Who Dun it... Mystery Solved?

Okay, I am quite positive you have all been loosing sleep waiting to find out "who dun it"- which culprit left the booger on the bathroom wall. I know I have!

I have spent hour after hour interrogating my children, husband, neighbor kids, etc, etc, over who left the 'almost' famous booger on my wall 2 inces away from the toilet paper roll. (If you are just joining in scroll down to post below)

One of my little cherubs confessed to wiping one behind their bed, one of them confessed to wiping one under the seat on the school bus (gag) but nobody for the life of me would confess to leaving that booger next to the toilet paper roll!!!

So, in light of today being Halloween and all- I have decided to end this mystery once and for all and put the blame on the BOOGIE MONSTER. Yes folks, that HAD to be it! The boogie monster did it.

There. Mystery Solved. :0)

Happy Halloween!!

Why is that?

"It’s extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."
- Bono

Perspective

Though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings, thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible, thank you, Lord, that I can see.

Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.

There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud, thank you, Lord, for my family.

There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have.

There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work.

There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for life!

Have you thanked the Lord today?

Only in Texas...

When THANK YOU seems so small. (Virtual Baby Shower)

First of all, I want to give fair warning that as I am writing this I am on the verge of tears (again) so I am full aware that if there is any snot on my keyboard when I finish this post I cannot blame my kids this time (see post below).

I had asked Angel to send me the list of individuals who contributed to our Virtual Baby Shower because it really meant a lot to me to be able to thank each one of you personally (and if I missed you by chance it wasn't because I didn't try- I actually had 2 come back as undeliverable so I am going to hand write one to you). Anyway- I know that was a TON of work for Angel to do, keep track of, etc, etc and I want to say publicly how blessed I am to have such an amazing friend. For those of you who have never met Angel in person, trust me- she really is as she appears on her blog. ALL HEART. The REAL DEAL. ONE OF A KIND. An ANGEL. :0) And for her conspirators-Holly and Carolyn- the same thing. REAL. You inspire me and I love you guys!!!

As I opened each individual email from the contributors I couldn't help but to sit at my computer and let the tears flow...

Honestly- I. Am. Blown. Away.

Person after person who took the time to reach out and care about us- a family that many of them have never met in person or never even heard of at all before.

Person after person who do know us and still loved us anyway. ;0)

Person after person who worked hard for their money but gave of themselves, gave freely, and were willing to be God's hands and feet.

Person after person who I sat and prayed for individually and thanked God that there are people like that walking on this earth today...

Person after person who have a life, inevitably have faced trials and hardships in their lives, but still has faith and belief in the miracles of our God.

Person after person who I prayed that God would bless tenfold...

Person after person who have their own lives, their own dreams- and yet they took the time to encourage us and ours...

Person after person who forever changed our lives.

So while thank you really does seem so small in comparison to what YOU have given- may God bless you today and always for your hearts, your compassion and your willingness to ACT.

THANK YOU!!!

Who dun it... this time??

In light of the upcoming election here in a few days (GO VOTE!!) I thought I’d take our own little poll…
Awhile back my gracious blog readers helped me solve the mystery of who broke a piece of my beloved Guatemalan pottery. (Miss Aleigha was the culprit that time). Today I find myself at a loss once again for ‘who dun it’. Only this time it was not a piece of pottery….

Often times we are asked how our kids feel about being in a large family… people worry if each child gets enough individual attention, individual space, and enough one on one time. What people often don’t see is that there are a lot of benefits of being in a large family. Lots of support, lots of love, always someone to play with, someone to talk to… and always someone else to ‘blame it on’. Needless to say, we have a LOTS of ‘wasn’t me’s in this house. ;0)

One thing I love about being a mommy is seeing how different, how unique, God made each child. Kids just crack me up. They are creative, they see life in a way that I had forgotten, and they know how to have fun. Yet… they also do the dandiest things… Like for instance, wipe random boogers here and there throughout the house. (Anyone want to come visit us and stay for dinner?) :0) Today for instance I found a big ‘ol booger wiped on the wall right next to the toilet paper roll in the kids bathroom. Can I just ask WHY? TWO inches away was a entire roll of paper to place that pretty little booger in… but nooooooooooo we have to use the WALL instead!!
So where do you come in you ask? I need your help in solving the mystery of ‘Who dun it… this time’. Who wiped the booger on the wall???

So let’s get going… and cast those votes!!!

Was it…

Cultpit #1 “Wasn’t me Travis”
Age 18, Senior stud.
Known for playing rough with his younger siblings, loves football and girls. Often found at work, at football practice, school or in his discustingly messy room.

