Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is a prominent part of  many church traditions in this season. Last night Counsellor A and I did a lesson with our GEMS group on the Advent wreath. We were impressed with how much they knew and understood. They DO listen in church :o)!

**Yes, I know the candle colours are backwards :oS.

Devotions for Advent

Advent - The Waiting

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming"). Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, and is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.

The progression of the season may be marked with an Advent calendar. Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25, the Sunday from November 27 to December 3 inclusive.

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second coming of Christ. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a reminder both of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting of Christians for Christ's return.

** Paraphrased from Wikipedia

Never has this season of waiting been so real to us as a family. In this season of Advent, I'm going to do something a little different on the blog. Most of my posts will be photos only. Sometimes wordless, sometimes not. The photos will show what we are doing as we await the birth and coming again of our Saviour. Some will show our preparation for the Christmas season, things we do, places we go. Others will just be photos of what brings us joy. For me it will be a conscious accounting of preparing and waiting to celebrate the special day of the birth of our precious Lord.

May you all find peace and joy in this season of waiting!

Blessings to you, my friends!

Saturday's Seven (Not-So) Quick Takes

1} I love to keep my hands busy. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew, or I get an idea and start on a project before I realize that I don't have all the materials to make it work.

These were simple. Buy the pre-cut letters, sand them, paint them, varnish them and voilà, letters for the girls' wall.

These were not quite as simple. Oh, I had the idea in my head and knew exactly what I wanted, but to find the right colours and materials was a LOT of work. In the end with the help of my friend C, I was able to glean the paper colours I needed and complete the project. Thank you, C!! They are canvases (dollar store) wrapped in card stock with chipboard letters that I re-did with different cardstock and then embellished with ribbon, paper flowers, and beads. I am very pleased with how they finally turned out!

The "white space" is where I will add photos of the girls.

2} Peach had a volleyball tournament yesterday. All the girls on her team wore pigtails to show their team spirit. I haven't seen her in pigtails for a long time. I think she still looks pretty cute in them :o)!

3} Wendy, this next photo is for you :oD. (Wendy is a teacher who does NOT appreciate certain often assigned school projects).

It's not quite a diorama, but pretty close. They did these in class though. I never saw it, or even heard about it until I picked the girls up from school and Squirt took me to show me the completed project. It is a ballet room (in case you were wondering ;o)). The paper (bag) doll is Penelope.

4} This is the story that she wrote to go with it:

Penelope's Problem

On the first day of ballet two girls pushed penelope. She hurt her leg. One day she was sitting on the ballet beam and tow girls pushed her again. She broke her leg. then she went to the hospital. The doctore put a cast on her leg. The she told the techer then they never pushed her again.


I'm not sure what her train of thought is with all the violence. The age? Youngest child? Loves drama?

5} We are thrilled to have an entire SaturDAY at home! No more photo sessions, no kid exchanges until late afternoon, no groceries to do (I did them yesterday). Time to get some serious cleaning, sorting, and other small projects done. Yes!!

6} Our church is a strong advocate of social justice issues. We learn about (I believe it is monthly) film features at a nearby theatre that relate to consumerism, environmentalism, human trafficking, and other issues relating to the world and its abuse of what God has blessed us with. There is a film again tonight and we are going. It's the first time we have been able to go and we're all quite excited. (Lame, I know :o)).

7} We've been on the hunt for a twelve passenger van. So far we're not too successful. Did you know that if you have to drive a "bus", that it is 90% likely that it will be white? Beans wants a yellow one. *Snicker!* Nothing like really looking like we're driving a bus! We've been hunting for a vehicle that actually has headrests for the back benches. We found one, but it sold the same day I enquired about it. Now we have our eye on another one. It's a 2010. Mucho dinero!! The great thing is though, the benches are high backed, which is good when your 14 yo is already around six feet tall. Thankfully there is no real rush to buy a vehicle, so we'll just keep looking.

