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 The week before Easter we took a morning off of our traditional school to do some baking.  I spent time first with my 2nd daughter making french bread, then with my 3rd daughter, we made a multigrain bread, then with my two bread loving sons we created a oatmeal honey raison bread. 

  The kitchen got a little floury, but we ended up with three delicious loaves of bread. YUM! 

   I did teach them with a measuring cup- though I told them that isn't how I normally do it.  I explained that I just eye it and that bread dough, in particular, is very forgiving.    After we mixed it all up in our bowl and got a good size ball out of our mixture.  I plopped it down on to our floured counter and showed them how to knead it.  They loved the  kneading, though this is the hardest part of making bread dough from scratch, as your forearms get tired.

 The "chant" for the girls was...'push, turn (clockwise), Come to Mama, push, turn, Come to Mama!'   (this is where we pulled the top portion in to push it into the center of the dough wad.)

 The chant for the boys was...'push, turn, 'come to Papa!' , repeat for about 10 minutes until your dough feels soft and bounces back...like a wee baby's bottom!  You can imagine the giggles that arose from our kneading session. 

  We needed a shirt change when we were finished...but what fun we had!

                                            'Come to Papa!'

I think even Kings and Princess' should learn how to bake an authentic homemade loaf of bread!  Right?

               Princess Sunshine eating her multigrain bread the next day for lunch. I think we are hoping to get in some more baking time before the weather gets to nice here...soon it will be time for the royal family to learn how to pull weeds in their mama's royal gardens!  (The bread will taste extra yummy after an afternoon of weeding and mulching)

   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingalongtogether

       My afternoon was shadowed by my wee son vomiting.  He calls to me from upstairs that his stomach hurt and that he just threw up.  A tender moment, when his pain was real he called to me, a few months back he would have called his sister, all of 5,  who would have cared for him in her 5 year old ability. 

  There I stood, cleaning up after him and asking him if he was okay.  He said he was, but opted out later for dinner. 

   Several hours later I sat on the couch, my stomach hurting.  He came up to me and slipped his head on my chest.  He kissed my cheek and asked me if I was okay.  He slipped his tiny hand in my shirt, trying to reach my tummy.  He offered his 3 year old comfort.  He left briefly and when he came back, he stopped and leaned and touched my barefoot...he looked up into my eyes and then leaned in again and kissed the top of my foot. 

    Only God could have sent me such a prince-my heart is full, though my tummy still hurts.

 (I'll leave the part out about my new 5 year old daughter watching her baby brother ,then coming and licking my big toe...ehww! )  (which she though was the cleverest thing!) She must be related to my husband-they are SOOOO alike!

 The funny part is that I am not a "feet" person-ask my sister in law who tries to get me to go with her for a pedicure....just the thought creeps me right out! 

    Not sure what it was about, but I think it was their way of saying I love you! 

                    Psalm 128                                                                                            

    A song of ascents.

1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,

who walk in his ways.                                                                                   

2  You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

3  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

within your house;

your sons will be like olive shoots

around your table.

4  Thus is the man blessed

who fears the Lord.

 5   May the Lord bless you from Zion

all the days of your life;

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

6  and may you live to see your children's children.

 Peace be upon Israel.

  This verse was spoken over our lives many years ago- what an AWESOME God we serve.

    Bruce and I covet your prayers-we are at a place of great decision.  As of March 27th our 3 wee ones will be adopted!  (great rejoicing on earth and heaven- hear the roar?!)  We will be recontacting our adoption agency (All God's Children International-AGCI-see Link for a video- I double dog dare YOU!) this week, to resume our adoption(s ?) with them.  As many of you know we jumped ship to get our "triplets" adopted out of foster care. Well-now we need to see where God would have us.  Guatemala still ?  waiting again on the infant boys list?  (siblings?) - or was it just a holding bed for us-so our 3 babies could come to us.  We have several countries the agency does, we could change-all our documents.  Everything has expired, so now would be the time, to make the change.

  Last night Bruce and I talked about it, he said he would tell them we would be interested in a deaf child.  We both sat on the couch with tears in our eyes, maybe joy-perhaps fear?   This is a huge decision, as I am heart torn.  It is such a tremendous responsibility to raise children, never mind a deaf child.  I know what we are called to, long ago God set our boundaries.  He spoke prior to our 3rd daughter being added that there was to be no division in our home- that all of our children would be homeschooled. So Deaf school, public school or private school is not our option.   What a huge undergoing that would be (I'd imagine) for a deaf child.   We know our life isn't our own, it isn't about Kimmie or Bruce, but about the One we have surrendered our life to (God!) We want to do his will and bring him Glory.  We desire to make an impact in this world, to be a light and a reflection of Him.  We desire to have people look at us and see Jesus.  We are not a side show- but a glory show!  A light for the world, you know.

