wants you to have 3. All I can say to you is - Don't worry about what others say or think. I value my friends and families' opinions, but they are their opinions. How do they know what God wants for your family? Be careful when taking advice from others.

I urge you to prayerfully consider how you are handling the adoption selection process and just remember to be patient and trust in God. Let Him lead you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Helpful advice after you are selected to adopt a child through CPS

This is a very exciting and emotional part of your adoption journey. It's the moment your family has all been waiting for. Here are a few things to think about as you begin your adoption journey. 

After you have been selected for a child or sibling group, your family is so excited to meet the child. You start to imagine the child in your family and in your home. You may even begin to set up their room.

• First piece of advice is to take the next steps slowly.

Before we met our child, I read the same thing. Take it slowly, but the next thing you know we were taking the child home for good after our first formal visit. We should have heeded advice and taken it more slowly.

• Read, re-read, discuss, ask questions, and pray about the information you receive

After being selected, you will receive all sorts of information about your child: Psych reports, family history, medical reports, etc. Please make sure you have received it all and the most current reports. Once you have it all, take your time to read it all, discuss with your spouse, and pray about it. Don't rush this process.

A large box was given to us an hour before meeting her. We read through it as quickly as possible and then decided it was too much to go through.

Also, if you question anything in the report, this is your opportunity to ask the worker questions. They want you to ask questions. They want you completely informed. Don't be afraid to ask too many questions or to ask to have more time.

• Set up as many visits as possible 

Next, you will either be given the opportunity to speak with the child on the phone or most likely, set up a first meeting date. If you are meeting the child, set up a short afternoon visit in their foster home and get to know them and their foster family.

Do not let the worker talk you into taking the child home after the first visit. Our child's team felt it was in her best interest to limit visits. They felt she didn't need to go back to her home because it was a RTC and they felt she would have more issues. As we look back on this, we realize it moved way too quickly and we should have set up more visits. Your family and your child needs time to process the changes that are occurring.

Go home and have a family meeting and pray. If you feel the first meeting went well, tell the worker you want to proceed and set up another visit.

Ask the foster parents what the child might be interested in doing before you make plans. We knew our child was interested in the outdoors and adventure, so we took her kayaking and she loved it.

Once your family has started having long weekend visits in your home, you may have a good feeling about this child or you may not feel this is the child for your family. Do not be afraid to back out at this point. It's better to know now before the child moves in with you. Pray and ask God to show you if this is the child for your family. Trust God and enjoy your new child!

If you are currently in this process, I would love to hear how your adoption journey is going or for you to offer any additional advice to others in the process of adopting.

First week with your adopted child

Your first week home with your new adopted child is going be filled with fun adventures and learning more about one another. It will be a time of adjustment for the whole family as the child learns new rules, new expectations, and as you see what you need to teach her/him. Our adopted daughter is a very quick learner and even though she does not appear to be listening, she is soaking up everything we tell her. Because of this, we explain everything to her. We realized she not only needs to hear the rules, but understand the why behind the rules. Once we explain, she seems to accept it and understand the rules better.


With all our girl has been through, we were eager to get her new things; things she may have never had or experienced. Who wouldn't want to spoil their new adopted child? But, we learned on day one that she had too many expectations. She expected a new bike, new roller blades, new clothes, cell phone, and the list goes on and on. Because of all her requests, we realized we would slowly get her things she needs, noth things she wants. We do not want her to expect things. So, if there is something she really wants, she will have to save her allowance to purchase those items. This has been a hard lesson. 


Here are some things we did this week that helped ease the transition:

Make her feel needed and part of the family. We have her doing chores and giving her responsibilities. When we were driving home with our new daughter, we asked her what chores she enjoys. She asked if she could take care of the animals completely. Given that our biological children have taken care of the animals their whole life, I knew this would not be a problem. So, most of her chores consists of feeding the animals, cleaning their enclosure or litter box, grooming, and taking our dog for walks. I included additional things like making her bed every morning and emptying the dishwasher. She looks at her chore chart every morning and begins crossing off what she completes. She is not allowed to watch tv or play games until she completes her morning chores. She seems to be very proud of her new responsibilities and that is the first thing she shared on the phone with her friends.