Was it…

Culprit #2 “Wasn’t me Keegan”
Age 16. Known for his sly smile and flirting techniques. New to the driving world and often found at school, football practice or in the closet talking to his girlfriend on the phone.

Was it…

Culprit #3 “Wasn’t me Addisyn”
Age 13.Known for her kind heart, observative nature and fierce competition on the court. Can often be found at school, volleyball practice, reading a book or hanging out with friends

Was it…

Culprit #4 “Wasn’t me Kallan”
Age 11
Known for his sweet disposition and knowing how to use it. Creative, quiet and a thinker. Can often be found playing football, playstation or at school

Was it…

Culprit #5 “Wasn’t me Mya”
Age 5. Known for her adorable dimples, curly hair and spunkiness. Loves life and making people laugh. Can often be found at school, or by Aleigha’s side. Likes to please people or tattle.

Was it…

Culprit #6 “Wasn’t me Aleigha”
Age 4

Known for her big eyes and sneaky ways. Can often by found by Mya's side, coloring, reading books or playing barbies.

Was it…

Culprit #7 “Wasn’t me Kaden”
Age 2
Known for getting his way, charming strangers, and incredible bear hugs.
Can often be found following his mama around the house, jumping on the trampline or getting into things he is not supposed to.

Ok- GO VOTE!!!!

The Name Game...

Seriously, coming up with five names that everyone in the family likes has not been an easy task. Not to mention I respectfully want to have the Fabulous Five's permission to 'rename' them. I know this is really touchy subject- lots of people feel that you should keep the child's 'given' name because they have had enough change in their lives. While I understand that- I am sort of on the 'other side of the fence' where I feel that it's a new start and they are my children now so I want to name them like I did all of our other children. Plus, Jesus himself gave people new names all the time! :0)Revelation 13:12: “Those who prove victorious I will make into pillars in the sanctuary of my God and they will stay there for ever; I will inscribe on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God in heaven, and my own new name as well.”
So, we are 'planning' on keeping their given names as their middle names (If they agree to it) and as a family we came up with these new names. What do you think? (Oh and I really only want to hear what you think if you like them!) LOL ;0)
5 year old girl- Jayla
4 year old girl- Alayna
3 year old boy- Kai
2 year old boy- Jace
1 year old girl- Isabella

Lesson on Pride

A few weeks back I had a sweet Christian friend ask me in what ways I had seen God’s hand since saying yes to our fabulous five. (For those of you just joining in since I opened back up to private- we are in process of adopting a sibling group of five through the foster system). I’m embarrassed to admit that her question sort of woke me up and for that I am so thankful. You see, in the beginning I felt nothing but ‘overwhelmed’- or perhaps I should just say I was 'in a fog'. The decision was obviously huge and while we had prayed about it, talked about every possible scenario (at least that we could come up with) the fact is- there is just no way to predict the future. I honestly have no idea how to parent 12 children. No clue. I don’t know exactly what will work and what won’t work. Each child’s needs are so different, each child’s personality is unique. Yet down deep no matter what- all of us long to belong somewhere and all of us long to be loved and accepted the way we are. That I can do. :0)

So thankfully when my friend asked me about how God has been working in our lives I decided that it was time to open my eyes and really pay attention… and once again I am overwhelmed- but no longer in a fog. Overwhelmed that the King of Kings, Lord of Lords cares enough about me to supply all of our needs. Overwhelmed that God Himself listens to our desires and wants us to be happy. Overwhelmed that our Savior can use me- my past mistakes, my lack of faith, and my inexperience. From dressers to car seats, from pillows to clothes, from swing sets to baby showers -God’s people have reached out and been His hands and feet. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness… Yet through that gratefulness there was a war going on inside of me- a battle of my pride.

Pride.

I used to think that pride was a good thing. You know- we’ve all heard it "be proud- be strong.” Proud of our accomplishments, proud of your name, proud of who you are, proud of what you are. Strong. Independent. Self sufficient. We have been taught these things since we were knee high… and yet our God tells us something completely different. He tells us to rely on Him, to look to Him and only Him for the answers, that when we are weak- He are strong…