This is not the one we're looking at, as inevitably it's white. I wish we could find a silver one. Shows way less dirt than white.

Wishing you all a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my American friends! God bless!

Violin Practice

Beans has a hard time getting set up to practice her violin. When we peered over the dog (baby) gate into the living room this evening, this is how we found her:

So THAT'S why it always takes her so long to get started!

Package Sent

The Wonders of the WWW

I have been very blessed by the blogging community for many reasons of which I will not go into detail right now, but I do want to write about one very BIG reason. Connections! That's right, if it weren't for other families sharing their adoption journeys on the world wide web, I would not be at this very moment looking at multiple photos of our girls in their home in the Philippines.

In this post, I told about the joy of Brian and Renee receiving a referral after 29.5 months of waiting. Well, Brian and Renee's adorable little boy is in the same orphanage as our daughters!!! Not only that, but Jenifer and Andrey brought home their beautiful girl from the same orphanage just seven (correct me if I'm wrong, Jen) weeks ago! Jenifer and Andrey sent both Brian and Renee, and the Engineer and I photos of our children. They all look happy and healthy! What a special gift for all of our families! How blessed we are for our children to have these connections.

Now Brian, Renee, the Engineer and I await to see if our travel times match up and we will get to meet in person. Canada is a BIG country, so NL and ON are a loooong ways away from each other. How funny to think that we could actually meet half a world away!

My Rice Cooker

I love this thing!!

I put in my rice and water, push the button down to cook and walk away. When its done, the button pops up to warm and I can get to it when I'm ready. Very simple and very effective.

Perfect rice every time!

Ah, Now I Remember

As the girls get ready to take their history projects/presentations to school, I remember one of the reasons why I personally did not like school. I detested the projects, the desire to achieve and do well, and the pressure I put on myself. Peach seems to have taken it all in stride and doesn't seem to be stressed in the least. Beans on the other hand, has spent the last week snapping at people, and if her brother so much as looks at her, she bursts into tears. Last night I told her, I don't care what she gets for a mark on this project. I am proud of her regardless. She is my reluctant writer, so this was a big step for her and the best part is, she did it ALL BY HERSELF. She's seems much happier today and back to her normal self. I'm glad! After all, it's only grade school! What difference will it make even a month from now what mark she got on the silly thing. I'm much happier, and my kids are too when they can simply be kids. I am continually amazed at the pressure we put on ourselves and our children to be better, do better. I personally refuse to conform. Who's with me ;o)?!?

In the Round

I am learning to knit in the round. (At least I think that's what it is called). I've only cast this on about six times and successfully started knitting twice. The first time I had to rip it out again though. I kept dropping stiches and discovered it too late. If I ever get this little project finished, I will post it, but on the other hand, I may have to rip it out again. Oh well, practice makes perfect :o)! Is anyone else working on some crafty projects? I'd love to hear about them!

Surreal

I can't believe Christmas is only about six weeks away (or less??). It's not possible! I'm not remotely ready, nor have I hardly thought about it. I guess it's because I have other things on the brain. A blogging friend of mine just returned home with her family from the PI where they met and brought home their new daughter. Oh she is a little doll! Another sweet couple whose blog I follow are finally (after 29.5 mths!!) approved to bring home their son!! He is just over a year old. I can imagine that he is quite a peanut yet! (Even cooler, their little guy is on the same island as our girls!! We just might get the opportunity to meet)!! I am so excited for both families!! I am also thinking and praying for the families stuck/still in the waiting process. I know now how frustrating the red tape time can be. Keeping them in my thoughts and prayers!

So, ummm, yeah, my mind is on other things. Perhaps in another week or two I will get into Christmas mode. We'll see... Would anyone like to do my shopping, baking, and decorating for me :oD?