Teach your expectations and rules of the home right away, so they will know what to expect and know what is important to your family. I have two sheets: one that says Glorify God with Your Words and Actions and the other says Unacceptable Behavior. We went over each rule. Then, I explained what the consequences would be if she were to break those rules. But, most importantly, that we would never use restraints like she was used to getting in the home. Children do better when they know what to expect. When something has come up this last week, I remind her of the rule she is breaking.

Ask her what will help her during times of feeling angry and offer a few other suggestions as well. Read my previous post to see a couple examples.

Teach her to tell you how she feels, but at the same time being respectful to you and others as well.


Pre-teaching and practicing things over and over. Before I take her somewhere, we discuss how she should behave and ways to handle her emotions. You will learn so much the first week. Our daughter always leaves the back door open when she goes in and out. We had to practice opening and closing the door quickly. We have modeled and practiced manners at the dinner table, how and where to hang up wet towels, appropriate amounts of food and beverages. All things that our children already know, but things that she is not used to.


Have her decorate her room the first week to feel ownership and permanency. Before going to the store, I told her what I was willing to get and how much I would spend on each. Most foster children have not been given the opportunity to decorate their rooms. Our little girl is quick to ask for things, so we have to tell her in advance what we are willing to buy and spend. Any additional things will have to be purchased with her allowance or later as a gift. She loved this. When we got home, she instantly wanted to decorate her room. We bought her a frame and had her put a special picture in it from her old home.


We bought her a scrapbook so she can include people and events that were important to her and also so she could include her new life. This will be a fun project for us to do together in the weeks ahead.


We had a new family picture made the second day so we could replace the old one. We wanted her to feel that she is part of our family now and to show her we're not giving her back - ever. The picture was placed in the living room so she could see how important she is to us.


Try to touch and hug her often. We did nails, snuggled close during a movie and reading time, brushed her hair, rubbed lotion on her arms and legs, tickled, and had fun in the pool and ocean. Even though she is 12, being touched is very important. We all need regular, warm, and affectionate touch every day.


Make yourself available for talking often. I try to create opportunities where we are alone throughout the day or I put her in the front seat when we're driving somewhere, so we can talk. I ask her lots of questions, because she is not always quick to open up. Learn as much as you can about her.


Volunteer somewhere: We took her to help out at the Humane Society. This is very therapeutic for her. She loves animals and wants to help them. Animals love you no matter what and they will not disappoint you. Helping others can help children feel useful and important.


Get her own library card. This was huge for our girl. She loves to read and she loved getting her own card.


Praise as much as possible. No one likes to be disciplined all the time. Who doesn't like to hear positive things they have done. I try to make an effort to praise her for things she does well all throughout the day. She always smiles real big and seems proud of herself when I say something positive.


Let them call friends or write to share their excitement. We purchased cute little note cards and put them in a desk in her room. We also gave her an address book and stamps so she can write to her friends. But, mostly she has enjoyed calling up her friends to share her adventures and new pets.

Most important, show her love through it all. Even through the bad times. Shower your new child with love and let them know how happy you are that they are part of your family. Deep down, they desperately want to connect!

Our first visit

My hubby and I went to our new daughter's home city last Thursday to have our meeting. The meeting went very well and we learned so much about our new girl. We were set up to take her out on her first visit with just the two of us the next day and then take her home with us the following day for a first home visit. Once we all started discussing visits and trips, everyone attending felt that it would be better if we just kept her. So, they quickly planned a farewell party Saturday and we packed her up and took her home - for good. We told her she will never see that place again - unless she wants to visit friends. Her worker comes out next week to make it official! We still can't believe it went so well. Everything we had hoped for happened. She gets to stay with us permanently, go on a big trip with us, and even be homeschooled during the 6 month trial period. God is so good!

