Quaking
If you haven't heard, Oklahoma has been experiencing earthquakes lately. When growing up here you learn that we are sitting on major fault lines and that "someday" we may feel earthquakes in our area. I guess "someday" is here. We are used to tornadoes around here, but earthquakes? Unsettling! For me, as a Christian, it makes me think of end times. The Bible tells us that in the last days the earth will experience natural disasters of greater magnitude. It's both scary and exciting. Scary, because I think of all of those who don't yet know my Christ and all the work there is to do before the second coming. Exciting, because I would love to be among those very few in history who will be alive for the second coming of Christ. What an honor!
I appear to be in a very weird place in my life with this blog. I honestly don't know what's going on. Why am I not finding time to write like I have for the past 5 years? Is this a good and healthy thing, or a bad thing? I tend to be a hermit in "real life." I don't care to go hang out with friends. I prefer to just spend time with the family over doing anything else. I am SUPER leery of over-scheduling kid activities, which may mean that we actually UNDER-schedule them. Still yet, we have more to do outside the house than we have in several years. Doctor's appointments and Wednesday-night church (yea!) and Friday Family Fun Night and Homeschool Choir, and, and, and. I'm sure we do less than lots of other families, but it's more for us. It's like my brain is so tired from living that I don't have extra energy at the end of the night to sit and write about it.
Writing has long been my release. Am I so contented that I don't need that pressure valve release anymore? [I doubt it!] Am I feeling like I can be less public about some of my feelings? [Quite possibly.] Have I run out of interesting things to say? [It feels like it!] I can only assume that this is a season in my life that will pass on by, eventually. Tonight, at least, I am writing (even if it is nothing at all important).
Updates:
Work/Adoption: Things are generally going very well. I have felt so blessed this year by not only placing more children, but by placing children who fall into the category of "older" or "special needs" more often then not. ALL children (even cute young healthy babies) deserve loving families. It's just that my heart is particularly for those children who are harder to place. I have been so blessed to work with families who share my burden. Last week was an AMAZING week--matching 3 children with significant special needs that have been waiting for a while. Today was a totally mixed up day. On one hand, a family I know went through a horrible disappointment. On the other hand, two of our families passed court, and another received the visa for their VERY special baby girl. Such a roller coaster thing, this adoption business.
Eric: He's plugging along. Okie, the amazing super donor kidney, continues to treat the hubs very well. He consistently has great numbers every month when labs are drawn. We are so very fortunate in this area. I try not to think about the day when the kidney fails. Chances are we will have "her" a good five years. Some folks make it to 20+ years before needing another kidney. Eric's work is treating him well. He was blessed to receive a job offer at another company (which he didn't take). That helped him to feel better about his abilities and how "marketable" he would be if he needed another job. We are so thankful he doesn't!
Taevy: I think that 11 years must be the new 13. Oh. My. Word. Can you say hormones? Yikes. I sometimes mourn my little Taevy Baby at 5 or 6 years old. I wish I could go back and visit her sometimes. I don't think I took the time to really breathe her in and memorize her like I should have. At the same time, I see the amazing potential in my young lady daughter. Who is she becoming? I see a humanitarian and an artist in there. I also see a lot of confusion and frustration. It's so hard growing up. It's so hard deciding where to assert your independence and where to fall into the safe and loving arms of mommy and daddy. I love her so.
Samren: 10 years old on Thursday! Thankfully, I think we are a few years away from hormonal drama with Sammy-Man! He is every bit the little boy he has been for years, with hints of budding maturity thrown in for good measure. He struggles (like his mommy) with his relationship with food. He struggles to like his brother and sometimes battles the lazies (hmm...again, like his mommy!). But when he chooses, Samren is easily my most helpful child. He thrives on praise, and loves to do things to bless Eric and I.
Bright: Bright is in a pretty good place right now. He's chugging along, learning new ways to handle his stress and frustration. We've been very pleased with how Kindergarten is going so far. If he were in a typical classroom in any school in America, I thinking he would be passing. We are beginning to enter in to more abstract concepts. I will be interesting to see how he does with applying sounds to words, rather than just memorizing letters and letter sounds.
Kendi: Good grief, this child is too smart for her own good! She continues to be the sassy diva that she always has been (for better or for worse). I'm convinced that she comes by it naturally. I sometimes giggle to myself when I think of what it would be like for her if she would have grown up in her little village outside of Bolgatonga Ghana. What would they do with a child like her? Allow her to run the show, or "beat" her into submission? I really don't know. It's interesting to observe the relationship between Kendi and Bright. Sometimes he is every bit the big brother (older by 20 months). Other times she definitely takes the role of big sister. I think that she intuits his differences. They do their schoolwork together. Sometimes he has the answer. Sometimes she does. At the end of the summer Kendi didn't yet know but a few of the letters of the alphabet. But yesterday, she corrected Bright on a letter-sequencing activity he was doing. I think that this child is really VERY intelligent.