1000 Gratitudes

I am reading a book called, Living with Less so Your Family Has More by Jill and Mark Savage. What this book is not is a how to get rich quick, or how to have all the toys for less money. It is about learning to be content with what we have, and learning to live with less stuff, so we have more time to enjoy with our family and reaching out to others. It's about Gratitude. Chapter 4 especially (I'm actually only on Chapter 5) really drove some things home for me as to why I allow myself to become discontent.

1) I believe the siren call of advertising. Although we don't watch television, bigger, better, newer, is out there everywhere I/we look. Even some of the blogs I've read are always touting better, smarter, more fashionable, (more expensive).

2) I get "introduced" to something better. I'm trying to come up with an example of something I want (notice I didn't say need), but I honestly can't think of anything at the moment, so I'll use the example in the book. HD television. once you view a movie or show on an HD tv, it is very difficult to appreciate one's little ole colour tv that has served them well for so many years.

3) I get caught up in the comparison trap. This would be my biggest short coming, but I am learning that there is no comparison. A lot of it depends on priorities. What is a priority to me is far different than what is a priority to someone else. Sure, I like the "stuff" too, but for our family the stuff is not the priority, other things like our new daughters in the Philippines are what is most important.

Chapter 4 continues with how to find contentment.

1) Live beyond the temporary. Oh, this is sooo hard to do sometimes, but when we can think of the eternal, the temporary definitely takes second place.

2) Move from own to loan. "There isn't anything we have that God hasn't given to us. God owns it all; He's just lending some of it to us. He asks us to be good stewards -- or caregivers -- of what He has lent to us while we live on this earth. Psalm 24:1 (NIV) tells us, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.""

3) Learn to give. God gives to us so that we can give to others. Learn to tithe. Offerings are what we give to others over and above a tithe.

4) Praise God.  "God is worthy of our praise. He has given us so much." Participating in the Gratitude Community has helped me get out of a rut of ungratefulness to see that God has blessed me/us so abundantly.

5) Grow a thankful heart. Again, the Gratitude Community.

6) Live within your means.

7) Accept your circumstances. "Contentment isn't always about the material things we do or don't have. It's also about our lot in life. Live today fully! Don't wish it away or discount it because it looks different than you thought it would."

8) Accept your differences. (This is talking as spouses). "Our differences balance us out in many ways, but we end up trying to change each other because were not content."

Chapter 5 is about sacrifice. Hmmm, should be good... For now, here are my gifts from our Creator from the past two weeks:

An Ontario Government that thinks we're acceptable parents ;o).

A touch of snow to enjoy.

Indian summer days.

Foggy mornings that make us feel like we're living in a secret world.

A long walk with a friend and our hounds.

Squash prepared in a variety of ways. We love squash.

Celebrating birthdays.

Jena's zucchini cake recipe. We LOVE this recipe. Thank you for posting it Jena!

Chickadees at our bird feeder.

Visits with some of our church shut ins. It is so special to visit with them and share together.

Getting to spend an evening with a wonderful family that we met on Twitter. Yes, on Twitter! We DO have a mutual friend in common, so we all knew it was safe to meet.

A Gotcha Day for a family who is just home from the Philippines. What would I do without the blogging world ;o)?

A match for another family who has been waiting 29.5 months for their little one.

Catching up with a university friend! It was sooooo good to hear from her!

The Engineer is home safe and sound again from another business trip.

An addition that is slated to start hopefully sooner rather than later.

Meals that can be made quickly and are still healthy.

Newborn babies. Mmmm, I love those weee precious bundles of warmth.

The silence that pervades the house on school days. I used to detest it. Now I am almost used to it and in fact treasure it at times.

Looong Sunday afternoon naps.

A migraine that stayed away when I needed it to,

and didn't get bad enough to require a hospital visit.

My rice cooker. What a great little appliance!

Fun finds at the thrift store.

Turtle neck sweaters.

Super easy care kitchen hardwood flooring. (I will miss it when it's gone)!

A very busy week this past week. So glad it's over, but thankful that it was productive too.