We had several questions for the people who have worked with her. What are her triggers, what makes her escalate, etc. They shared with us a few things, but the most valuable thing we were taught was how they asked her these questions. They asked her what makes her angry? And what can she do to keep herself from getting out of control in her new home. She told them that she could go pet the animals, because animals calm her down. (Obviously, she thought we were getting chosen) I would have never thought of that. We can all get carried away asking others how to help these children when all we need to do is just ask the children. Later, when we were in the car with her, we came up with additional things she can do to calm down and signals for me to let me know she is getting upset. We came up with: using words, taking a breather outside, jumping in the pool, going for a walk, punching a real punching bag, etc.
Friday was the day she was officially told that we were chosen. Shortly after we showed up to take her out for the day. She was beaming and telling everyone we are her new mommy and daddy. Even though she was extremely excited, we could tell she was nervous as well. She quickly started asking us for all sorts of things. She asked if we would paint her room bright pink, take out the carpet and give her hard wood floors, and she even asked for a new pet. We realized we were going to have to let her know what she would be able to have and what she would definitely not get. We were definitely going to have to start setting boundaries.


Shortly after, we took her out to eat. We learned so much about her during that time: What she likes to eat, manners, patience, etc. Next we took her to a nature center to see animals, which she loves. Then we took her kayaking. She was very excited about this, but also nervous the boat might tip over. We kept it afloat and she had a fun time. Swimming in the lake followed before we took her back to the home for the evening. The day was a perfect day filled with lots of quality time getting to know one another. It was hard having to take her back, but we also knew she needed this closure before moving on to her new life.

We our bringing our girl home next week!

Next week is our big presentation meeting with our little girl's workers and people who help take care of her. 24 hours later my hubby and I will be having our first official visit with her and then we will be bringing her home with us the following day!! We're not sure yet how long the visit will be, but we know she is coming home with us next week. It's all becoming very real!

There are so many thoughts and questions we have as we plan this next week's visit. We wish we could call and ask her, but she still can not know until 24 hours after the meeting. What would she like to do on her first visit with us? How long should the first visit be? Will she be staying the night with us at the hotel? Would she be comfortable with that? How will she feel not having Shrimp and Posie with us? Will she be scared driving home with us and entering our home for the first time? Even though she is so outgoing and she wants our family to adopt her, we imagine this is still going to be a very scary thing for her.

The wonderful part is that she does want our family and expects us to be chosen, so it will not be too much of a surprise. She is also eager to leave her current home, because it is not a family home life. She has lived in her current group home for 3 years now. She has not had the normal foster home experience since she was much younger. Even though we have heard the home is one of the nicer ones and I'm sure she has caring workers, she is still not used to having parents or a family atmosphere. I believe this will make the transition much easier than most adoptions because she already knows us and wants us, and she wants to get away from the home. However, it may be a difficult adjustment because she is coming from a much different home life.

We continue to pray that God will give her peace and love as she transitions into her new life. I know He will continue to give us all the love she will need from us and that He will slowly open her heart to our love. It will be an amazing journey!

We were selected!

I am overfilled with joy! Thank you Lord!! We just received the much anticipated phone call we have been waiting for. The little girl's caseworker called to tell us we were selected for the 12 year old girl we asked for. We were one of the two top chosen families that they were deciding on this morning. After the meeting today, she said we are the selected family for her! The next step is a meeting scheduled mid June with the caseworkers and all the people who have worked with this little girl, including her therapist, people who work in her home, teachers, and CASA so we can ask questions to find out what we need to know to truly help her.

Her worker told us that this little girl does not know we were selected and she can not legally know until 24 hours after the June meeting. She said the little girl will be thrilled, because she has been telling everyone about our family since we met one month ago. Her worker said she even went to court with her last week and this little girl told the judge all about us and how she wants our family to adopt her.

Her worker asked us to create a small photo album for her to show this little girl. Even though she has already met us, she would like us to include pictures of our family, home, places we like to go, and things we like to do. That will be fun to create for her, but I can't wait to see her home, school, friends, and places she likes to go.

We are informally going to schedule dates to meet with her and then possibly even plan a move in date for the beginning of July. Very exciting news!

The selection process date is set!

Well, it has been just about 3 weeks since we first met the sweet 12 year old girl at the adoption match party. We have spent hours reading through her files, talking to her case worker and our case worker, and even her therapist. It has been an emotional journey learning about her past and truly deciding if this is the one for us. After much discussion and prayer, we do believe in our hearts that she is the one and God will be with us every step of the way.

