Pictures of the year, day 7

 Haiti, November 2012

Haiti.
Oh, Haiti.
One of the brightest spots of my 2012.

Pictures of the year, day 6

Blueberry picking kicked off our 2012 Summer of fun.

And this picture pretty much sums up the reality of outings with my four kids...

June 2012

Consider the below picture a bonus, because blueberry picking and blueberry smoothies go hand and hand. And because I smiled every single time I saw this picture this year...

Pictures of the year, day 5

I'm rocking my baby,

and babies don't keep...

Zoe and Me, June 2012

She's not a baby anymore.

She didn't keep.

But I'm so glad I snuggled and rocked and smooshed and held while she would still let me.

Pictures of year, day 4

Holy Week Reading, Easter 2012 - Our favorite kids devotional that we've read through several times!

Reading, reading.

Narnia, A Little Princess,White Fang, and so on and so forth.

My favorite time of the day is snuggled up in my bed with a kid or two or four pressed into me listening to their Daddy read us all stories. It has been really cool to have children old enough (and with attention spans long enough) to enjoy our reading times and to really "get into" the books. 

Here's to more reading together in 2013!

pictures of the year, day 3

Jeremiah, Kathryn, Eli, Ella, Kimberly, and Ezra - Late Spring 2012

Our neighborhood buddies + the early warm weather of NC + sprinkler and hoses + silly kids = childhood memories never forgotten.

Sadly, our neighborhood buddies are moving this week, so this picture is extra special remembering all the fun our kids had together over the last year.

pictures of the year, day 2

Jacksonville, Florida - Spring 2012

Perfect weather.
Perfect beach.
Perfect family togetherness.
Perfect karate kid impersonation from my very near to perfect husband.
Perfect.

pictures of the year, day 1

With all the thousands (yes, literally thousands...) of photos I took this year, I am going to attempt to do the impossible: post a photo a day though the end of the year. Photo's that sum up our year, photo's that are my favorite, and photo's that help me remember all the good, bad, ups and downs of 2012.

Without further ado, the first photo...

Zoe and Ezra.
Even at 5 months and 5 years old, these two together were the best kind of trouble.
And that poor loved caterpillar (whose antennae have been chewed to the nub)  has been the favorite of all my babies...

Zoe and Ezra, January 2012

Haiti (in words)

I think I have finally had some time to process through my trip and thoughts and might possibly be able to coherently communicate. Possibly...

My first reaction to Haiti this time was surprise. I haven't been back since the earthquake and was expecting...well, I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I was greeted with. We flew into the "new" airport and were greeted by a fabulously welcoming Haitian band playing music while we stepped off the plane. Then we were orderly led through a customs line in an almost American standard building, got our luggage in a not so crazy manner and didn't have to fight off unwanted help in order to exit the airport. What? Did I accidentally go to the wrong country?

Jeremiah's parents met us (what a welcome sight!) and drove us back to Notre le' Maison (Our House of Hope Ministry Center) and we got a tour of the house. A-ma-zing! That house is already well on its way to being such a light in the city of Port-au-Prince.

The next three days were spent visiting with three other local missionaries and mission centers and finding out what their needs were, painting and electrical work at the house, a walk through the ravine (the American equivalent to the "ghetto" in Haiti) with a local missionary to help with the infant vitamin and feeding program, and just experiencing life in Haiti. It was a very different trip for me as we didn't have a set schedule of "ministry" we set out to do, but instead really just tried to absorb what the needs are that our church could help meet in future visits.

There were several highlights of the trip for me:

1) Getting to see Aaron again

Aaron and I in 2009

Reunited 2012

Holding Aaron in 2009 was when I first knew that the Lord could equip me with a love for a child who did not come from my body. He will never know how much he was used of God to bring us eventually to our Eli. What a sweet moment for me to revisit with him and to see how he has grown and (Praise the Lord!) has a family working to bring him home!

2) Meeting Ms. Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a sweet elderly Haitian woman who is in the final stages of breast cancer. Her body may be racked with pain and the evidence of this fallen world, but her spirit was full of the hope of her eternal life filled with no pain and in the presence of the One who makes all things new. I have to say that singing the final verse of 10,000 Reasons to a woman who is standing at deaths door has significantly more impact than when I've sung it in the past...

And on that day when my strength is failing,

The end draws near and my time has come,

Still my soul will sing your praise unending,

10,000 years and still forevermore.