Casseroles made and frozen for later use.

Children who make good decisions.

Children who work hard.

Christian music that our whole family enjoys.

Tissues for my endlessly drippy allergic nose. Cats and I do not get along :oS.

Sunshiny mornings.

Maple syrup.

Thanking God for His gifts to us #'s 856- 889.

Fog Day

There is a phenomenon where we live, know as a fog day. Children have been known to jump for joy when they can't see more than fifty feet our their bedroom windows.

Oh, there is still school, but there is no set time for when they have to be in their classrooms as children straggle in over the course of the morning, or better yet (according to the child -- namely highschool students) don't show up at all.

Buses will run again in the afternoon, but only the kids whose mean parents drove them will be on for the bus ride home again.

Freedom is Never Free

Remembrance Day. I confess that when I homeschooled, the most we usually did was watch the ceremony in Ottawa on the television. It's usually too bitterly cold and yucky out to have to stand out in the elements for an hour with impatient little ones, but last year the children and I went to the cenataph for the first time. It was good. It was a good reminder that our freedom isn't free, but comes at a price.

The girls have been working diligently on posters, poems, and essays for Remembrance Day. I am glad that their school is helping them to be aware of the world around them and that our freedom should not be taken for granted.

Dying in a Life Boat

“We’re going down!” Someone yelled,

And panic began to grip me.

 “Get on some lifejackets,

Get in the boats,

Or you’ll never make it home!”

I ran out on deck,
But saw no empty boats,

What if I didn’t make it?

What if I never saw,

My family again?

But wait!

Was there a chance?
A lifeboat not quite full?

“Wait!”I yell,

 Then run and launch in.

 I make it!

 But just.

 It plunges into the raging sea,

 And my heart jumps into my throat.

“We’ll never make it in this little boat,

“We’re doomed to die,

“And never be found”

“No we are NOT!

“We can make it.”

“I Hope”

We floated over the sea,

For what seemed like hours,

And I began to doubt.

Maybe we wouldn’t make it,

Maybe we’d ... die,

In the wretched roaring sea.

But wait!

What was that?

Was it? Could it be?

A friendly ship

Come to save us.

It was!

We were free!

We’d make it out alive.

We’d make it back home.

Now  every year we remember

That fateful night at sea,

On one particular day,

On November 11.

                    ~by Peach

Remember Us

Remember us
the ones who have died
Trying to save our country.

Remember us
The one who died
Trying to save you.

Remember us
The ones who have died
Trying to save our family.

Remember us
All who died
To give us freedom
And save our pride.
                     ~ by Beans





So today, I dedicate a blog post to all the men and women who have fought for our country, so we can live with the freedom we have. We are more blessed than we know!

Top vs. Front

I'm sure you're all wondering what in the world I am talking about. It's nothing bad. It's about washing machines. In my first seventeen years of marriage, I've had two top loading machines. Before the arrival of baby number four we went from an apartment sized machine to a top loader with the biggest drum we could find at the time. It unfortunately kicked the bucket in late September. We promptly bought a new one -- out of desperation for clean clothes and the super fast disappearance of every last bit of change in the house from a visit to the laundromat -- but this time it is a front loader (with the biggest drum we could afford).

Now that I've been using it for approximately six weeks or so, I've learned a few things about it that I don't appreciate:

1} 57 minutes to do a load no matter what its size is just waaaay toooo loooong! I now know why people do laundry everyday of the week and find that they never get ahead. With my top loader, I could do  a denim load, one or two dark loads, a red load, a white/brights load, and a hot load, and have them all up on the line before noon.

Now, I'm lucky if I get three loads done before noon -- and that's not even dried. The weather hasn't been too conducive to line drying lately (except for yesterday) and even if I attempted it, having the last load go on at 3 pm is pointless. Hopefully that will be better in the summer.