The flesh in me wanted to be able to do this in my own strength. To be good enough, strong enough, be ‘enough’ to provide for and parents these new children. I wanted to take these new kids, give them everything they needed, dress them in cute clothes and have their hair in just the right style. I wanted them to be happy, well adjusted and for everything to just fall into place. Or maybe what I really wanted was for everyone to stand back and say “Wow, she's got it all together-how does she do it?”
When I first saw the Virtual baby shower on my sweet friend Angel’s blog, I have to admit that after bursting into tears and being very humbled that these awesome ladies would care enough to do this… my pride started to ‘take over’ and my flesh began to kick in. I didn’t want people to think I couldn’t do this on my own. That I wasn’t good enough to handle it all or that we couldn’t provide for these kids on our own. But then I remembered… just the night before I had been on my knees before the Lord and telling Him of our needs. I had complained to Him that the need was so huge- overwhelming. I had confessed to Him (as if He didn’t already know) that I had no idea how we would pull it all together or how we would have enough tiem. And to be honest I don’t know if I really even believed He was listening or if I was just praying through the motions- working out my own plans in my head.
Yet I remember after praying I let myself be still before the Lord and I heard Him say “will you let me?”

Will you let me?

At the time I didn’t know what He meant...probably because I was still so busy making those plans… but now I do. There has been so many times in the past where my pride has literally stopped God from being able to work in my life. Times where I was too proud to say I was sorry- because that would mean I made a mistake. Times where I was too proud to let a friend see my real hurt- because that would mean I had flaws, and times where I was too proud to let someone help out- because that would mean I was weak. It would mean that I had faults, that I was a sinner… that I needed- a savior.

Wait- isn’t that what being a Christian is all about? Doesn’t being a Christian mean that I admit I cannot do it alone?

Will you let me?

His words kept coming back to my mind… I had prayed and asked Him to meet our needs and yet how did I expect Him to answer my prayers if it wasn’t through other people? I know I myself wrote a blog post on that- about God’s work getting done through us. About us being God’s hands and feet… and yet here I was- so full of myself, so full of pride that I actually thought I could do it on my own?
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Psalms 10:4 NIV

Dear heavenly father- please forgive me. Forgive me for playing god. Forgive me for the times I have hindered your work because I thought I was good enough to do it my way. I praise you for the amazing people you have brought in my life, for their example, their hearts, their faith in you. I thank you for loving me regardless of the mistakes I make and I thank you for teaching me more about you each and every day. I thank you for not only meeting our needs but blessing us beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I thank you for these precious new children you allowed to come into our lives and I praise you for those individuals who don’t even know us but were willing to be your hands and feet and reach out in love. I thank you for the precious ladies who put together our virtual baby shower- for the blessing of their friendship and that they could see through my pretence and pride and know our needs regardless. They are true example of your love.

It's official!!! Happy Adoption Day Kaden!

Today Mr. Kaden officially became our baby boy. He was already 'officially' in our hearts- but you know, the state wanted that 'official little document' so we happily obliged. What a wonderful day full of God's greatest gifts. Our judge was the sweetest and she let the entire family participate since he is loved by us all. We are so thankful for adoption- so thankful that his birth mother carried him to term, so thankful God allowed us to be this amazing little boys family. You bless us daily Kaden and we love you with all of our hearts (and that is a lot of love!) Happy Adoption Day sweet boy!

P.S I just opened my blog back up to public...

Pillows!!!

I know, I know- I am certainly not going to get any blogging awards. I just cannot seem to keep up! So much is going on in our lives right now- big stuff and little stuff. Just a lot to do! Kaden turned 2 years old on Tuesday and we finalize his adoption tomorrow! Yeah God! My parents and Todd's parents are coming to visit and go to his adoption. We feel so blessed to have them be a part of his special day.

I have had a few people ask me if we have seen God's hand at work since saying yes to our new children- that I refer to as our 'fabulous five''. Boy have we ever! I could tell you story after story already of God's faithfulness- but for today I will share this one...

The other day I was walking through the house and out of the blue "Pillows" popped into my head. Pillow! We need five more pillows. I don't know why- but it was just something that I hadn't though of yet so I added that to our list of needs for the new kiddo's. Then- within a few hours my dear friend Angel forwards me a email she had received since she was hosting our Virtual baby shower (which in itself has been a MIND BLOWING blessing!). Anyway- this email is from a sweet, sweet lady that I do not even know. More than likely will never even get to meet face to face in this world, yet she emailed wanting to bless us with a $50 gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond! She had figured there might be something from there we would need. Does our God Rock or what? Thank you Lord for our pillows!!! May these precious five children that you blessed us with lay their heads on these pillows each night feeling comforted by your grace and love always.

Philippians 4:19—And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Boy!!!

Happy Birthday my precious baby boy! I cannot think of anything more beautiful than celebrating your 2nd year of life! What a gift each day with you has been. We love you!!!

Operation Princess Hair- please join in!!

OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR BEGINS!