We found out today that we are one of the top chosen families, like we had expected. Next week, our worker will go meet with this little girl's worker, CASA, and other workers to make the final decision on who is the right family for this child. If and when we are chosen, we will start having phone calls and visits with her soon after. We have also been told that a team of people who know her well will meet with us and share all they can with us to help this little girl.

Meanwhile, I continue to pray, study, and ask God to bring others into our lives who can be a support system for us and for her - I specifically prayed for a family who has adopted older children and have their own biological children. So what do you think happens today? I run into an old neighbor from 6 years ago who I have been dying to see since we moved back. They are one of the first homeschooling families I met and greatly admired. They have several sweet children and I found out today they have been busy themselves adopting possibly 2, ages 10 and 12. They have had the children in their homes since December, so she has all sorts of advice for us. Thank you Lord! I am constantly amazed and so thankful for our loving God and all He does for us! He continues to supply what we need when we need it!

 

We made a match at the adoption match party!

I am writing this to help those of you out there going through the adoption process. Whether it is through the state or private adoption agency, you will have these same opportunities. Even though this was a very emotional experience, we would definitely advise other adoptive parents to attend a match party. As you will see with our story, we were able to interact with any child we wanted to and speak personally with that child's caseworker. Most of us would not have the opportunity to speak with a child and the caseworker unless we were the chosen family after the selection process. So, first pray, go to a match party, play with the kiddos, and then pray some more. If the child or children are there, God will show you!

I am also writing this for the little girl we believe is meant to bless our family. This is just the beginning of her adoption story.

This weekend we went to our first adoption match party 4 hours away. Our family was excited, yet very uncomfortable with the idea of this. Shrimp was especially uncomfortable feeling that the children would be on showcase for us. I was praying the whole time that God would show us the one He wanted us to have. I asked him to have one stand out to us and for us to know he/she was the one. Well, I feel it happened just as I had prayed for it to happen. God showed us the one and it happened to be one we were interested in months ago, but we thought she had been adopted. 

We realized that if this one is truly going to be ours there was a reason it took our process so long. If we would have been certified sooner, this little girl would not have been available to us. She just became available again a couple weeks ago.

Here's how the day proceeded. We arrived and there were children of all ages everywhere. There were many children I was interested in, but not my husband. There were games, a bouncy house, basketball, and crafts going on around us. As we sat looking out at the children on the bouncy house, I prayed for Him to show us if the one was there. All the children were precious and beautiful and full of life that day. You look around and just want to take them all home. I knew I could not just go up to any of the children because I might give them false hope. So, I was praying and watching the children. I looked over at the line of people arriving and saw this little girl waiting in line to check in. I grabbed my husband's attention. I even interrupted him to show him this girl. As we were staring at her, my daughter and I realized she looked very familiar. She was a very small and petite little thing. We quickly learned it was the 12 year old girl we knew from the website months ago and wondered why she was there. We thought she had been adopted.

My hubby and I spoke briefly and we quickly felt that I should go talk to them. I went up to her and her caseworker and we started talking. I asked the girl if she knew she was famous. That I had seen her on a news show months ago. I told her she was an impressive gymnast and the next thing I know, she started doing flips for me excited to show off her skills. I was immediately struck by her bubbly personality. She was also very polite as she looked me in the eyes and answered every question. She went off to play in the bouncy house and Posie instantly followed. This gave me a chance to talk with her caseworker. The caseworker was a wealth of knowledge explaining everything to me and answering my questions. I found myself tearing up over what she was telling me. It was very hard to hear what all this little girl had been through. At that moment, I started to wonder if this was the one for us.

Very quickly we were approached by a woman who needed to take this little girl's picture for the adoption website again. As I walked away, my hubby and I noticed another couple following. I looked at my hubby and we felt we should go as well. It was very strange, almost as if we were fighting for this little girl's attention. Not what I had envisioned.

She was so sweet and answered the other couple's questions, but kept turning to us to talk. She pretty much went with us after that. She had others approach her, but it was only briefly. She ate with us and spent time with the kids on the bouncy house. I had a million questions for her. I wanted to know everything about her.

She had several children come up to say hello to her and we found out it's because they lived with each other at one point. We found out this sweet girl has been living in a group home for a year. We loved watching the sweet way she interacted with these friends. This was definitely an advantage. At one point, I thought she would leave us to go play with her friends, but she quickly turned to us and motioned saying, "The line is over here."

