Humbled by acts of kindness...

I have to post this but I am still jaw dropped in awe...

Because of all that is happening right now we have eaten out more than usual. 

Whether our pots and pans have been in a box or we just don't have the energy to cook or for what ever reason it may be we have tried to make meals as easy as possible.

4 times we have eaten at Macar*ni Grill.

Twice when we were in Orlando

and twice since we have been home.

The first time a very nice man named Bill bought all the children ice cream for dessert.

Bill was in Orlando for business, he is from California.

He was so moved by our children and by our adoptions that out of the kindness of his heart he wanted to do this for us.

I kept saying "thank you" to him but he kept saying-

No,

 thank 

you!

This was one of the random acts of kindness that I alluded to in my previous post.

3 nights later we went back to the same restaurant and once again he did the same act of kindness.

It was such a surprise to us to have this happen twice!

After we were home and in the moving process we once again went to our local Macar*ni Grill.

The kids behave, they enjoyed the bread and the meal so we felt like it was a good family friendly place to go!

Before we even began to eat a woman came up to us (we had talked to her husband when they were leaving) and she gave us his business card.

She offered our family a free photography session with her husband.

And then 10 minutes later someone else walked up to our table and positively commented on our family.

How very kind of them!

Now today after church...

you guessed it!

We just didn't feel like cooking dinner so we were back at MG!

When our meal was over hubby said to the waiter, let me give you my credit card and he said

that won't be necessary...

your meal has been taken care of...

wow

wow

WOW!

We were speechless...

Friends,

GOD is so close to all of us!

He cares for us even when we don't know it.

I am in awe...

I have said before

that we have a renewed faith in people.

AND

I will say it again.

The kindness that we have experienced has been jaw dropping.

ONLY GOD 

could have moved these mountains,

the hearts of people,

found us a house

and

wrapped us in prayers by so many faithful friends from far and near!

We are so humbled and so thankful!

We want you to know that we are doing well.

Our faith is strong.

The children are happy!

We are looking forward to many positive posts and sharing new adventures with you!

(I have already written some of them!).

This is a huge job but God is doing it and we are thankful for HIS timing!

I am loving my growing

"get rid of pile"!

We continue to stand in awe of HIM!

Being the recipient of such kindness makes us want to give more. It is contagious!

If you ever feel nudged to do something kind for someone else- move forward.

You just may be an answer to their prayers!

GOD, knows what that person needs and his timing is perfect! 

Pay It Forward!

I know we will be doing that!

This is a pic of Sarah doing her back handspring!

She LOVES gymnastics!

Mixed Emotions

This is an emotional time for all of us.

This is not what we had planned to do right now.

(The drive in!)

Sometimes my heart hurts and my head begins to spin.

It's hard to be strong for everyone when all I want to do is curl up and cry.

So much stuff to move,

over so many years...

We have so many memories at this home and this decision to move was made quickly.

It was obvious that they would soon find another reason to turn our world upside down.

It's been going on for 5 years and it just wasn't going to end.

We know this is what we have to do to protect our family and live joyously.

The joy and peace will come with time.

The move seems to be hardest on Emma. She has found new friends at school and even went to her first birthday party! She is happy and life was good for her. Now she sometimes cries at home and school. She doesn't want to move and by the look on her face she blames me.

We have already seen God move mountains for this to happen- we have no doubts. 

The new place is wonderful and we know that it was handpicked by God.

With time it will be the perfect home for our family but for now things are just very challenging.

Once we were able to get into the new place

hubby picked up coffee at the local coffee shop and we just happened to get a

"drive through difference"!

That's when the person ahead of you pays for your coffee!

It felt so good!

Such kindness in our little time of need...

surely the Lord sparked a kind person's heart and it resulted in a day brightener for us!

(the big backyard)

Others have been so helpful in getting things done and getting the new home ready.

It is a blessing to see everything come together.

With time this place will feel like home.

I look forward to that time.

This is NOT my favorite thing to do...

I would so rather be teaching the children school, reading to the little ones, reading with the bigger ones, snapping pictures of their cute moments, doing my daily laundry and just enjoying God's blessings!

BUT life has it's ups and down and we need to roll with it

and most importantly follow HIS lead!

(The welcoming committee! And yes, that is a donkey!)

Last night I closed my eyes and pretended-

everything was in it's place,

the boys were home, 

I/we were home sweet home

and all was well with the world!

It felt good!

THANK YOU for all of you wonderful purging, organizing  and moving tips! 

Wow, you guys are GOOD!!

In Need of Organizing and Purging Tips!

We could use a little help here!

We have 12 hoarders in this family...

yes, I am counting myself...

The children have so many little itty bitty things that they think are so very important.

Such as a big rock and a little rock... That would be the Mommy rock and the baby rock.

Then there are bags from Justice because that would be there favorite store...

And of course in the bag is another bag of something very important like a toy from McDonalds and so on.

And then multiply that by 11!

Of course, I have a few tiny issues myself...

But we'll leave me out of this-

for now!
; - )

It's a little hard to get much done...

