Wednesday, April 29, 2009

I am Moving ....

...just my blog. I have not wanted to change my address, but it bugs me that it is meandmy4 and now I have 5. Visit it me at lifewithmeandmy5.blogspot.com

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Menu Plans

Here is our menu for the week.

Monday- Chicken stir-fry
Tuesday- Grilled pork tenderloin, wild rice, salad
Wednesday- Spaghetti, salad
Thursday-Chicken tortilla soup
Friday-Dinner with friends
Saturday- Cinco de Mayo/Jack 3rd b-day party--Steak/Pork/Chicken Fajitas, Tacos, Black Beans and Rice, Something corn, Chips with different salsas and Guacamole (The love of everything Spanish in Bruce keeps this party going every year even though Jack is starting to realize he may be getting cheated out of a real birthday party.:) It has also kind of become the "Oh no! You can't not have the margarita party this year!" with our friends.)
Sunday- Left overs

Monday, April 27, 2009

Help Please

Zachary wants to know, "Can you wash wetness?" I have no clue what he wants or needs here. Any translation help would be much appreciated.

Accepting the Award

Click here to see Mike and 10th Avenue North accepting the award.Congratulations again!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Scary Times

I have not blogged about some of the current events on purpose. We are in a scary place and I do not have anything profound to say. Our president makes me nervous, it is becoming ever so clear that the whole freedom of speech and opinions thing does not really count if you are a Christian or in some cases just have good morals, and our government's solutions to our economic crisis makes me want to shake someone really hard to wake them up. When speaking of my children getting older, I told a friend recently that it just could not be true that Isaac is not a toddler anymore. I said it just does not feel real. Sometimes I think it would be fun if life were really like when we were little girls and played house. We could imagine anything and we just played in blissful ignorance. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that with our children? The scary thing is that I get the sense our President is playing the same game. What concerns me is I am not so sure he is teachable enough to wake up to the reality of real life. He is playing house and I am not even sure that he realizes it is a game and not real. That terrifies me. When I look at the whole intolerance of intolerance that is going on combined with our leadership, all I can do is pray. So, that is what I am going to do.

Look at Him Now

One of the greatest joys Bruce and I have had in working the last 15 years with teenagers is being able to enjoy the journey they take and watching the things God does to mold them into the adults they become. I love catching up with a former student to see what they are up to now. Mike Donehey has been easy to follow. We have kept up with his family and are always amazed at what we hear. Congratulations to Mike and 10th Avenue North on winning Best New Artist at the Dove Awards! We knew Mike when he walked around Fredericksburg Christian School constantly composing songs and playing his guitar. I remember him composing a song about the French mission trip we were on a singing it in the airport. Of course, Isaac thinks it is pretty cool that the brother of his first crush is the lead singer of his favorite band.(Yes, Kanene, even though you went off and got yourself married, he still remembers you.)Again, Congratulations guys!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

For Whom Are You Holding Your Head High?

I am guessing you all have figured out by now that I am kind of "high strung" as my husband puts it. I really try to calm down and not let myself be anxious over things. I have been doing a pretty good job lately. Well, today something out of the blue and out of my control unfolded before my eyes. It has caused me to be in a state of panic, humiliation, etc. It is not the end of the world, but it will have lasting effects of people's opinions of me. So, my husband, who is feeling some of the same things over this, reminded me that God knew this was going to happen and so what if people have the wrong impression. Beyond God, does it really matter what opinions people have of you? I know in general yes, it does. We should be a light unto the world, and people should see Christ through us, but when things are beyond your control and you do not like the end result-Does it really matter? No, it does not. I am reminding myself of something I say to my children quite often when they worry over friends and what they think of them. I ask them, "If Christ were right here would you be able to hold your head high about the details of this particular circumstance. If so, stop worrying about it!" So, if you are like me and worry way too much about what others think, remember who you are holding your head high for.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Menu Monday

I am trying to get back into menu planning. I was doing well for a while, then we became too, too busy.Which means spending too much money eating out, or in our case, having food delivered. So, I am getting back into planning. For the weekend I have started making sure I have food for 3 meals on hand and waiting to see what is going on and preparing the food accordingly. We will either start the Sabbath Saturday night with a meal, or have it after church on Sunday. Occasionally, we close the Sabbath with the big meal on Sunday night. I have enjoyed doing that as well.

Monday- Baked chicken and potatoes with fresh asparagus
Tuesday- Pot Roast
Wednesday- Slower Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy with rice, and green beans
Thursday- Grilled Chicken, Cous Cous, Salad
Friday- Black Beans and Rice, Spinach Salad
Weekend Meals- Grilled London Broil, Smoked Ribs, Hot dogs roasted over the fire, broccoli salad, sweet potato fries, German Potato Salad, fresh asparagus.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

It is Official


The adoption is finally official! Micah is legally our child now. We had the hearing this morning. I am so glad to put this year behind us. This journey has been difficult, but as with anything journey God sends you through, we have grown tremendously. I hope I have learned to be more sensitive to others and to know that people need grace when they are suffering. I have learned how important it is to be teachable during these times of your life. We are so thrilled to have Micah in our lives. He is truly a blessing. We are also thankful for the added benefit of the friendships which have grown from this. We could never do enough to thank the people who have helped us through this time. But here is a big THANKS to you all!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Planning

I am stuck in one area in my planning for the children's schooling. I am good with curriculum. I already know what I will need help with and what I will do on my own. I am stuck with the daily schedule. Not so much coming up with it, but how to present it to the kids. I know I may not be making much sense. Maybe it is because
I am still a little confused about what I am looking for. Until this year They have been pretty dependent upon me. They have known we follow a schedule, but they would still come to me for what needed to be done next. Isaac is getting older and needs to take a little more responsibility in this area. Time management is not his strongest attribute. Sarah on the other hand has to be told to calm down if she thinks she is getting off of her schedule. There are pros and cons to both, but one needs the responsibility and one just wants it. So, I am looking for a daily planner or assignment sheet to hand them. Isaac's days go much better when it is laid out for him in visible form and there are consequences when he does not complete each goal. Without that he is distracted every step along the way. I know I could make my own and I may do it. I was just hoping to find something already done that I can input the info on a monthly basis (I have found with small children doing it for the year just discourages me. Someone is sick or I spend my day in constant conflict,it throws everything off, and then I have to re-work everything.) Then I would just print it out and give it to them. I really do not need all of the record keeping that comes with most programs. We are not there yet and the older they get I will probably let VP handle all of that. Any suggestions?

Monday, April 13, 2009

We're Back

So, we're back. As much as I try to deny it, we are home. We had a great vacation. It is so true that you never realize how stressed you are until you take that much needed break. I finally feel like this last miserable year is behind us. There was so much closure, for me at least, in being able to visit with Micah's mother and our incredible friends without the adoption hanging over our heads. We could actually be friends and have a ton of fun. At least we did. I hope they did too!:) This is a trip Bruce and I would not normally just take. My husband sensed my need to unwind and find closure and with a place to stay, great friends to take our children, and cheap plane tickets we did it. Not sure when or if it will happen again, but I am glad we did it! Enjoy the pictures.