2} The soap. Sure it supposedly uses less soap, but considering I've always used Melaleuca soap before, I've never used a lot of soap. But what I want to know is, what is with that whole HE thing anyways? I did some research and discovered that HE soap has less sudsing which is good, because soapy bubbles clog up your washer and make it stinky, and worse yet can even ruin it! I've also heard/read that liquid soap should not be used. Soooo my Melaleuca laundry soap is definitely out of the question. Of course I would learn all this after I'd bought a new bottle of Melaleuca, a bottle of Woolite for darks, and a box of Ivory Snow for the Littles in case they have a sensitivity.

3} What is with the constant stop start, stop start, that is always does? One of these times I am sure I am going to find water pouring down all over the basement floor. The pipes love to do a bouncing and a hopping when the washing machine is running.

4} What happened to being able to soak a load? Do a quick rinse?

So now that I've had my little new appliance woes rant, let me say that I am very happy with how CLEAN my clothes are coming out now. I was secretly glad to see my top loader croak because even with using liquid soap and not stuffing it full, I almost always had the first dark load after a white load, or the first white load after a dark load, come out with smarmy (for lack of a better word) lint streaks all over them. I often tossed the load in the dryer in hopes that the super heat and sucking power (or whatever it does) would remove the schmutz.

I am also happy with the delay start button. With the ever impending Smart Metering System coming our way, I'll be doing wash at midnight. Provided I get over the fact that we could wake up to a flooded basement. All the more reason Bub should be in a loft bed I guess :o)...

How about you do you have washing machine woes that you'd care to share? Any thoughts on how to solve my soap and rockin' pipes problems? Should I build a boat in case of a flood?

And it Snowed

We woke up to the white stuff yesterday morning. I was confident it wouldn't stay, but in the meantime, I had two little girls who wanted to go out while it was still dark so they could play in it. Talk about excitement :o)!

Maverick seemed to take it all in stride during his morning ritual. He kept trying to eat it (goofy dog), but promptly went about his business so I could go back indoors to warm my feet that had been clad only in crocks.

Seven Quick Takes

A couple of my blogging friends frequently find Fridays for this fun meme. I often have so many thoughts whirling in my brain that I thought today would be a good day to do one.

1} It's snowing here today. Wet, clumpy, yucky stuff that melts away the minute it hits the ground. The nice thing? Maverick has decided to sleep the morning away, instead of whining at the patio door every ten minutes to be let out for a mini tinkle.

2} We get to do more paperwork. We're filling out the girls' sponsorship forms. It's one more step closer to bringing our precious daughters home.

3} I am super excited to try several new photography things! I've been studying again, and it's going to take us to a new and different level. I'm really wondering where I will find the time though...

4} Two photo sessions scheduled for this weekend. Thankfully they're both indoor sessions. A client preview session. A first meeting with another local adoptive family. Church. Some family time. Yep, it's another full weekend :o)!

5} Looking forward to our addition going on at the beginning of December (Hopefully!!). Even though I didn't want to at first, the Engineer has insisted that we redo the kitchen at the same time. Can you say, "what a mess?!"

6} The girls are finding school difficult. They are doing GREAT academically, but the amount of homework they get is horrendous! Oh, and it's NOT because they don't know how to work quickly and efficiently when in class. Apparently most of their classmates are suffering the same.

Free time seems to only occur on the weekends, and they aren't getting in enough practicing time on their instruments. Music is very important to them and we're figuring out how to make some changes so that they can get in the amount of practice time they need.

7} Bub has started on the school swim team. He is currently ranked as the second fastest on his team. His summer teammate is not swimming right now do to a leg fracture obtained during soccer season. I love Bub's passion for swimming! It is so neat to watch him in the water.

Well, that's seven. Be blessed my friends! Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Satin Trim

A blanket trimmed in satin for one of the Wee Three. A warm thank you to my friend Julie at Herding Grasshoppers for lighting a candle under me to get at least one of my unfinished projects completed.

