Saturday, August 30, 2008

Drama Queen

As I mentioned in a recent post, the new school year has begun in earnest around here.

On the third day of school, Emma was assigned a poem to memorize. Technically, seven school days later, she is still supposed to be working on the same poem.

The poem is fairly short at only eight lines. I, as her teacher, was supposed to read the poem to her three times that morning and three more times in the afternoon. This procedure was to be repeated each day until she learned the poem.

Well, on that first day, I read the poem three times in the morning as instructed. When we came back to it later that day she wanted to read it with me. So we read it together three times and put the book away.

The next morning I pulled the book out, opened it to said poem, and told Emma that I was going to read the poem to her three more times just like yesterday. She said "No...just let me say it!". I thought to myself "Oh, this oughta be good (with a sarcastic tone of course).

Much to my amazement, she said the poem word for word and even added her own drama in the form of hand motions.



Look out HOLLYWOOD...here she comes!

Monday, August 25, 2008

HHH

This last weekend was the annual Hotter Than Hell Hundred bicycle race here in Wichita Falls. It is a one hundred mile race with shorter variations for the not so crazy. Can you imagine riding 100 miles on a bicycle when it is 100+ degrees outside? No thank you, says I.

Actually the temp this year only reached the upper 90's so the riders got a small break there. Our pastor rode the entire 100 mile course in less than 5 hours...Way to go, Lukus!

Two of our sons decided to hit the trail this year as well. Drew rode the 50 mile course with his girlfriend, Alicia. Here they are at the finish line. You two amaze me!

Austin rode the 100K, which amounts to about 62 miles. It makes my back side sore just to type that. He teamed up with a couple of guys from our church for mutual support. Thanks Josh and Scott for letting him tag along.

Anyway, we are very proud of both of our guys for taking part in this event. It even made me consider taking up cycling...but it was a fleeting thought.

Way to go, Guys! You Rock!!!

Monday, August 18, 2008

A New School Year

Today we began another school year. This will be our 16th year of home schooling. Wow! In the beginning I always said that we were taking it just one year at a time. Where did all of those years go?

Now we have graduated 2 sons and our third will graduate at the end of this year. Son #4 is in eighth grade and we are starting over with a 1st grader and a preschooler in the form of 2 very rambunctious little girls. What a blessing!

Austin actually started school last week since he will once again be playing football with a local Christian school this fall. They were starting two-a-day practices today and I didn't want him to get behind on school before we even got started so I had him start last week. He wasn't very happy about it but has since changed his mind and is glad that he started when he did.

Tyler started today with the girls and I. He will be taking a class this fall at MSU but we are still trying to nail down the details of that. He has a slightly lighter academic load at home because of that and his work schedule. He and Drew will start their college classes next week.

The girls and I had a great first day back. Emma has a larger load this year now that she is in first grade. I was a little concerned about that given that her attention span thinks she's still in preschool but she did a wonderful job. I worked up a schedule and went over it with her before we began. We stuck to the plan and even finished 30 minutes ahead of schedule. She was very ready to be finished for the day so she could get back to the "important" things.

Kara, on the other hand, would have sat all day doing her "school". She just keeps asking for more. Sometimes I wish there were two of me so that I could work with them both individually at the same time. Unfortunately, that isn't feasible, but she seems content with whatever I can muster up for her to work on. She will be so easy to teach when it comes time to really get down to the nitty gritty with her.

I didn't get pictures of the boys today. I should have taken one of Austin covered in mud when I picked him up from football practice...that was a sight to see. And maybe I should have taken one of Tyler hunkered over his anatomy books with his IPOD earphones in. Oh, the joys of home schooling. Anyway, here are a couple of the girls...the only ones that cooperate with me anymore.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tea for Two

Afternoon tea...I believe it has become a casualty of our super busy fast paced world. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to share tea with a close friend of mine on a few occasions but then we both adopted children, life got even busier, and then she moved away. I miss those times.

So, in the interest of passing the joys of tea time on to my two little ladies, the girls and I made a trip to the local toy store last week in search of a sturdy tea set for little hands. Most of the ones we found were either porcelain, which would never survive with our concrete floors, or cheap thin plastic that wouldn't last long around here either.

After searching the store and finding a few treasures on the clearance aisle (we'll save those for another post), we happened upon a nice sturdy tea set that I thought just might serve our purposes.

So...on Sunday afternoon I made the girls some tea sandwiches and filled their little tea pot up for them and they had a ball serving each other and enjoying one another's company.

I had intended to join them but was in the middle of baking cookies for our new neighbors and they had finished their "tea" before I finished the cookies. It was definitely my loss...but there is always next time and I am really looking forward to it.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Grace

I had a hard time telling my little ones goodnight tonight. I had just watched the Chapman family on Larry King Live. My heart is so grieved over their loss of little Maria. I cannot imagine how they must feel and how they are dealing with it all. The scripture that keeps coming to mind over and over again is Hebrews 4:16.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God gives a special mercy and grace to people when they need it. It is obvious that the Chapman family is being flooded with God's grace right now. Their grace is not mine to have because I don't need it at this time. Maybe that's why I have such a difficult time understanding how they can get up in the morning let alone open themselves up with such transparency to the whole world.

Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Miracle of the Moment" is a good reminder to live each moment to the fullest. Each breath we take here on earth is a gift and we never know when it might be the last. I want to do it right. I want to focus on the miracle of each moment I have here and make the most of it for God's glory.

For the Chapmans, I know that their prayer for this interview was that God would use it to draw others to Himself. That people would see and understand that the greatest hope we have in this life is to spend all eternity with the loving Father that created us.

I pray that God will allow the Chapmans to see the fruit that He will bring about as a result of their willingness to be honest and open in the midst of such tremendous grief. I pray that God will continue to sustain them with His great grace and bring healing and peace to them once again. They are forever changed but they cling to the One who never changes and who has promised to reunite them with Maria someday. He, Jesus Christ, is the One they hope in and He is the One I hope in. Without that hope, we have nothing.


Monday, August 4, 2008

5 Years Ago Today...

...on a very hot afternoon...in the western/central part of China... Emma joined our family. It was 105 degrees with 95% humidity. Today's temperatures in northern Texas will make reminiscing easy.



This picture was taken just after Emma was handed to me at the orphanage. She reached up and ran her little hand down my cheek and stared at me as if to say "Hi Mama, where have you been all my life?" It was the sweetest moment and one that I will never forget.






Emma was sick with pneumonia when we got her. Thankfully, we had taken antibiotics with us and within a few days she was much better. This picture was taken just after our tour of the orphanage.




Jeremy was such a huge help to me on the trip. He and Emma took to each other right away and they still have an amazing relationship.








This was at the airport as we arrived back home two weeks later.








Daddy and Emma finally meet face to face.








Emma in 2004.














2005




















2006




















2007















2008
just prior to donating her hair to Locks of Love - do any of you remember Cousin It?










Our beautiful girl today!

Emma is very different from her shy little sister. She has never met a stranger in her life and loves to share her sunshine with others. She does everything with a level of intensity that rivals a nuclear reactor. She is one tough cookie. Our life with her has truly been an adventure and we look forward to the future with great expectation for what the Lord is going to do in and through her. Today we officially celebrate her "Gotcha" Day. I hope she knows how truly special she is to us.


Happy "Gotcha" Day Emma! We love you so much!!!