While we were sitting eating lunch, she was very sweet with my hubby asking politely to wear his sunglasses. After, she gave them back nicely even though the other kids were asking to wear them as well. The way she interacted with him was precious and it surprised me. While we were eating, she asked us if we want to adopt her and I had to explain that it wasn't what we wanted that was important, it was finding the perfect family for her. She immediately told us she wanted us to adopt her. She said, "Please adopt me. I have my grandparent's phone number and I can call them." Then she turned to her caseworker and whispered that she wanted us to adopt her. It was all very sweet.

We found out that homeschooling would be in her best interest. She loves animals, just like our kids do. She went crazy when she found out we volunteer at the Humane Society. She absolutely loves huskies. She is completely a tom boy. She loves roller blading, biking, kickball, swimming, gymnastics, and animals. She even said her favorite tv show was Animal Planet. I noticed she has a creative side because her shoes were decorated. She said she used nail polish to decorate them. What a cute idea! We were not finding anything that we disliked about her. 

At the end of the day, she gave us a hug and left. I didn't want to let her go. I spoke with my hubby to see how he felt and instantly went to fill out an interest card on her. Her caseworker had given me the only business card she had and asked us to call her and have our caseworker submit our home study.

We all left feeling mixed emotions: excitement yet sadness for all the children there who did not have a family approach them. Our whole family liked this girl and wanted to adopt her. We felt she would fit perfectly into our family and we just wanted to take her with us that afternoon to go camping. Of course, it did not happen. We spent the entire weekend talking about her and thinking of all the things we wanted to do with her and show her. We just wanted to take her home, protect her and love her.  

Now, we thought this meant that we might get to see her again sooner and the process would move along more quickly, but we found out today that we were wrong. We do get to receive info on her next week to decide if we want to proceed. Next, we will still have to go through the selecion process. Other case workers will gather together with ours to make the decision. We do have an advantage given that we met her and had a connection with her. But, it may take a couple weeks for us to find out anything and start having visits. Again, I have to remind myself it's all in God's timing. I am so full of excitement and joy thinking she is the one. But, I am also praying for this little girl to find the right home for her, because ultimately that is what matters. And I keep thanking our loving, faithful God for blessing us with this opportunity!

Patience during the adoption process

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This year, God has really worked on making me more patient as we go through this adoption process.  You ask for patience and you will receive. He will give you ways to work on becoming more patient. It has been 10 months since we went to our first adoption meeting and we were finally told we were certified adoptive parents in March. Starting the next week, we put in an interest on a 10 year old girl. The next week, we put an interest on a 9 year old boy and a 11 year old girl, because we were told to put an interest on as many children as we liked. Two weeks ago, I was told by the first child's caseworker that they would be making their decision the next week and they would definitely let us know either way. Well, it's 4 weeks in and we have not heard anything about any of the children. We were hoping to know something about one of the 3 children before our first match party, which happens to be tomorrow 4 hours away.

I have been asked if that means we will be getting 3 children. No, it means we are interested in these 3. Once we are chosen for one, our interest on the others will go away. Again, we will have to be patient as we wait to see if one of these are the one God wanted for us.

We will be attending our first match party tomorrow at a church, where we will meet children of all ages. This seems a little odd, like the children are on showcase, but we have heard how many families actually make a match this way. We will get to interact with all of the children to see if there is a match between us.

People keep asking me, "How are you so patient waiting this long?" I have to tell you that I do not always feel patient. I want it to happen quicker and I want to know which one God wants for our family, but things don't happen in our timing, they happen in God's timing. This has been a great lesson for me. God is our everything. He will supply what we need when we need it. I have to continuously turn to God for peace and patience during this time. And he has continuosly given it to me. He shows me that he is in control and will reveal the one for us soon and it may not be the one we want. I know that He is preparing both our family and the child right now as I write. He is preparing our hearts and our lives for each other.