In my lack of knowledge on how to trim in satin, this cozy blanket of scraps lay spread out on my sewing table awaiting the day I would be brave enough to attempt the final step. Finally, the satin trim is attached. It's not even close to perfect, but it's made with love for one of our precious daughters for whom we wait. (I've realized that sewing is one of my creative outlets I will be okay with giving up. Grrrrr, so frustrating)!

Apple Dumplings

In the fall when the days are warm and the nights are cool, the apples reach the peak of perfection. However, we usually pick the coldest day of autumn to go to the orchard and pick. In a strange sort of way, it is exhilarating! There's nothing like biting into a fresh ice cold apple picked right off the tree!

This year, with the kids being in school and us having other commitments most every Saturday, a trip to the orchard has not happened. Still, it does not prevent us from having our annual post apple picking dessert. My family proclaims these the ultimate apple dessert.


Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

Pastry
3 cups all purpose flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
6 medium apples peeled and cored

Filling
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter

Sauce
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the milk and continue to combine with the pastry blender until the dough holds together to form a ball.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a large baking dish. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough into a large rectangle. Cut into six squares large enough to wrap around the surface of the apples.

Place apple in the centre of each square.

Combine the sugars and 1/2 tsp cinnamon together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture evenly into six and fill each of the apple cavities with the mixture. Top with a little of the Tbsp of butter.

Wrap dough around the apple and pinch the dough together to fasten the seams. Place the dumpling 1 inch apart in the baking dish. Decorate with "leaves" made with any leftover dough.

Place two cups of brown sugar, water, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reducde the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Pour the sauce over the dumplings.

Bake until tender (approximately 40 minutes), basting occasionally with the sauce. Serve the dumplings warm.

Our Adoption Story

***Caution, long post...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I first heard this verse when our youngest daughter was about two and a half. I knowI'd heard it many times before, but this was the first time I really thought about what it meant. We were at a Baptist camp being spiritually refreshed, while enjoying a week of relaxation and sunshine before embarking on our first year of homeschooling. I was nervous. Were we doing the right thing? Was this really what God had called us to do? The words of this verse calmed me and gave me a hopeful heart.

Here we are five years of homeschooling later and in the middle of more of God's marvelous plans for us. Our adoption story  is not a typical story. We are blessed with four wonderful children. Most people see us as having our quiver full, and it is -- or was anyway. What many people don't know though is that in among those four healthy happy children were three miscarriages and a postpartum hemorrhage requiring a hospital stay and surgery after baby number three. After a possible prognosis of no more children, our precious fourth child (daughter number three) arrived almost three years after our third. We were thrilled! Life was full and very busy. As the children grew a little bigger, and a little older, my thoughts were often drawn to adoption websites, and eventually adoption blogs. The stories of waiting, of heartbreak, of waiting some more, and then indescribable joy had me riveted, but then what drew me even more was the realization how many children do not have a home, do not have families who love them for who they are and who they would become if given the opportunity.

The first time I cautiously approached Murray (the Engineer) with thoughts of adoption, he stopped me dead in my tracks. We were busy and our lives were full. I did not ask again, but I did often tell him of things I had seen and read on a particular day. Then one day in about October of 2008, Murray asked me if I was still interested in adopting. Once again, he stopped me dead in my tracks. Was I? I did much soul searching, reading, praying, and finally handed it all over to God.

Time and again during my time of prayer and soul searching Jeremiah 29:11 was revealed to me in different ways.  In December, I began the first steps of looking at countries and agencies. I made inquiries with several agencies and waited. We heard back from very few which enabled us to narrow it down a bit further. Our hearts were drawn to the Philippines. Not only did we already sponsor two Compassion children from the Philippines and knew two missionary families who were serving there, but after reading a bit more about the country and its people, we were already falling in love with a child(ren) we hadn't even met yet.