3) Growing in respect for my in-laws

I didn't think it was possible for this to happen, but it did. Jim and Debbie are truly hero's in my life and I am so proud to bear the last name of Hambrick. What they are doing in Haiti (and have done for years and years all over the world...) is lasting, relational, all about Jesus, practical, and something I feel privileged to get to be a part of. You can read more about their ministry here.

It wasn't all highlights, as the reality of the earthquake was most obviously evident in the absence of  this toothless ninja warrior:

Peterson in 2009

Jeremiah and his ninja warrior buddy in 2009

When I first visited Haiti I had no knowledge of attachment issues among orphans and just soaked in the attention of the kids clamoring to be held and loved on and touched. This time, after books and books read and my own personal observations of what attachment and bonding issues look like first hand...the obvious needs of the kids clamoring to be held and loved on and touched was heartbreaking. Wanting to have no part in contributing to the ugly cycle of short term attachment and leaving and the long term harm it causes I kept my distance from the kids this trip. Don't get me wrong, I was friendly and smiley...I just didn't allow myself to be attached to. But my heart broke for their need for a family. A need I was naive to 3 years ago, but heartrendingly aware of this time.

Overall, I was struck by a sense of hope this trip. In the past 3 years, despite the devastating earthquake and multiple hurricanes, hope still prevails in the Haitian people and amongst the missionaries working tirelessly.

Hope.
Haiti.

Two seemingly contradictory words?

With missionaries like Jim and Debbie and Dorothy Pearce and Pastor Ceynar and Sherrie Faussey  and Amber Hasson and the Livesays and countless others...and ultimately the reason and giver of hope, our Savior Jesus Christ...

Hope is a reality for Haiti.
(And I already can't wait to go back.)

December photo free for all

Crafting,
Caroling,
Cookies...
Can this month just keep on going?
Please.

sisters (i'll show you mine if you show me yours)

Zoe has a recent fascination with "bebo's" (belly buttons) here lately and gets positively giddy when she discovers one...

silly girls.
i love that they love each other.

thursday thoughts (never on thursday)

We went up to Virginia this week to just get away. The Meme and the Poppee warmly welcomed us into their house and we got to just enjoy being together doing fun Christmas and family things. It was much needed.

Gingerbread house decorating.
Christmas crafting.
Family movie nights.
Hiking.
Christmas present shopping and wrapping.
A belated but so appreciated Meme and Ella birthday outing.
Jeremiah and I even managed to sneak in a Cracker Barrel breakfast date.

Preparing for the gingerbread house sugar feasting extraordinaire!

Eli found this hat while up there and pretty much wore it the whole time. Cracked me up.

Ta-da!

And because Meme is way more fun and less OCD than Mommy, this is what happened next.

Christmas ornament craft by master crafter, Ella McKay.

Ezra decided that Poppee needed a lot of help with his mailings.

So nice.

Today is back to the real world. But I happen to love my real world, so that is not so bad either.

11 days until Christmas, people!

I've got a pot roast in the crock pot at the moment and it smells wonderful. I rarely cook pot roast (maybe once a year?) and I am ready for it to be dinner time already. It's only 2:30 at the moment...so I've got a little bit to wait...

I've had 6 (for a short time 7) children in my care today. Gotta love crazy days! So thankful for the warm sunshiney afternoon and a great backyard to play in.

I have been so so so so bad at taking pictures this month. I seriously don't even have a December 2012 folder started yet. What is wrong with me?

While up in Virginia Jeremiah and I took the kids up to the Peaks of Otter and hiked the Sharp Top trail. It is a 3 mile hike that is not an easy one and they did fabulous! I was so proud of them, and it gave me a glimpse of what life will be like as they get older and the fun things we will be able to do as a family. I realize that my baby stage in life is over. As Zoe moves out/grows out of things I am actually giving things away for the first time...no more hanging onto them for "the next one". It is such a strange feeling...sad and happy all at the same time.

This is my weekend to get everything finalized for Christmas. I just have some shopping and wrapping to do, and gathering of ingredients for some baking I want to do with the kids next week.

11 days, people!

Happy Friday!

Homeschool: November

Better late than never, eh.

I considered just skipping my recount of November, but I really hated to do that. (My list making personality couldn't live with a gap in the months!) 

So, lets just consider this the nutshell version of our month, ok?

Thanks.