It's hard for me to even start this post. Already I feel a big lump forming in my throat. Someone that many of us care about is walking through a deep valley. That someone is sweet Abby....

I have serious doubts that I will get through writing this without crying..... Ok now it's too late... I am already there...with tears flowing. This is Abby. You will find her precious family at this blog address.

Abby is so many wonderful things. She is part of an amazing family. There are 7 wonderful kiddos in her family. 3 of those sweeties- including Abby came by way of adoption. Abby is a bouncing, happy, funny princess of a 3 year old....

Now she is also a dear little warrior fighting for her life. She was diagnosed with Leukemia and life suddenly took a radical turn for this amazing family. Her concerns of which princess dress she should wear have turned to whether she will get poked or be able to keep her food down today.

This is sweet Abby right now....

These are the battle scars she has right now in her fight against cancer...

Just one of the MANY things she has been forced to give up is her GORGEOUS princess hair and it makes her very sad.... What is it like to be the mommy that has to tell your 3 year old that she has to take medicine that will give her horrible sores, make her throw up constantly, and cause her to lose her hair? What is that like? What is it like to watch tears slide down your sweet baby's cheeks even in her sleep cause that's how much it hurts.

THIS is not OK with me. If I could I would make this go away. If I could I would change this- I wish there was a way. I know there are so many of us who wish that. We CAN'T MAKE IT GO AWAY! We just can't.

What we can do is give Abby back her princess hair. It's expensive and not something this family needs to worry about during this stressful financial time of paying for medicine and gas and hospital bills. We can not make this all go away but we can give Abby back her hair and make her smile.

SOOOOOO TODAY WE BEGIN....

OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR!

This is your mission, should you choose to accept it...

1. I want us to buy sweet Abby one of these- http://www.hatswithhair.com/

It's called a pony sport. It costs $228. It's made with real human hair. It's very comfortable and can be worn with any baseball type cap that Abby prefers.

After visiting with her mommy we feel this would be very comfortable and fun for everyday use at home and the hospital.

2. We will flood Abby and the other kiddos in the family with care packages that let her and her family know they are loved. If you feel you would like to send Abby or her family a present please e-mail me at angelweir@gmail.com

We can all send Abby fun presents AND ALL SEND an ADORABLE BASEBALL CAP to wear with her new hair. Then everytime she is having a hard day her momma can bust out a new care package to give her something to smile about.

3. We are also going to buy Abby a custom made wig! Check it out here....

http://www.celebritystylewigs.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=493

I am so excited about this! It is going to be custom made to look a lot like her hair did before she needed to start chemo. So when Abby wants to dress up nice and look like the Abby she remembers she will have this. This wig will cost about $450. It is made of real hair and created just for her little head.

4. If there are donations exceeding the needed amount for the princess hair we will invite the family to use this money to help with whatever extra expenses they are facing during this difficult time.

It's hard for me to fathom what this family is facing. I want to do whatever I can to support them.

They are full of faith and strong. Cancer FEARS this little fighter! Let's do whatever we can to love and walk with this family during this time. I can't begin to imagine what they are facing but I PRAY that people would be there for me if we ever did walk this path.

TO HELP ABBY GET HER PRINCESS HAIR YOU JUST NEED TO CLICK ON THE PAY PAL BUTTON ON THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER THAT SAYS "OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR."

IF YOU WANT TO SEND ABBY A CARE PACKAGE INCLUDING A CUTSIE NEW BASEBALL CAP PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT angelweir@gmail.com

Thank you from the BOTTOM of my little ol' Texas heart for taking care of a little girl named Abby. What we do matters. What we do makes life better or worse for those around us EVERY SINGLE DAY. Let's take time to stop and care. Hugs, Angel

PS If you would like to spread the word on your blog PLEASE do it!! Feel free to take this whole post or part of it. Then please link your blog to mine so everyone can see how many people are loving and praying for Abby.

Pulling it together

So I've definitely been a slacking blogger here lately. Have you ever had one of those times where you just cannot for the life of you focus? That is how I have been these past few days. Can't even finish a thought- so bear with me here. I wouldn't really call it being overwhelmed- I'd say it's more consumed. Funny because as I posted earlier that is the word the Lord keeps giving to me- consumed. Consumed by Him.



Since we have 'spilled the beans' about our new additions it has been, to say the least, interesting. Honestly, you will probably laugh about this- but I didn't really realize that it was that big of a deal to adopt five kids at once. I always say that God can use even stupid people- so here I am- all signed up- check the stupid box. To me it just seemed so simple- a sibling group of five needs a family- we love kids- we are passionate about adoption- so where do we sign up? Apparently not everyone sees it that way.