In early January, I called what would become our adoption agency and we made a decision on a social worker too. We couldn't meet with our social worker until Feb. 4. In the meantime, our agency and our social worker sent us paperwork to get us started.  Paperwork seemed to become part of the routine of our lives for what seemed like months. At the same time, things simply fell neatly into place. There were little bumps in the road like getting fingerprinting done twice because after finding out that it could take up to three months to receive the snail mail style, we learned that the digital results would come back in about 72 hours. We opted to pay for fingerprinting again and get the digitals done. We also saw a psychologist whom we didn't need to see. As part of the Philippines requirements, we had to have psychometric testing done and realized after we had been to a local psychologist, that we had to see one of the few in Canada that were approved by the Philippines. Soooo, off to Stratford we went for more brain picking :o). The nice thing was, this time we didn't have to bring the kids, so we enjoyed a day away -- well sort of :o).

Prior to our psychologist visits, we took what every adoptive parent in Canada is required to take in order to be able to foster or adopt a child. PRIDE training. Parent Resource Information Development and Education. It is two full  (and I mean full!) weekends that covers the very large spectrum of fostering and adoption. On one hand it's very emotionally draining. It's incredible what some children go through just to survive -- and we wonder why they're such a mess?! On the other hand, it is very realistic! Adoption is NOT a walk in the park where a family, once bringing their child home, lives happily ever after. The training prepares you both mentally and emotionally for the sorrows (oh yes there are) and  the joys that lie ahead. You will be your child's strongest advocate and the PRIDE training enables you to be the best parent you can be to that child through preparation and resources outside of the family when needed.

We signed off on our homestudy on July 22, 2009. It took longer than we had planned because of Imagine Adoption's fiasco and the introduction of a new style of writing documents for homestudy submissions. Our awesome social worker put in long hours and many rewrites before our homestudy was considered acceptable, but on August 27, we received word that it was now sitting with the Ontario government.

We settled in for the first wait. We were told it would be minimum six months, but to our surprise, we received our Ontario approval for one child or a sibling group of two children with minor correctable special needs age six and under on Jan 5, 2010. Now our dossier had to be sent off to the Philippines to be approved by the ICAB (Inter Country Adoption Board). It left Canada on January 14 and ICAB approved it on February 27, 2010. We were excited to have it approved so quickly! Now it was time to settle in for the 18 month to two year wait. The Philippines is very careful and very thorough with their matching process, thus the looooong wait.

So while our dossier sat in the pile waiting to be matched, we were keeping busy on the home front, praying, planning, dreaming... On June 22nd, our adoption director called us to ask us if we would consider a sibling group of three girls. Whoa! This was a surprise and a shock all around! We learned that these three little girls were on a waiting children's list that goes out occasionally to all the countries who do adoptions from the PI. They were healthy, it's just that they were a sibling group of three girls. Murray and I had a few minor concerns that we talked over with P. In the end we agreed to think and pray about it.

The next day we called our agency to let them know they could pursue it further for us. We had seen God's hand throughout this entire process so far, so who were we to say no to God now? We stepped out in faith believing that if God had planned these girls for us, he would work it out, but at the same time, we were thinking that there would be enough other people indicating an interest in them that would likely be a better match. We didn't hear anything for almost three weeks, and had pretty much figured that the girls were going to another family, but on July 9, our director called to tell us the ICAB was holding the girls for us! Wow! Were we excited!! Even our only boy was pumped to know that he was going to be the only boy in a house full of girls.

We were able to get a little more information on the girls and even some more photos. We were smitten!! We sent the girls' medicals off to a staff of doctors in Minnesota that specialize in international adoption medicals. Dr. J's report was back in less than 24 hrs. She was pleased with their health and how well they were doing considering their history. (Please note: the girls history is theirs alone and not ours to tell). She made some recommendations for us to pursue not only before, but after they come home.

Now our documents had to be reviewed by the girls' social worker. After a few initial questions by her, she approved and we received the official approval from ICAB. It was the next step where we faced a big bump in the road.

