BIG News!!!

by Steph // Wednesday, July 15, 2015 // Comments off

Have you heard the BIG news?! We got word yesterday!!

Praise the Lord!!!! The guys are going to China!!

To bring home our son, Tate Owen.

And they are doing that in NINE days!!

Yep!!! You read that right!!!

We have Travel Approval, their Consulate Appointment confirmed, and we are working on their plane tickets!!

On Monday, July 27th, Tate will be forever in our arms.

We are so excited, anxious, thrilled, terrified, overwhelmed, and incredibly happy!!!

We feel prepared and ready for the guys to go! Praise the Lord!!

And now WE NEED YOU. Really, really, need you. Please pray for us. Please pray with us!

*For Tate, who may not know that we are coming for him

*For health, and a hedge of protection around our family, especially Tate

*For travel mercies for the guys on the long, long trek to Hohhot

*For Blake and my hearts as we separate for two weeks, as it will be very hard for us to be apart

*For the ability to be able to communicate through text, Skype, and e-mail by purchasing a VPN

*For the Lord to use us and this time in our lives, despite ourselves

*For Blake and Grant to relish in this super special time together, and for them to be a strong team for Tate’s sake

*For Tate’s transition, attachment and bonding to us, especially Blake

Our plan is for me to post an update each day while the guys are in China, with photos and stories from them. Lord willing! We will include prayer requests in those posts.

It is almost time!!! The Lord’s perfectly appointed time!!! Tate, here they come!!!!!

“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
Isaiah 43:5-7

Eliza Claire Day!!

by Steph // Tuesday, July 14, 2015 // Comments off

It was one year ago today that the most amazing little sweet pea was placed into our arms in a very hot civil affairs building in Guangzhou, China!!

We had a photo shoot to celebrate this milestone by an awesome photographer, who just happens to be this sweet pea’s older sister. *Thanks, Kayla!!

I cannot even find the words that would convey the enormous blessing this last year has been for our family. It is simply beyond words.

We don’t remember life before you, Eliza Claire!

And we can’t imagine life without you either!

We love your confidence, baby girl! What a good helper you are! The little songs you sing! The giggles that come from your toes! How you always know exactly what you want! What a good eater you are! How brave you are and how many fears you have overcome! And how you do roll call each morning to make sure all your people are present and accounted for.

We are so grateful that the Lord filled us with love for you before we even met you! It was a deep love that never skipped a beat even when you were placed into our arms.

It is hard to believe it has already been a year! Yet it is hard to believe it has only been a year…..it seems like a lifetime.

Eliza released some balloons…..some love to send to China.

With a wave, and some kisses blown into the wind too.

Happy Eliza Claire Day, sweet baby girl!!!

We are so thankful that you are forever our Eliza Claire.

A Week of Summer School

by Steph // Sunday, July 12, 2015 // Comments off

Our first week of “morning summer school” was super fun and the kiddos loved it!!

I am not surprised in the least, because there is a Proverb that says “a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Ahem. Yes.

When we start our days on a schedule, with purpose, focus, and direction, these kiddos are purposeful and focused the whole day. I love that!

I am teaching the two youngest the Old Testament Bible stories.

We learned about the Tower of Babel this week!

It prompted good conversation about trying to do things on your own strength without God, and about pride.

It also prompted a study of languages! I love how easily one thing just rolls into another and another and another! There is so much to learn!

I made a Go Fish game out of cards that have all different ways to say Hello.

Of course we had to google some of them first to listen to how they were pronounced!

Chad’s school is self-directed, which he LOVES. But google recorded “hellos” lured him into the school room to listen with us!

Besides doing our regular Math and Phonics, I had hands on things for the two littles each day.

They both thrive with hands on learning!

A Math graph –

Yep. That is Eliza in Tate’s shorts and pj top! Again. And again. And again. I do manage to wash it every couple of days. Smile.

A rhyming words activity – which Eliza really did not know the answers to, but the fine motor practice of putting the clothes pins on the cards was perfect for her!

Sitting at the school table in the mornings prompted a lot of creative play during free time in the afternoons!

That is the vision I had for this spot! We have a win!

Did you notice the “new” table?! Blake bought a $10 door blank that was in the junk pile at Menards! We are going to stain it, seal it, and then liquid nail it to the old table!

This new table is a lot bigger than the old one – just in time for a new student to arrive!

Lane made this drawing and told me it was our whole family in age order!

In the afternoons this past week, we worked on anything that needed done.

Chad and I have become the mowing team (how did that happen??!!).

While he and I did that this week, Addie set up our small tent in the yard and filled it with games for the dynamic duo.

I would say it was a hit!!

They also colored on the windows for awhile one afternoon.

For some reason, that is way more fun than paper!!

I also got back out our chore packs. The big kiddos hardly ever look at their chore list on the fridge anymore – they have what they are to do each day memorized.

There is one cute little man with mile long eye lashes that is hard to keep on task.

Maybe more like impossible to keep on task!

Having his chores on cards in a chore pack that he clips to his shirt did the trick.

Of course, Lane’s side kick needed one too! So I even put a card for Eliza to drink her water all gone because her morning glass of water has meds in it!