2009 Coming to a close.......

I would post this tomorrow, but in our house tomorrow is a busy day. Since Randy and I had no real New Years traditions and having 7 kids impedes the whole go out till after midnight thing, we came up with a family tradition a few years ago that has quickly become one of the most family fun days in our house. We made New Years Eve a huge day of playing games and eating snack foods! We pull out the Wii and all the board games and we play games all day long as a family. One year we did a whole family whole house game of hide and seek. We make all sorts of food, chicken wings, chocolate covered strawberries and oreos, mozzarella sticks.....that type of stuff and we just let the kids snack all day. No kid has ever made it up till midnight, maybe this year!

Anyway that's why I will post my thoughts on this year today. It has been a harder year for me. This is our first full year here in IL, I was hoping it would grow on me, but it hasn't. I miss our friends in Texas and we aren't close to family so its lonely up here. I have made some friends, but their just isn't the same camaraderie I had before. I did learn that what I thought I missed about winter....I don't! We did have a great vacation this summer bringing all the kids back "home" to visit family. Its the first trip with all 9 of us to visit where Randy and I grew up. I was really hoping Keith would be home in 2009, now I hope its 2010, but I have seen God work miracles in getting us a homestudy in a state that frowns on having more then 6 children! We were approved for up to 9, and Keith will only make us 8! Hmmmm will 2010 bring us someone else????? We finally found a church home here and Alex and I have started working in the Sunday School, so hopefully we will get to know our church family. I am grateful that the kids are all healthy and happy! The greatest thing that happened this year was the birth of my nephew Dominic, he is perfect and adorable and I couldn't be happier for my sister. I am looking forward to a new year and a new decade.....eeks I will be 41 the next time a new decade comes along! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Keith

Today Keith turns 12. Another birthday we will miss, but this year he does have a mom who is praying for him. It is sad that we can't be together. I wonder if he knows its his birthday. I pray he is home before he turns 13. I wondered today what to do. We don't know at this point if and when he will come home. We do know that in our hearts he is our son and that bureaucracy is keeping us from sharing these days with him. Yet I know God knows full well about the situation and Keith was God's child long before we knew him. If God's timing was to have him here today then he would be here today, I am fully confident in that. So tonight we will celebrate Keith, no he is not here, but he is in Liberia and he was born for such a time as this and that in itself is plenty to celebrate. Thank you Jesus for Keith and for bringing him into our hearts!

Crazy Christmas season.........

I have neglected my blog, but with good reason. December has proven to be a crazy month! I spent the first week in Texas with my sister visiting her and my newest nephew. He is adorable and awesome and perfect and I miss them all! Then I returned to the shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking that occurs in this large family and we do Christmas BIG here. Then just to mix it up we had some painters come and paint the whole first floor of our house. Ahh the things you will do when a painter is deeply discounted! So we undecorated, waited for the paint to dry, while corralling 4 kids under 6 in one small room and then redecorated. Anyway here we are 1 week before Christmas and the shopping is done, the wrapping is almost done and the Christmas meal is purchased but not made yet. I can finally relax with a cup of coffee and reflect. I think a part of me has purposely kept completely busy to keep my mind off the disappointment that Keith is going to spend yet another Christmas many miles from us. I have 8 ornaments for the kids to hang up special this year, I purchased them with the hope 8 kids would be happily hanging them up. Instead Hannah will have the honor of hanging up Keiths. But I continue to hold fast to God and His plan and perfect timing. I have no idea what 2010 will hold for our family. I pray its a year of homecoming! However if it is not my prayer is that God will continue to work through us to serve other children. I thought I would feel done with Keith's adoption, yet each time I hear about a hard to place, baby, child or teen my heart aches. I don't know how many will ever grace our doorstep but I have learned that God has not closed my heart to the possibility of more. As the bible says, my tent will be stretched wide!! I know who God made me to be and through the hard times and the good God made me a mom forever........

No Orphans of God

I saw this on another blog and I wanted to share it.

Large Van Etiquette

I drive a 12 passenger van out of force due to the fact that we have 9 family members (hopefully 10 soon) and cannot fit in anything smaller. That said I wish to put out some general reminders to other drivers..........

1. Surprisingly these vans don't have a lot of pick up therefore please to not honk your horn when you hope they will turn on right with cars coming at them.

2. On a big bend in the road I will brake as there is a big sticker in front of my face showing me how the van will roll over if I take a tight corner. Please do not come up as close as possible to the back of my van.

3. In a parking lot please realize that there is 1 side door for getting in and out of van. Driving a 12 passenger van most likely means it is carrying many people who need to get in and out. Therefore when you park within 2 inches of the door, you make a very difficult situation of getting said people in the van.....including many small children in my case!

4. To go along with the above comment...there is a very small space behind all the seats to put strollers or groceries and since the van fills up the yellow lines please to not park 2 inches from the back door.

Thank you............ ;)

I am an aunt again!

My sister had an adorable baby boy yesterday afternoon 7lbs and 3ozs of pure love! This is my sisters first baby, but she is a natural mom. I loved being able to "be there" with her through the magic of texting. She lives 3 states away and so I couldn't be with her physically. I am however going to visit her in a couple weeks and I am excited to get to hold my new nephew. Zeke saw the picture of his newest cousin and announced to us all that it was friend. So I guess less then 24 hours old, he already has a friend :)

Its Halloween!

I just sent off my 7 trick or treaters. Alex at 11 said she thinks this will be her last year because she is getting too old, but we will see what happens next year when the reality of no candy bag hits. This is the first year Zeke gets whats going on, last year he tried to go into peoples houses, ate the candy and the wrappers as we walked and dragged his bucket on the ground as it made a fantastic noise. This year he is all ready, after watching Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin he says, "trick or treat, aww I got a rock". Randy took all 7 while I wait here for the trick or treaters. I don't like Halloween much, but I do love to see the kids all excited. I think sometimes about what they would be doing if our lives hadn't taken the paths they have. Some days are hard, some days are fun, all days are worth it. I love knowing they all have a dad who cares enough to spend a night freezing his hiney off just to walk them around and a neighborhood that they don't have to hide from violence. I love that they all have warm coats to wear and gloves to cover their little hands. I love that they have each other to giggle with and compare candy loot. I love them all so much, they are all what truly makes my heart keep beating. I am now posting pictures of facebook, its a little more private, so if you want to be added as a friend just let me know!