November was a short month of school for us as we took off the last two weeks for Thanksgiving and Haiti, but we did manage to fit in some learning in those first few weeks.

Our science unit for the month was a focus on trees and leaves. The boys can name the parts and basic functions of those parts. We all learned about why leaves change color and Ella can explain the basics of photosynthesis now. We made a "life size" tree that we decorated with leaf prints. Slowly but surely the tree has lost its leaves, in accordance with our pear tree out front, ha! We went on several "discovery" hikes and learned how to identify the differences between coniferous and deciduous trees.

Ella studied the pilgrims and the story of the first Thanksgiving. On our history timeline we read about Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and Miles Standish. The non-Disney version, of course.

Our composer of the month was Johannes Brahms and we were lulled by his lullabies.

Our author of the month was Laura Wilder and Ella finished her first Little House on the Prairie book, Little House in the Big Woods.

Our artist of the month was Mary Cassatt, and in order to remain honest, my children were less than excited about her work. Sorry Mary...but my kids were much more enthralled with Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock's paintings. No offense. I however, do find your paintings lovely. Especially the ones of momma's with their babies...



Of course, we continued with all our normal math and English curriculum and workbooks...but who really cares about that stuff, ha!

That's a wrap on November!

Memory Monday

Be still and know that I am God. 
Psalm 46:10

I am in a season at the moment where everything feels hard. It could be the exhausting nature of keeping up with a 15 month old who is bent on being a 2 year old already. It could be the pressure I put on myself to make sure my house is clean and organized, a foreboding task with the above mentioned 15 month old. It could be the two 5 year old boys that want to wrestle ev.er.y.wh.ere. Usually at a noise level that is slightly higher than I would like. It could be the 7 year old with her 4,000 emotions that constantly need help being sorted out. It could be my 31 year old self with my 4,000 emotions that constantly need help being sorted out. It could be the pressures of the holiday season with its demands for decorations and...well, you get the point.

Life just feels hard right now.

Silly, I know.
We are all healthy, in love, etc.
Things could be worse.
I did just return from Haiti, so I know how much worse things could be.

But I can't seem to shake the feelings of overwhelment that seem to come upon me very frequently these days.

This verse has been my mantra, the balm to my soul the past few months.

Not in a mystical I must empty my mind kind of way. The context of this verse is a reprimand against nations not submitting to God in the midst of nations warring against God. It is call to be in awe of God as sovereign ruler and to recognize his might.

I am learning that there is only one thing in my life that must remain organized: my attitude. If there is external chaos (think 15 month old un-decorating the tree, two 5 year olds making brother sandwhiches out of themselves and the sofa cushions, a 7 year old who just wants to go cry in the corner, and a to-do list as long as a roll of toilet paper) but my mind is still (focused on God's sovereignty and might) then all is well.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46:10-11

thursday thoughts (on not thursday)

Well, hello.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Merry Christmas.
Happy December.

I don't know what has been wrong with me, but I am having major writers block this week. I have sat down to write several times and...crickets chirping...nothing. Nada. Zilch. I think it is similar to how my kids feel when they make a colossal mess and I ask them to clean it up. They get so overwhelmed at the task  that they don't do anything.

Until I suggest that I will help. And dole out specific tasks, "Ezra you work on the lego's, Eli you've got the blocks, and Ella, you just keep Zoe away from it all!"

So, if anyone wants to ask any specific questions that I can answer, maybe that will help me get started. Feel free.

Let me just say that visiting orphanages AFTER having gone through an adoption and possessing a knowledge of attachment and bonding and what is healthy and what is not will break your heart.

I have been able to do some simplifying for this month...we tracked out of school for the month, no additional photo shoots that the ones already scheduled, and I didn't do a Christmas card.

Why in the world do I have such issues with a stupid Christmas card?
Is it just me?
I decided that it wasn't worth it this year.
And so I didn't.
Deep breath.

 I did get to be part of the most fun photo shoot ever earlier in the week. Friends of ours adopted domestically and got "the call!" over the weekend and asked if I could be there for their first meeting.

Um, yes please...

Really, people...best photo shoot ever!
I think I'd like to create a niche in the photography world and just do adoption first meetings. Spread the word, ha!

We have a busy weekend ahead of us filled with a wedding for sweet friends, rehearsal dinner, a bridal shower, and our entire church is going Christmas caroling together.

Happy Friday!

Haiti (in video)

Haiti (in pictures)

Since my words are still few. 

Pictures will do.