I think of a beautiful blooming garden when I think of patience. Plants start off as seeds and it takes weeks to grow into tiny little plants. Then months as we wait for them to mature and bloom.We have to be patient waiting for each plant to fully develop. In the end, it is all worth it as the vibrant flowers blossom so we can now enjoy the beauty. Adoption is much like this. He is working on us and preparing us as we wait. In the end, we will have the beautiful child He wants us to love and take care of.

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Process of picking out the child

Now that we are officially certified adoptive parents, we can start to pick out the children! We started out wanting a boy and girl sibling group and then just one girl. We found a 10 year old girl we are interested in and we asked to be considered for her about a week ago. Then, yesterday, my hubby was interested in a sibling group of 3 girls. So funny, because my hubby was so set on just adding one to our family. Now, he is looking at adding 3! Shocking, but so sweet! He told me that if he could protect 3 girls from continuuing to get abused, then he would do it. But, we found out one of the girls has special needs. We're not sure if our family can handle that. We will just have to continue to pray. It's funny that I have seen so many adoptive families start off with wanting something specific only to end up adopting something totally different. You never know what the Lord has in mind.

This is how the process works from here on out. I am writing this post because we were told something totally different in the beginning. 6 months later, we were finally told how the process works. First, we look through the pages of children online or through emails sent to us. As a family, we pick out who we might be interested in. We see a short description of the child including: emotional, physical, and developmental needs. That's it. So, we pick out the child or children and put in a request to be considered for those children.

Next, the child's case worker looks through our applications to see which 3 families are the best choice for this child. Yes, can you believe there are more than 3 families. Each family in Texas has their own adoption worker. Now, each adoption worker from those 3 families plus the child's case worker get together to determine which family should be chosen.

Once they determine the top family, that family gets a folder of the child's entire life - what they know of him or her. Wow, you find out everything about the child including what kind of abuse they experienced! Then, after all that, the family decides if they are still interested. If they are interested, they set up a meeting date with the child and the adoptive family. If the family is not interested, they move onto another child and the process starts all over again.

I don't know about you, but that is one long process just to find out more information on a child. It seems like they could come up with an alternative process? Seems like more work for the workers than necessary.

We are officially certified adoptive parents!

Hello friends, I just wanted to share an exciting piece of news that we have been waiting to hear! This afternoon as I was in the middle of spring cleaning and teaching my children, we finally got the word that we are official certified adoptive parents. I can't believe it is finally happening. Since it has taken so long, I have tried not to think about it as much. Believe me, it is always in the back of my mind. We kept picking out children and feeling they were the ones only to find they had disappeared from the website the next week. We are excited about the next step; the most important step of picking out our children. Wow! That sounds so crazy to me. Now, we are just going to wait as God shows us which ones to choose.  If any of you readers have gone through adoption, how did you know the child was the one for your family? We would love to hear your experiences. And we would appreciate your prayers as we make this huge decision.

"How do you homeschool?"

I was recently asked again, "How do you do it? I could never homeschool my children." I hear this quite frequently. I believe many are interested in homeschooling but are intimidated by it as well. I have about 5 friends who said this same thing to me and now they are all homeschooling! In the beginning, I did not think I could homeschool either. I was looking forward to educating children with special needs in the public schools and sending my children to school. But soon I started feeling someone ever so gently urging me to homeschool my son. I thought to myself, "What Lord? You want me to do what?" I had always planned to work when my children started school. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? I had felt led to get my degree in special education, so I assumed He wanted me to teach in the schools. Slowly, God started showing me that this was not His plan for our family.

The first thing I noticed was how I felt after coming home from teaching. I was tired, yet I still had to cook, clean, take care of the kids, be a good wifey, and then plan for the next day of work. By the end of the day, I realized I was giving more to the kids at school than I was giving to my own children. I felt my relationships with my husband and children were not as close as they once were.

Next, we started seeing changes in my son. His teacher and I were fairly close and she started telling me how my son was displaying nervous habits, such as biting his nails. Then, he started acting out inappropriately in the classroom. We were shocked and confused by his actions. Later on in the school year, I discovered why. A friend of mine informed me that my son was being bullied. He was being physically bullied by older kids at school and he was not telling us. Because he was being taught not to tattle, he kept  this all to himself and in return, started acting out at school. I felt sick when my friend told me this. How could this happen right under my nose? At 5 years old, I felt we were not doing a good job of protecting him. But, I know all things happen for a reason and that God would use these things for the good. I felt He was using these experiences, among other things, to show us what he wanted from us and lead us down the path He was choosing for us.