Let me explain my day to you-

get up

feed kids BKF

pack a couple boxes

oops need groceries- run to grocery store

feed kids lunch

pack another box

feed kids snack

pack a box

feed kids dinner

too tired to pack!

At this rate we should get this project done in the year 2016!

I need your purging tricks!

It's an emergency!

This just doesn't seem to be my natural talent.

I love a clean and organized home but I just don't like to be the one to do it.

I'm a little more like-

shut the closet door really quick so everything doesn't fall out!

Outta sight, outta mind!

Soooooo,

we need your organizing and purging tips!

SOS

Looking forward to reading your comments!!

(Pics are from the last day of our Make A Wish trip!)

Guess What!

We will be moving!
We are in awe of our God!

HE has put ALL of the pieces together and the puzzle is complete!

How could everything fit together and come into place for this to happen?
We are just as surprised as you may be-

Our God works in amazing ways!

Nothing is impossible for HIM!

 HE has picked out the perfect place for our family!

And we are so very thankful!

We will have both homes for awhile and our address and contacts will stay the same 

BUT

our children will be able to freely play this winter and from then on!

Our move will be happen and be complete when our dear boys are HOME!

We're praising GOD!

Please know that 99.99999% of the people we meet and know are extremely supportive and very kind to us!
We have a wonderful community that has truly has embraced this large and fun family of ours.

Although it was very tempting to take some of you up on your invitation to be neighbors!
Oh, how I and we would LOVE that!
The children would have a blast- 
but not as much fun as we would have!

(Can't forget the stuffed animals!)

Even a partial moving is a HUGE undertaking!

Oh My Goodness!
But the children are really getting into it and they have been awesome helpers!

WE have been very blessed to have a wonderful friend help us pack and we will put these things into storage to prepare for the move.
So Thankful for our helpers!
Praising God for Karen!
We also have an incredible handyman!
Thank you Steve!

God has made his desires for our family clear and we are so thankful for HIS direction!

Keeping our eyes on HIM!

Can't wait to show you pics of where we will be going!
I think you will like it!

Changing Directions

Thank you all so much 

for your support, your prayers, your words of encouragement and bible verses!

We are so grateful for your kindness and we are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love.

The challenges periodically continue and we do ask for your continued prayer. 

I have already written

FOR GOODNESS SAKE... THEY'RE CHILDREN... part 2

But the more I write about hate, anger, discrimination, bullying, intimidation-

the more it bothers me.

I do not like to spend... even a moment of our day thinking about such things.

We cannot change these people 
but God can

 so we will continue to pray for them 

and 

MOVE ON!

As far as our family-

 We are choosing JOY!

We are choosing to focus on all that is good, that is God, that is positive and kind.

We are focusing on 2 sweet boys that will be coming home soon!

We are focusing on our children with October birthdays-

Johnny

Mia

and

Madeline!

We are preparing for Madeline's eye surgery this month.

And hoping we can get things together for Halloween costumes and gathering candy.

Every day we are doing the best we can do with all we have to do.

Most likely I will never post Part 2...

But, I will if things get worse and we need to post for documentation, protection and prayer.

This blog is meant for family, for adoption, for encouragement and for GOD!

Sharing our joys with you makes me more joyful!

I love how you marvel with me over the children-

whether they are mine or yours!

GOD has heard your prayers and He has blessed us!

Please continue praying until this is over.

I will keep you updated.

Thank you!

We have some amazing news that we will soon share with you!

For Goodness Sake. . .They're Children. . .Part 1

God has truly blessed us and we are so thankful to HIM!

He has turned an ugly situation into HIS perfect plan!

How could I have ever doubted Him!
As this story unfolds you will see how good our GOD is!

We have experienced hate, anger, discrimination, verbal abuse and racism.

We have been bullied, heckled, threatened, yelled at and cursed at. Fists have been waved in our direction and they have paced back and forth in front of our home while yelling words of hate.

They have targeted our children as well as us.

They have stood in front of our home and yelled-

"You have HIV in there,
You have Hep B in there,
You're going down,
You're out of control 
(BTW I don't think it's us that is out of control),
You have no idea what you brought to this country.
 I will do everything possible to stop your next adoption,
Those boys will never come home,
I'm filing charges against you and your child,
You're scum."

(Unfortunately all of the above is factually accurate. I wish it wasn't so...)

It is shameful what they have tried to do to our family.

Why am I posting about this?
To feel the needed support of others that have chosen a similar lifestyle.
To get support from others that respect our decision to bring home the children and our belief that every child should have a family.
To teach others that people should not be judged by their  disability whether it is visible or not.
To teach others that God created every one equal and that one person is not more worthy than another.
To diminish fear of certain medical diagnosis and promote education.

To warn others that hate, discrimination, abuse and racism are alive and well in America and it cannot be tolerated.
To support others that may be going through similar circumstances.
And most importantly-
To glorify God and to serve HIM.

My Husband and I are adults.
We know that some people will like us and some people will not.
That's okay.

But when the hate spills over to the children-
that's when we stand up and say
NO MORE!

On February 26th, 2013 I posted on
 "Adopting HIV"
and another time I posted about manageable special needs including Heb B.
I also told my neighbor it would be good for her to get the children immunized.
Sometimes our children would play together.

