SUMMER!

I meant to post last week about the kids getting out of school... but, as you can tell, I didn't.

Part 1:
Sarah (14) got out of school last Tuesday, May 18.  I am so proud of her and how she blossomed this past school year.  Last year she decided that it was time to go to a bigger school; the four oldest went to a private Christian school (which is an AMAZING school, don't get me wrong), but in the junior high grades, classes get a little small.  So for eighth grade Sarah went to the public junior high school.  She was a cheerleader, on the A honor all year, and never let down her guard for God.  She LOVED her eighth grade year, and I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WILL BE IN HIGH SCHOOL NEXT YEAR!!!
I didn't get any pictures of her last day of school because she went out to eat with a lot of her friends right after she got out.


Part 2:
John (13), James (11), and Anna Grace (8) got out of school last Wednesday, May 19.  I am so proud of them, too!  We LOVE their school- they learn about God in every subject, and the teachers are so kind and helpful!  I snapped a picture of them before they left school...

I don't think James was too excited to pose for pictures... he was ready to leave! :)

All four older kids (plus John's friend Jordan).

Anna Grace LOVED her 2nd grade teacher!  She had a great year!

James also loved his teacher!  She was very funny and loved all her 5th grade students.

I didn't get a picture of John and his 7th grade teacher.  He was just ready to leave!

Part 3:
Luckily (so that I will remain SANE), the little two are still going to preschool twice a week.  It is nice to have JUST the older four to do fun things on Wednesdays and Fridays... sometimes a break is NICE.

We have had a wonderful start to our summer... filled with movies every night, sleeping in every morning, and playing outside and inside.  So far, so GREAT!

My Thoughts Monday

My Thoughts Monday is a day dedicated to sharing what is on our minds.  Join me each week to share what has been weighing heavily on your heart and mind.

This week: I've had all these thoughts about adoption (and why people don't 'get it') swirling around in my head for days.  I finally sat down at the computer and emptied it all out into this poem.

Just because you do not see me
Just because you do not see me, doesn’t mean I don’t exist
Just because you do not love me, doesn’t mean I do not wish
For someone just like you to come into my life
Make me apart of your world, tuck me into bed each night
Some people think this place I live, is fine for me for now
But the real truth about it is, I struggle just to wonder how
How can this dirt, the pain I feel each time the misery comes
How do I erase the filth, the hurt, the pain so deep my mind just runs
Runs to a happy place where family is near
So kind so loving so complete so wonderful and dear
Where are you now why aren’t you here, I cry myself to sleep
Waiting for a mom and dad to come and rescue me
God says he took us as His own we are now His daughters and sons
But will you take me into your home and for me this battle won.
I struggle why no one seems to care to see the pain I feel
The physical and emotional that is so very real
I am the same as your sweet child that God brought from your womb
I need the same love and care the hugs, and the laughter too
So just because you do not see does not mean I don’t exist
It just means I am struggling alone still with my only wish
The wish for a mom and dad to hold me close each night
Not let another person come and in my world bring fright
I need a protector, love, teaching, comfort, someone to hear
All the dreams the passion, desires that God has been so clear
So clear that we all need a family, a home, a place that every child desires
A place to grow to sing to dance to celebrate and admire
The way I’ve grown and have developed into the beautiful child I have become
Because you came for me and out of the darkness I can finally see the sun.
So thank you mom and thank you dad for showing me God’s love
The kind that lasts forever and into His arms I will finally run
Not run away from my fears but into His family I will go
Because you loved and showed me the God you also know
So on this day we can celebrate, the past, the pain is gone
And so for me, but not for others this battle is finally won
I now know the true meaning of Jesus because you showed His love, and no longer will I roam.
You sacrificed your life your dreams and you gave to me a home.
I will never be perfect but you didn’t care and took a risk
And you decided that just because you didn’t see me, doesn’t mean I did not exist.

Never. A. Dull. Moment.

A Friday night wouldn't be complete without a trip to the ER, now would it?!

Let me explain:
Greg, John, James, and John's friend Benjamin were playing basketball this evening, enjoying the hard-to-come-by nice weather.  The basketball game got intense, and as John was making his way to shoot a lay-up, James "got in his way" and fell into the grass... and he happened to fall on a rusty nail.  Now if anyone can get hurt by the ONLY nail in our WHOLE yard, James can... and James DID.  I will spare details and pictures, but when he showed came inside to show me, there was a hole down the side of his leg long-ways, about 3-4 inches long.  OUCH!!!  So Greg and I took him to the emergency room to get checked out, left Sarah at home to hold down the fort, got in to see a doctor quickly (which is an ER miracle), and James got the full treatment- complete with an x-ray to look for any metal left in his leg, an alcohol rinse to clean the incision, some strips to hold his 'owie' together, and a Tetanus shot.  We are SO thankful that that is the all that happened.  It would have been much worse!  And, we are home and safe now... and trying to avoid any confrontation with rusty nails.

_____________________________________________________________________________

***On a lighter note, I thought I'd give you a little glimpse into our week (in no particular order):

This is what our driveway currently looks like.  There is a shoulder being added on our street... and so we have tractors, piles of gravel, and cones decorating our front yard:

Current FAVORITE toy: dirt bike.

John was nice enough to let Anna Grace have a try at driving, too.

Sarah's school performed The Sound of Music last weekend.  The Jr. High is known around the community for their amazing performances and this one was no different.

Our newest additions- 9 furry balls of cuteness

More on these precious guys later

****I hope you had a more successful Friday night filled with fun times and no ER runs.  We are finishing off the weekend with dance practices and basketball tournaments... and the kids are celebrating as they get out of school next Tuesday (Sarah) and Wednesday (John, James, Anna Grace).  SUMMER HERE WE COME!!!

