Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Already!

My sweet baby girl is 4!!!!
Happy Birthday Jailyn!



making her wheat free/gluten free cake!

MMMM -
what does wheat free/gluten free batter taste like?

She likes it -
that's what matters!

Course, we made cupcakes
and she is calling them her muffins...
So I guess that is what she is eating
for breakfast.
Hey, ya' only turn 4 once!!

Monday, September 28, 2009

God is faithful!

I can't post exactly how
God has shown His faithfulness

again...

but...

trust me...

He has!
(Right Connie!)

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and
your minds in
Christ Jesus!
Philippians 4:6-7


Sunday, September 27, 2009

Are they sisters?


Yes, they are!!!
encouraging sisters...
adventurous sisters...
silly sisters...


sweet, loving sisters!

And this is their big sister!

And this is their big brothers!

One big happy family!

Friday, September 25, 2009

WAS


Our pastor and his wife, and dear friends,
Brad and Bree
have been blessed with a sweet baby boy,
born in August.
Little Nathanael was born with a rare
genetic disease
called Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome.
This disease causes his white blood cells
unable to fight off infection,
and his platelets are too low
and immature to curb any significant bleeding,
not to mention an increased risk for
leukemia and lymphoma as he grows older.

The Bank family will soon be traveling
to Cincinnati for Nathanael
to receive a bone marrow transplant.
Bree and Nathanael will be seperated from
Brad and big brother Jamison
for 6 months.
We will miss them so much!

Please join us as we pray for this little guy
and his beautiful family!
Feel free to follow their blog as you lift them up
to our mighty God and physician!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Muffin Tins and Muffin cups!



Who knew muffin tins would be so fun to eat out of!
but even more fun...
are the muffin cups!
With muffin cups Jailyn is learning to numerical order,
ABAB patterns
and
she wanted more...
so know she is making words!
She loves to spell her name!

Jorja loves this game too when she gets home from kindergarten.
I'm sure the big kids will be jumping in soon too!

Maybe I should patten this and make a spelling or math game! :)


Monday, September 21, 2009

The heart of the orphan!

I have met a new blogger friend!
Jillian
She is an amazing women!
She loves her kids!
She loves her hubby!
She loves Africa!
and she loves Jesus!

A recent post that she wrote on her blog
brought me to tears.
Jillian gave me permission to refer y'all to her
blog!
Check out her and her family!
and please remember them in your prayers!

Her boys are going through a hard transition period -
but they will make it through
with the help from their family
and through the grace of God!
...rooted in love


Friday, September 18, 2009

Sweet baby girl!

As many of you know,
Jailyn has suffered from abdominal pains since last February.
The first attack of pain we thought she had appendicitis.
After hours of tests including a CT Scan.
They were unable to diagnose the problem.

Pain continued through the summer -
Jailyn tested positive for several Urinary Tract Infections.
Oooohhhhhh so painful!

A few weeks ago she was having horrible pains
and the same symptoms of a UTI.
I took her to our wonderful Dr.
No UTI, but she did have blood in her urine.

Sooo, off we go to a Urologist.
Our family Dr. made the appointment and God stepped in
to make provisions that we hadn't even thought of praying for!

The Urologist is also an adoptive mother.
Her children are from China and Guatemala!
And we know each other from our local Asian kids group!
WOW!

She is taking Jailyn's case very seriously!
Jailyn will be having a test, a VCUG.
This test is very scary for the patient!
But is necessary to see how Jailyn's bladder
and kidneys are working.
The appointment has not been confirmed yet
but sure it will be soon.

Please keep our Jailyn in your prayers!
Jailyn is normally a very happy, personality plus kinda kid -
but
when she has to sit on a Dr.'s table -
forget it!
Another personality takes over!
Only through God's grace will she be able to
with stand this test.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Nine extra minutes!

As we are well into the school year I am in charge
of making sure every one is up,
fed and fueled and ready to go for the day!

The problem I am having is that the snooze button is
just so tempting!
I've never been one to use the snooze,
but ohhhh
it looks so good!
(My hubby has always had a special relationship
with his snooze button!
beginning 30-45 minutes before he actually gets up.)

What is the snooze button all about anyway?
The night before I set my alarm and I know when I need to get up -
but every morning when the alarm goes off I think...

"Nine more minutes."

What?
What does nine more minutes mean?

Is it a power struggle?

Just the fact that I can tell the alarm

"No, Shut up!
I get nine more minutes!"

Maybe I can go to bed 9 minutes
earlier and not have this problem!

Monday, September 14, 2009

How Long????

How long will it take my sweet girl to know I love her?

To feel...
secure when I leave her at home with the rest of the family?

To walk...
with courage into the house, from the car, before I do?

To understand...
being corrected for wrong doings doesn't necessarily mean
"time out".
And doesn't mean that she is "icky"

To know...
I love her through thick and thin?


It breaks my heart when I think of the hurt that
my daughter has felt for five years.
How many people disappointed her?

How many people have left her?