As I have shared with some- I'm okay with people being shocked. Since we are figuring out that not everyone adopts five children at once -when they already have seven children- I am going to be OK with 'shock'. What I am having a hard time digesting though is the downright rude comments. So once again- guess I am stupid- because I just cannot see how this could be anything but a beautiful thing. I never said it would be easy- I do know that much. But this is not about easy. I didn't sign up for easy. It's not about me being a perfect mother. Not possible. No such thing. I know there will be days where I will fall flat on my face (I do that now with seven). There will be plenty of days were I don't get it right, days when I am so tired, so exhausted, and feel like I have nothing left in me to give. And yet it will be those times when God will be glorified the most because in those moments I will be reminded more than ever that this is not about me- it's all about Him.



So stick around and see... I have no idea how to parent 12 children- but I am willing. Willing to give all that I have, willing to work hard to figure out what works best for each child, willing to give up my comfort so that a child can be safe, cherished. Willing to love- regardless of if they love me back, willing to give up my space, my time, my energy, my sleep and some days my sanity. And want to know another stupid thing- I'm EXCITED about it! God used stupid little me- He trusts me to raise His most prized possessions. He loves me that much! Oh I am more than just signed up- I used a permanent marker. :0)



Once again I wanted to say a MEGA HUGE thank you to so many of you who have emailed, called and wrote about us on your blogs. God has blessed us more than words can say through you our precious friends, family and fellow adoptive families. Your support far outweighs the rude comments any day! You guys rock and we love you all!

Thank you...

My amazing friends Angel, Holly, Leslie, Michelle, Carolyn, Melinda, Elizabeth, Jenny, Sara, Erin and Doreen blogged about me... (am I blessed or what?) http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/
http://www.purposedrivenfamily.blogspot.com/
http://recoveringnoah.blogspot.com/2008/10/youre-invited-to-virtual-baby-shower.html
http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/
http://twietconfetti.blogspot.com/
http://devenougesfamily.blogspot.com/
http://www.geptengelhardt.blogspot.com/
http://not-soblandfamily.blogspot.com/
http://foreverhugs.blogspot.com/
http://blessedbychrist.blogspot.com/
http://fullhousehandshearts.typepad.com/

Just a quick note before I head out the door for a busy day today...Have you ever noticed that when the enemy is attacking you, telling you that you aren't good enough, can't do it, that you will fail... God always sends in someone else to stand by your side, someone who 'gets it' and someone who will lift you up when you fall down? Angels... I am surrounded by them... I am humbled and blown away by the amazing friendships the miracle of adoption has brought my way. I love your hearts- you have all taught me so much. Thank you all. Love you guys!!!

Twelve is a beautiful number

Why is 12 such a beautiful number you say? Because that is the number of children the Lord has now blessed us with! Yep- you heard me- TWELVE. I've been a little preoccupied here lately trying to not only wrap my mind around 12 but get ready for 12. 12- yes I said we will have twelve children. That is five new little people in our home. 3 girls and 2 boys- evening us out to 6 boys and 6 girls. How good is our God? We need 5 more beds, 5 more car seats, 5 more dressers, five more seats at the table, clothes for five more, etc. etc. And no, I have no idea what we are going to drive! ;0) Our new kiddo's are a sibling group of five coming to us through the foster system -but they are no longer foster children because we are adopting them. They are ages 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. That gives us 8 children under the age of five. :0) Yet I don't feel like it is chaos, I just feel so incredibly blessed that God would see fit to give us five more.

Sometime back I prayed to the Lord and told Him I wanted Him to have all of me. And yet no matter how much I offered or how much I tried to give it all to Him- I kept pulling it back… reeling it back in… playing a game of tug of war. Give it to Him, take it back. Give it to Him, take it back.

So about 2 months ago once again I told God that I wanted to give everything I have to Him… but this time I asked Him to help me not take it back. I told God I wanted to be totally consumed with HIM more than anything in the world. I completely surrendered my life the way I new it and gave it all. All of it. Nothing held back. Nothing. Consumed by my love for Christ. Passion... intensity... courage.

He took me serious, and He took me up on my offer.

While Satan will take whatever shots he gets. we as a family constantly remind ourselves-that while yes we may look and "do things" differently, it's all for HIM and that is all that matters. In the end..we only answer to Him.

And I am in awe that no matter how many blessings we are given, each one is so unique. No matter how many babies I have, it is still as amazing as the first one.

Twelve.

Yes twelve is a beautiful number.

Perfect.

12.