What is happening over break

Happy New Year to you and your family . . .

This new year is off to a wonderful adventure for our family.

Ever since God amazingly blessed our family with our three youngest children from China, I quit my full-time teaching position in a public school and now stay home to homeschool our littlest treasures.

After some adjustment period in homeschooling,

we all love it!

But, that meant we had to do without my full-time pay, and that has been a little interesting at times, especially having adopted internationally three times since then!

But God, . . .

He is always, always faithful.

Kevin and I have both run successful small businesses to help offset the lost income, and God has provided.

Even though my business eventually stopped and Kevin's surged, it has been tough schedule wise because the kids and I don't see Kevin very much.  He is either working at school full-time as a teacher or doing lawn work and painting.  That means he doesn't get very much down time or even time with his family.  This schedule has been difficult for all of us.  We miss Kevin, and he misses us!

We have prayed for a better solution to this dilemma for some time now.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I attended a Pampered Chef party and came home to share about it with Kevin (who has always had a desire to have his own cooking show!)

Long story, short . . .

We have opened our own Pampered Chef business together!  It will focus on our strengths - Kevin will do the cooking show each time (he is a bit of a ham), and I will handle the business side of things (I am a classic type A personality).  We are perfectly matched!

Tonight is our first cooking show, and we all are so excited about the possibilities of this business!

Practicing his "cooking show" last night for the children

The audience was a tad unruly! 

Hopefully tonight's audience will be better behaved!!

Could you pray for our new adventure?  If this works, it will be so much fun to run a business together.  We are very excited about this business and definitely feel it is a "God" thing! 

A special Christmas box

Something beautiful happened Christmas morning at our home. We opened our front door to see a large box sitting on the porch. When we looked inside, we saw that it was filled with Christmas gifts for all of us, even our oldest son!... Wow! We are so incredibly touched by this loving gesture. We don't know who to thank since there was no name inside of who sent those wonderful gifts, but we want you to know (if you are a bloggy friend and gave us this beautiful surprise) how very happy and joyful you helped make our Christmas day. What a kind and generous thing you have done for our family.

We took pictures of our family with those goodies so you could see for yourself how your loving gift has touched us. Thank you whoever you are! You were the hands and feet of Jesus yesterday, and our family will always remember the special Christmas morning we opened our door to see Christ's love wrapped up in a box and delivered to our front door.

 

Merry, Merry Christmas from our home to yours . . .

Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus

King Herod

A shepherd and his little sheep (Snoopy) worshipping

baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph

The decorating of the gingerbread cookies with the grandmas

First, we visited a lovely couple, Bob and Pat, a few

days ago.  They are so sweet and just dote on our littles.

This is the third "decorating of the gingerbread"

with the grandmas.  It was such a nice evening.

Sophia gives a big smile for her daddy

Philip is deep in concentration

Elijah iced the cookies with gusto!

We are so blessed to have our moms live close by.  Grandmas are special, and our children's grandmas are extra special!

Agape Family Life House - Lanfang, China

Children in China need you!

International Voice of the Orphan (IVO) is currently hoping to raise $2,361 toward helping to build wheelchair ramps for Agape Family Life House in Langfang, China.  The children who live there mostly have a disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Disease).  The old ramps were extremely dangerous for them and very difficult to maneuver up and down in a wheelchair. 

Our church team visited this amazing foster village earlier in the summer.  We all immediately fell in love with the children and the people who serve there.  It is a beautiful place. 

Won't you help make Christmas a little brighter for these fragile children?  If you are interested in helping out, you can go to IVO's website by clicking here. 

Below is a picture of our littlest son.

His preschool class was singing Christmas songs

at a local retirment home.

Our Elijah was supposed to be sitting

"crisscross applesauce"

at the moment.

See for yourself!

Hmmm . . . busted!

But looking "oh so cute!"





Beauty from ashes

Three years ago yesterday, my much loved dad went into a hospice on my birthday (November 30th) and passed away the next day.  Quite frankly, my family and I thought we could never be happy again on those two days. 

But three years later, God has brought beauty from ashes, and the last two days have been filled to the brim with such joy!  I think Dad would be pleased that we can again see joy and beauty in this world, especially the day he left it for Heaven.


Yesterday my dear friend Cathi (whom we met in China while bringing home Philip and who lives just on the other side of town) and her two daughters, both Chinese treasures, spent the day with us preparing a Thanksgiving feast for the dads later in the day.

It was so much fun!  Our children worked very hard to make the dinner. 

There was bread making . . .

And butter shaking . . .

Cup cake decorating . . .

And eating, of course!

Tonight I celebrated my birthday with my husband, children, and mom.  We went out for pizza, and then we decorated our Christmas tree! 

Putting the tree together.  That tree is 24 years old. 

I am just a tad older (by about 30 years!)

Pausing for dessert that Ted made.

It was delicious!  Thanks Ted!

The first ornament is up.

A tired princess

Philip looks like a Christmas decoration.  He had lost interest in decorating the tree

and was busy completing a word search.  Too funny.

A quiet moment with biggest and littlest brother

The stockings all hung on the bookcase with care

An open door bidding you to enter in and celebrate Jesus' birth

Let the Christmas season begin.  What a beautiful couple of days.

Beauty from ashes indeed!