Blessings,

Shari

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Mom,
It is impossible to thank you for all you have done.  From the hundreds of times you have brought my ID to school after I've forgotten it to all those times I "borrow" your clothes and jewelry, you have proven to be THE BEST mom in the ENTIRE WORLD! AND Although I may deny it, my friends are right... you are pretty cool.  Most of my friends don't have 5 little siblings or know all about orphans worldwide, but, thanks to you, I do and I wouldn't change it for the world!!!!  Thanks for everything!

And here is your Mother's Day present...

Your Baby Girl
I'm no longer a little girl
As you can plainly see,
But that doesn't mean
You matter any less to me.
You may not be able to hold me
Or sing me lullabies,
You may not feed me dinner
Or tuck me into bed each night.

For I am quickly growing
Into a lady not a girl.
But don't let that fool you,
I am still your baby girl.
As I start a new adventure
Into high school I will go
I will need you more than ever
Though I may not always know.

There are times when I am happy

And there are times that I am mad,

But you have always shown me

To look at the fullness of the glass.

You've taught me many lessons
From manners to having fun,
But how to love my Savior
Is the most important one.
Your words and your wisdom
Have taught me a whole lot,
But it's how you've lived your life
That you have truly taught.
Your love for your family
Your passion for the poor
Your dedication to care for orphans
Your way of always giving more
Is more powerful than words
More meaningful than any gift
The way your heart bleeds through
Is your teaching in its pure bliss.

So every year as I get older
From your baby girl anew
Someday when I'm a mother,
I hope I end up just like you.

I love you, Mom!!!!

Love,
Sarah

Ella On the Move

My name is Ella and I LOVE to play HIDE N SEEK!

Hmmm... where should I hide???

Here I go...

You can't see me!!!!

BOOOO!!!!!!!!

One Step. One Mile. One Child at a Time!

Last weekend was the Nashville Country Music Marathon.  We had a team of 32 runners, and it was a HUGE success!!!  We started out with a goal to raise $10,000 to provide adoption grants through Room for One More... we EXCEEDED our goal!!! AND THERE IS STILL MORE MONEY COMING IN even a week later!  (currently we are up to $10,155) To speak for our team, we are SOOOO thankful to each and everyone who participated in the run with the Running for One More team!  From organizing t-shirt sales, collecting donations, writing thank-you's, purchasing a t-shirt or sponsorships to running the 13.1 mile half marathon, we couldn't have been more blessed!  But most importantly, we were able to share the plight of the orphan to everyone as we ran in our Running for One More shirts!

The day was wonderful.  It was nice and cool, which was perfect for running!  We made it past the finish line just before the rain hit.

I wasn't able to get a picture of our whole team as everyone left the marathon sight quickly to beat the rain, but here are some pictures I was able to get:

Bottom right corner: Becky, Angela, and me at our church getting ready to leave for Nashville on Friday the 23rd.

Top right corner: Becky, Angela, and me at the Nashville Country Music Marathon and Half Expo on Friday night

Top left corner: Becky, me, Tracie, Chantelle & Eric at the Expo on Friday night.

Bottom left corner: Becky, Christen, and me at Greg's parents house right before we headed off to the race.

Below: A collage members of Team Running for One More passing the 11 mile marker of the Half Marathon.

Below: A few of us after the race.

I had a wonderful experience, and, surprisingly, ENJOYED the 13 miles!  Crazy, I know!  The past 3 months of training and building lasting relationships and "talking adoption and orphans" have all been a very memorable experience and I plan on continuing!  I didn't just train 4-5 mornings a week at 5:30 AM to just quit!  We (Running for One More Team) are even talking about a race here in Cape in November... so if you live nearby, mark your calendars for November 6!  Dust the cobwebs off your old running shoes and get yourself to the gym to join us in November!... more on that LATER!

And you know I can't end without some Ella cuteness... so here you go:

Ella and Joe hanging out at Mimi and Papa's (Greg's parents) house last weekend in their Running for One More tees!

Together we have made a difference... One Step. One Mile. One Child at a Time!

John's Confirmation

May 1 John got confirmed into our church, La Croix United Methodist Church.  At the beginning of January, about 50 seventh and eighth graders from our church committed to taking the steps to becoming a member of La Croix.  They, including John (13, 7th grade), have gone to weekly confirmation classes over the past 4 months learning about the Christian faith, Methodist beliefs, memorizing the books of the Bible and various Bible verses, and participating in mission projects.  They also had to attend and take notes from a certain number of church services and youth group meetings.
Last year Sarah went through it, and this year John went through confirmation.  To me, it is a giant step of my babies growing up and serving God for their own.  The confirmation service is a very emotional time as each child gives their testimony at the Confirmation Banquet, and during the actual church service they all stand in front of the congregation and take their vows of becoming members of the church... but the most emotional part is when each parent gives a blessing to their child during the church service.  Going through the confirmation experience just last year with Sarah, I was prepared with John.  I was prepared for the tears and the heart-wrenching blessings.
The weekend was wonderful.  Confirmation is a big deal in our church, and I am so glad I got to witness John take such a giant leap in his relationship with Christ.  It truly is a blessing.

John, Preston, Emily (cousin), Sam, and Parker at the Confirmation Banquet, May 30

John (navy/white stripe Polo) at the Saturday night church service taking his vows

Greg & me giving John his blessing at the service. In the background, some of the other Confirmands 

(plus a beautiful shot of the lady sitting in front of Sarah blocking the camera's view)

John and Pastor Thomas, a great friend of our family's, after the service

And, of course, all the gorgeous faces of adoption (minus Anna Grace) that were playing after church!

We finished the night off with a party at the cousins' house!

(Emily is John's age and got confirmed also)

Kids' Table

Gorgeous dessert table

This was a night to remember, and I wanted to make sure to document it!