So, I prayed, prayed, prayed, and spoke with my hubby about the option of homeschooling. We decided that homeschooling our son was what God wanted for our family. Throughout the entire first year, I thought, "Lord, do you want me to homeschool for just this one year?" As the year progressed and I started teaching my daughter as well, I felt God showing me why He wanted me home with my children. Our family and spiritual relationships started growing closer. We were having fun learning together and we seemed to have more time to do things we had never done before. As a homeschool mom, I started learning more than I had ever learned.  I really started to get excited about planning and starting the next school year. We moved to a new place and started actively getting involved with a terrific homeschool group. I had been creating my own curriculum the first year and then started with unit studies the second year. I started experimenting with different curriculums from that point on. Things were going great. And with every passing year, I was realizing all of the benefits and could not imagine them ever going to school. Every year, we do ask our children if they want to continue to homeschool, but in the end, it is our final decision. We're not sure if God will have us homeschool our children through high school, so we just take it one year at a time - allowing God to lead the way.

I believe homeschooling is a calling from the Lord. If you are feeling that gentle nudge like I did 6 years ago, listen - really listen, pray, and spend time with God. Let Him decide if this is what He wants for your family. If it is truly God's will, then He will show you and direct your steps. You may feel overwhelmed and unsure of your abilities. I personally do not feel you need to be a teacher to teach your children; you know your child better than anyone else. I am in awe everyday that He trust me to teach His precious children. Now, I am not saying that it will be easy and your kids will be perfect little angels, because our family is far from perfect. I am telling you that God will help you through it if you ask and if this is His plan for your family. Be patient and don't have high expectations of yourself your first year of homeschooling. Enjoy your little ones while they're little. Start researching homeschooling and find a support group within your area. Attend a homeschool meeting even if you are not currently homeschooling, go to one and chat with the moms and ask questions. You may find yourself homeschooling very soon and loving it! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear or help in any way I can. We want to bless others as we have been blessed. Blessings!

Thinking about Homeschooling?

This is for those of you who want to homeschool but think you can not,

I'm here to tell you that you can! If you accept God's challenge to raise up your children in His ways, He will enable you to do it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses just as teachers in the public school system. As a result, public school teachers collaborate with one another and attend workshops. In homeschooling, we have local support groups and homeschool conventions that will help and encourage us along our journey. As a homeschooler, you will explore different paths, and if it doesn't go where you want it to go, take the lessons learned and try another path.

As a homeschool family, there are various types of resources out there for you including libraries, co-op groups, classes, hundreds of websites, nature centers, museums, and exploring the world. By using these options and creativity, you could entirely homeschool for free if you are willing to do some work. Curriculum ranges in price depending on buying used or new. You can purchase used curriculum and materials on ebay, used homeschool curriculum sites such as http://homeschoolclassifieds.com/, and I personally love attending used curriculum sales. There are homeschooling books such as: 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy that can help you determine: the best way for your family to homeschool, curriculum options that will best suit your family, and organizational help. Books such as this one can help you determine how much time you want to invest in planning your week or your lessons or if you want your subjects to be more student led or teacher led.

Many parents say to me that they could not handle their children all day long or they don't have the patience. It may be a struggle at first and we all certainly have our days just like any other, but again if you have the desire God will provide for you and your children. There are many benefits to homeschooling. You will have the priveledge of watching your children make discoveries, pursue interests and follow where life leads them. They will get real world socialization, learning how to communicate with people of all ages. Your family relationships and spiritual relationships will grow. You will have many volunteer opportunities to choose from. You will be able to pass on your family's morals and values and minimize the influence of the drug and sex culture. Your children will be exposed to less peer pressure. And time. You will have the time with your child to play a game, cuddle, play, laugh and cry, go for a nature walk, sit and talk, and help build upon their strengths and weaknesses.

Homeschooling is a big commitment, but you have to decide what is more important to you, your family, and to God. You have to make the choice to step out of your comfort zone and trust in Him. You are your child's best advocate! You will be richly rewarded.