I do not regret posting on
"Adopting HIV".
If even one person learned something it was worth it.
If even one more positive child came home, it was worth it.

Some people believe that this topic should not be shared.
We believe in our privacy but we also believe in educating others so they do not fear certain medical diagnosis's.
We don't share who has what diagnosis to protect each child.
Whoever they play with is SAFE, just as the rest of our family is safe. 
We also believe that children with HIV are treasures and have contracted this virus through no fault of their own.
They are victims and it is important to
NOT VICTIMIZE THE VICTIMS
through hate and discrimination.

They are innocent children.
An adopted child is no different than a birth child. 
When they have a family they are deeply loved by that family and protected by their parents.
Plain and simple-
We love our adopted kids just as much as we love our birth children.
We love our adopted children just as much as 
you
 love your birth children.
We will protect them from harm.


It seems that a few new readers may have looked at previous posts to gain
information with the intent to hurt us.

We have been advised to do many things to protect our children.
File a Formal Complaint to the MnDHA
File harassment charges
Notify the Media regarding the hate, anger and discrimination directed towards special needs adopted children.
Notify those that advocate for children who are mentally challenged.
File a complaint in regards to the MN Fair Housing Act- our rights as home owners are being violated and they are trying to force us out of our house.
Sue them for money lost on the sale of our home if that is what we are forced to do (it's gonna be a lot of money).
File a complaint with the MN Dept of Human Services regarding the blatant discrimination of individuals with special needs.
Check into the due diligence of the Hippa Law- Anyone that is in the medical or dental profession knows that every individual has the right to privacy in regards to their medical records. 
(I will share with you in the next post how our rights were violated by an individual that has an obligation to uphold profession standards whether she was at work or not at work).

They have violated the 1983 Civil Rights Action as they have parade up and down our street yelling what special needs our children have.

Will we do any... some... or all of these things?
We don't knowWe are praying about what we should do.

We want our children protected and safe from harm.
We want their rights and the rights of other special needs children to be upheld.

We want to live peacefully and joyfully!
Everyday we want to focus on what is good and what is right.
We want to keep our eyes on Jesus and have thankful hearts.
We will not be poisoned by hate.
We want to love and serve the Lord.

Please pray for us and for our children.

Please pray for the hearts of those that are hardened and filled with hate.
They want to rule by instilling fear and intimidation.
Yet, we are not afraid because we know who is in control. 

Today in school we heard the story of Moses and how he went up to the mountain to pray. He was gone longer than usual and in that time many of the Hebrews decided to make an idol and pray to it.
Their hearts were hardened to God. They broke their promise to Him.

I asked the children if they could think of anyone else who's hearts were hardened to God.

Guess what they answered?

Your right...

Please pray for them...

Sea World!

Our last full day was spent at Sea World!

It was the warmest day of the week.

Because we were a MAke A Wish family the children got the front row!

They knew what they were in for and wanted to sit in the soak zone!

Hubby and I chose not to- nothing like wet underwear ruining a great day...

The whales were awesome and put on a great show!

They are so majestic!

God has really out done himself!

I was mesmerized by these beautiful creatures!

The children were thrilled with the show!

 Awwww!

And when the show was over 11 soaked children returned to us!

All with happy smiles on their faces!

Everyday this is what I look at and I count to 11!

Partnering up has been really good- they change partners almost everyday.

The seals show was so funny!

Such cute animals!

They'll do anything for a fish!

Isn't this guy huge!

Oh My Goodness!

We ate at the underground shark restaurant.
At the end of the table and along all the walls are aquariums with sharks swimming around us!

Our waiter didn't seem too thrilled to "get our table".
When we go to a restaurants we really know how to streamline things.
Ordering for 11 children is a breeze!
The children all stayed in their seats, colored, visited and watched the sharks.

We visited for a short while with our waiter. When we left he said to us-
I felt like something was going to happen today when I left for work. I needed to be inspired.
Your family has done that for me- thank you!
He was so nice and was really speaking from his heart.
It felt good to have someone speak so kindly to us.

The day was wonderful and one of our last stops was feeding the dolphins!

They seem to have a permanent smile on the faces!

This was so fun for the children. They all love dolphins!

You have to hide the white tray or the dolphins will jump at you. A couple of our girls didn't understand the directions so the dolphins jumped- it was quite a surprise!

What an amazing experience!

Ava is so good with animals!

Very calm and tender with them.

Everyone got to touch them too!

Emma fed the dolphins but she wasn't so sure she liked them that close to her!

Yay Sammy!

These three went on the extra scary rides- Manta and Kraken!

Last stop was to see the turtles (my least favorite show- it was 3D and made me dizzy).

Missed picking up our official Sea World pic- so here is my version!

Time to go back to our place and get a few last minute things done!

All of the Make A Wish children get their very own star!

First she decorated it.

 With her name on it.

Then they put it in a magic box and the star fairy takes it and places it in the sky!
We have the exact location of Abby's star!

Tomorrow we pack up and head home!

(I was a little behind on posts so I have been done 2 per day on some of the days! Look below if you would like to read them!)