Our official document to the Ontario government stated that we were approved (by our social worker) to adopt a child or sibling group of two children with minor correctable specials needs, age six and under. We now needed to make some changes to our document. The first changes were deemed unacceptable by the ON gov't worker as she felt the girls had more than minor special needs. One, they were a sibling group of three, and two, based on their history and the medical history of our middle daughter (cannot disclose), they should be considered special needs. She wanted to know how we would deal with all these things, so we answered a whole list of questions, only to be presented with another list of questions, and some more arguments that the girls were considered special needs. Eventually our responses answered everything she wanted to know, but then an issue of age was raised. In Canada, there must be eighteen months between your youngest biological child and the oldest adopted child, and you may not adopt out of birth order. There is only one year and ten days between our youngest biological daughter and our oldest adopted daughter. She wanted to know how we would manage that. Hmmmm, let's see. One, they're not babies, and two, last time we checked a woman can give birth to children less than a year apart. Apparently there were no more arguments from her because on November 1, 2010, we received our new Ontario approval.

So now we have a bit more waiting. We need to receive the official proposal from the PI. It will go to our social worker who will visit with us so we can sign it and send it to the Ministry of Ontario (hopefully this time with no issues). In the meantime we will start the paperwork for the sponsorship of our daughters into Canada, and the PI will begin working on getting the girls' visas, medicals, and passports ready. In about three to four months, we should get our notification to travel. So no, they won't be home for Christmas as we had originally hoped, but we're happy knowing that they are going to be part of our family.

If we've learned anything through this process of growing our family, it's patience and perseverance. And most importantly that Jeremiah 29:11 is very true and very much an integral part of our lives.

***I will continue to update this as our story continues. Feel free to ask questions. I/we will try to answer them as best we can, but please be reminded that there will be things that we choose to keep private for the sake of our daughters.

NEWS!!! NEWS!!!!

Our papers are on their way to the Philippines today!!! After a long and much deliberated back and forth with the Ontario government we have finally been approved to bring our daughters home!! We are breathing a huge sigh of relief and doing a major happy dance today!!! Thank you, Jesus!!! And thank you to each one of you who have been praying for us during this wait! You are a blessing and encouragement to us!!

Finding the Thankfulness in the Midst of Frustration

Sometimes I just get down. Frustrated with even the simple things of daily life. Computers that don't work when they're needed, kids who don't follow instructions, thinking I'm getting caught up in something only to discover I've fallen behind somewhere else. It's life and it's messy, but you know what? God's grace covers each moment of it. In the good and the bad, He is there. In the joys and the frustrations, He is there. In the mundane, repetitive, and oh-so-frustrating moments of life, He is there.

So...

in the continually dirty floors, I can find joy in a vacuum cleaner that works well (when I use it ;o)).

in the counter often full of dirty dishes, I can find joy in knowing that we have plenty of food to eat to make those dishes dirty.

in the ever deepening fall, I can find joy in the promise of spring through the buds already formed on the naked branches.

in the cooler days, and chilly mornings, I can find joy in the warmth of a down-filled vest, or winter coat, and woolly hats and mittens.

in the busyness of our days, I can find joy in snatches of time to escape with the Engineer.

in this stage of life we're in, I find joy in the fact that the children are old enough to be home alone for an hour or two so the Engineer and I have time to escape and enjoy just each other.

in growing our business, there's joy in knowing that our work as professional photographers is being recognized for what we know -- not who we know.

        and there's joy in discovering new avenues that our ever growing skills and God given talent continues to take us.

joy can also be found in the ever lengthening wait for our daughters. We can rest in the knowledge that it's in God's timing not ours, and I can be reminded once again about learning patience.

There is joy in the journey, but sometimes we have to look a little harder to find it. If you would like to take special note of the joy in your journey, join us at the Gratitude Community at Holy Experience.

Giving thanks to God for His blessings #'s 847- 855.