When will she feel secure that we are truly her forever family!

and

no matter what she does she is ours and we are hers!


Oh, the scars that orphans carry for the rest of their life.
But, oh, the joy when they begin to heal!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Muffin Tin Meals!


Last week a bloggy friend of mine, Shannon,
posted her Muffin Tin Monday tradition.
What a fun idea I thought!
We can do that!
We found out that Jailyn has many food allergies,
such as wheat, dairy, peanuts, cashew, strawberries, peanut butter.
It's not a life or death allergy,
but these foods irritate her eczema,
so we are trying to keep her away from these things.
Meal time can be difficult.
So when I saw this idea I thought it might keep
Jailyn's mind off the fact that
she doesn't have a PB and J sandwich
or Mac -n- Cheese.

This is a genius idea for us!!!
Jorja loved joining in this weekend!
(so did Kenzie!)

We also use this for snack time after school.
This helps with not over eating before dinner time too.
Just enough!

We may all be using our Muffin Tin's
this week as we enjoy rice and beans.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Jailyn's First day of school!

Jailyn was so excited that is was finally
her turn to go to school!
She's getting so big!!!
She goes to speech pre-school two days a week
for two hours a day.
We love her teachers
and she loves being a big girl!
When we were driving to school she said,
"I promise, I wont cry."
When I picked her up she said,
"I told you I wouldn't cry!
School is fun -
there is no need to cry."



But we do love our days together!
Today we were went to the park with some friends!
This is the park from Jailyn's view!

Love to chase the birds with the camera!

And the lovely trash can!

The birds in the puddle were too fast,
but they were so cute washing themselves!
"So adorable!!!" as Jailyn squealed.


What a cute foot!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Changing lives

We are so excited to be given the opportunity to help
build a home for a family in our community!
Through Habitat for Humanity,
we will be able to assist changing a families life!

If you are local and want to help,
we would love to have you come join us!!

When? October 3rd
What time? There will be two work shifts:8am-12pm & 12pm-5pm.
We need a minimum of 8 volunteers per shift, so get out there and share your time to help bring HOPE and JESUS to a family in McKinney!
Training Day: Sept 20 @12:45pm

If you are interested in joining us,
email me and I will respond with the rest of the information!

I've always wanted to part of an Extreme Home Makeover!!!
This is a life changing home makeover!

soccermom@tx.rr.com

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Comforts of home

Unfortunately, too many children in this world will
never know "the comforts of home".

They eat off the streets,

They sleep in crowded orphanages,

They have no one to hold them
during a thunderstorm.
(Jorja gets very nervous in the rain -
it breaks my heart!)

or even worse, they are stolen from the streets
and forced into a life of sexual exploitation.

What am I going to do about this?
More importantly...
what does God tell me to do about this?

James 1:27 - "Religion that God our Father accepts
as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widow in their distress
and to keep oneself from being
polluted by the world.
2 Corinthians 5:15 - "... those who live should no longer
live for themselves but for him who died for them
and was raised again."
Psalms 27:10 - "though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me."
He is the father to the fatherless,
Psalms 68:5, "A father to the fatherless,
a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling."

"But, we are comfortable...
I like my life how it is right now..."

Matthew 6:19-21 -
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...
but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
For where your treasures is,
there your heart will be also."

Does God want me to stay in my comfort zone?
or is he asking more of me?
God has blessed us with so much -
isn't time to give back to God,
by loving his people?

"Adoption is so expensive!"

Philippians 4:19 - "My God will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Sacrifices do have to be made -
often school clothes are purchased at a near new shop.
(but we would do that if we only had two kids :)
Sometimes we do have to say "no" to dinner out.
But is that really a sacrifice?
When we put this in perspective we are not really
sacrificing anything!

"I don't feel called to adopt"

I personally don't think everyone is called to adopt.
But we are called to care for the orphans and widows.
James 1:27.

I have numerous bloggy friends who are
in the process of adopting,
If God calls you to help them financially ...
praise be to God!

To help our friends and share in their adoption journey -
we will be eating rice and beans for a week.
(I'd like to do this longer then a week -
we will see how the first weeks goes!)
(and it wont be this week because
I have already done the grocery shopping
and we would be wasting food and money.)
My dear friend Shonni shared this incredible idea
and our family will be
joining her family!
Yes, rice, beans, and noodles -
not a family favorite but,
that is not what it's about.
(I have to add the noodles -
keeps a bit of sanity in my household)

With this be fun? NOT!
Will we get tired of rice, beans and noodles? YES!
Will we get cranky? Probably!
Will it be worth it? YES!!!

How can we walk a mile in someone else's shoes
if we are afraid to take the first step?

People are starving!
We are spoiled!!!
Are we all talk and no action?
What will you sacrifice to help bring a child home
to the arms of their families?

and thank you to friends and families who
sacrificed their comfort to help us bring
Jorja and Jailyn home.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Thankful Thursday!

Jorja is thankful her hair is growing...
she can now wear 2 pony tails...


or 3 pony tails!!!!

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