  Please pray for wisdom for us, that we would absolutely know which path to take.  God knows exactly where each of our children are-he knows my heart cries out day and night for a baby,(lately I am finding myself physically crying even in my sleep about a baby.)  May we have god confidence and walk in His path and purposes-bringing him the glory that is due his name.  May we not do our will, but His.

  We would covet your prayers and would ask for continued prayer for our family.  Thanks so much -we are blessed to have friends, especially at times as these. May God bless all of you too!

    Papa was teasing 'King Meemer', (our 4 year olds 'nickname', when he first came in August he didn't know any animals...so one day we were reading and I asked him if he knew what animal it was...he replied very firmly, "Yes Mama, it is a Meemer." (an elephant if you didn't know!) So my oldest (King Bob: King of the Wiflesnorfs...yes my oldest is a girl...but she is King over the Wiflesnorfs...another story)- said to him , "Really?"  To which he replied, "Yes I am King Meemer!"  (so we figure he rules the Meemer-oh-shins and have just left it at that!)

  But back to his father teasing him today...

    They were doing some kind of "guy" stuff and King Meemer wasn't really putting his full attention to the task...so my Knight in Shining Armour said, "Oh you are being a "girlie" man King Meemer."  To which King Meemer replied, "Don't say that Papa, you know I am a boil-ee (boyly) man!"

                       (picture from summer 2006 when our triplets first came to our house...back then King Meemer was still in diapers, glad that is in our past! ;-)  and now we are reading too! God is good!)

 I have to add that King Bonkey (this is my 3 year old son who thought Monkeys were 'bonkeys'...as his brother was a King, he said he would like us to call him, "King Bonkey!"  You should have seen his smile! )

 Today I also let the triplets draw with magic markers for the first time, yes I am feeling rather crazy today ;-)  So,  King Bonkey colored a page and brought it to me.  I asked, " Do you want to color some more?" 

 King Bonkey," No tink-oo (thank you), I am full."

(picture from when 'King Bonkey' came to visit us over the summer (july 2006), while we waited for our state's foster care to get us relicensed to adopt them ! As you can see he was full in this picture too, but this time from yummy chocolate pudding and not from magic markers!)

We used this photo on our Christmas card this year.  For many it was the first time they had seen our enlarged family.  Our ' 'three wee ones,' joined our family as of August-their adoption will happen in March-God is so good! Our cup overfloweth!

Joshua 24:15

Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

  ♦A new day and the beginnings of a new personal adventure♦

 A brief introduction of my family and we will be off and running with this new means of sharing our story. We are (currently) a family of eight-a Papa, our knight in shining armour, a Mama (that would be me), a homemade daughter who recently turned 16-!, a 12 year old daughter adopted from Budapest, Hungary (at 14 months old), a 8 year old daughter adopted from foster care here in CT(came at 3 adopted at 5), a sibling group of 3-  ages 5, 4, and 3 who joined our family in August and will be adopted in the next few weeks...then we believe we will once again jump back to our adoption that was interupted when we discovered the need of our three wee ones.

  Originally they were to stay for 10 days of respite care back in May, but when we learned that they needed an adoptive home, we jumped ships and began to pursue becoming their forever family.

    Our adoption to Guatemala had to be put on a temporary hold, as we were not allowed to have what they refer to as a "dual license."  Guess that being licensed as a foster family and to be licensed with a private adoption agency is considered 2 licenses and is against the law here in CT.  However, they will allow you to hold a license (go figure) to do respite care (babysitting) for other foster families-so this is how God brought the "triplets" to us and how our family doubled! 

  We are excited and eager to see what the Lord has planned for us. I am exceedingly blessed, as after having my oldest I was diagnosed with secondary infertility.  Which basically means for me that I was able to have one pregnancy and then my womb closed.  I personally believe that it was the hand of God that closed my womb, for he had other plans for us.  Today I can say that with boldness and great confidence, but the road to here has been paved with many a tear. My faith has grown, as has the love for my heavenly Father, as He wiped each tear and held me close.

  I am thankful too that my sweet husband Bruce is a man of God, he has been my rock through the many years of sorrow and has stood in the gap in prayer, when I just couldn't. He is the ultimate optimist and refuses to let any gray cloud linger over us.

  I hope to be able to encourage others who may find themselves on a similar path.  I hope our story will reach out and bring God glory. After all, that is why I am here ;-)

  My hope is to be transparent.  I enjoy putting down my thoughts, though haven't been very consistent.  Someday I hope God will open the door to writing books, I think that would be a fun adventure. 

  We haven't yet numbered our family, we wait on God and see what He will do next in our lives.  We are eager to see where this race we run will lead us.  Our desire is to get our foot off of the brake and to allow God to "drive" this vehicle we call our lives, our family , our home. Time is so brief here on this earth, we don't want to live a life of "could of's or should of's," but a life that is free of regret (if that is possible ;-) and one that is filled with the Holy Spirit's guidance each step of the way.

  After all, we are not adding children to our lives, children are our lives