I guess that's about it for tonight. It feels good to write, even if only a mundane update.
Anita
I appear to be in a very weird place in my life with this blog. I honestly don't know what's going on. Why am I not finding time to write like I have for the past 5 years? Is this a good and healthy thing, or a bad thing? I tend to be a hermit in "real life." I don't care to go hang out with friends. I prefer to just spend time with the family over doing anything else. I am SUPER leery of over-scheduling kid activities, which may mean that we actually UNDER-schedule them. Still yet, we have more to do outside the house than we have in several years. Doctor's appointments and Wednesday-night church (yea!) and Friday Family Fun Night and Homeschool Choir, and, and, and. I'm sure we do less than lots of other families, but it's more for us. It's like my brain is so tired from living that I don't have extra energy at the end of the night to sit and write about it.
Writing has long been my release. Am I so contented that I don't need that pressure valve release anymore? [I doubt it!] Am I feeling like I can be less public about some of my feelings? [Quite possibly.] Have I run out of interesting things to say? [It feels like it!] I can only assume that this is a season in my life that will pass on by, eventually. Tonight, at least, I am writing (even if it is nothing at all important).
Updates:
Work/Adoption: Things are generally going very well. I have felt so blessed this year by not only placing more children, but by placing children who fall into the category of "older" or "special needs" more often then not. ALL children (even cute young healthy babies) deserve loving families. It's just that my heart is particularly for those children who are harder to place. I have been so blessed to work with families who share my burden. Last week was an AMAZING week--matching 3 children with significant special needs that have been waiting for a while. Today was a totally mixed up day. On one hand, a family I know went through a horrible disappointment. On the other hand, two of our families passed court, and another received the visa for their VERY special baby girl. Such a roller coaster thing, this adoption business.
Eric: He's plugging along. Okie, the amazing super donor kidney, continues to treat the hubs very well. He consistently has great numbers every month when labs are drawn. We are so very fortunate in this area. I try not to think about the day when the kidney fails. Chances are we will have "her" a good five years. Some folks make it to 20+ years before needing another kidney. Eric's work is treating him well. He was blessed to receive a job offer at another company (which he didn't take). That helped him to feel better about his abilities and how "marketable" he would be if he needed another job. We are so thankful he doesn't!
Taevy: I think that 11 years must be the new 13. Oh. My. Word. Can you say hormones? Yikes. I sometimes mourn my little Taevy Baby at 5 or 6 years old. I wish I could go back and visit her sometimes. I don't think I took the time to really breathe her in and memorize her like I should have. At the same time, I see the amazing potential in my young lady daughter. Who is she becoming? I see a humanitarian and an artist in there. I also see a lot of confusion and frustration. It's so hard growing up. It's so hard deciding where to assert your independence and where to fall into the safe and loving arms of mommy and daddy. I love her so.
Samren: 10 years old on Thursday! Thankfully, I think we are a few years away from hormonal drama with Sammy-Man! He is every bit the little boy he has been for years, with hints of budding maturity thrown in for good measure. He struggles (like his mommy) with his relationship with food. He struggles to like his brother and sometimes battles the lazies (hmm...again, like his mommy!). But when he chooses, Samren is easily my most helpful child. He thrives on praise, and loves to do things to bless Eric and I.
Bright: Bright is in a pretty good place right now. He's chugging along, learning new ways to handle his stress and frustration. We've been very pleased with how Kindergarten is going so far. If he were in a typical classroom in any school in America, I thinking he would be passing. We are beginning to enter in to more abstract concepts. I will be interesting to see how he does with applying sounds to words, rather than just memorizing letters and letter sounds.
Kendi: Good grief, this child is too smart for her own good! She continues to be the sassy diva that she always has been (for better or for worse). I'm convinced that she comes by it naturally. I sometimes giggle to myself when I think of what it would be like for her if she would have grown up in her little village outside of Bolgatonga Ghana. What would they do with a child like her? Allow her to run the show, or "beat" her into submission? I really don't know. It's interesting to observe the relationship between Kendi and Bright. Sometimes he is every bit the big brother (older by 20 months). Other times she definitely takes the role of big sister. I think that she intuits his differences. They do their schoolwork together. Sometimes he has the answer. Sometimes she does. At the end of the summer Kendi didn't yet know but a few of the letters of the alphabet. But yesterday, she corrected Bright on a letter-sequencing activity he was doing. I think that this child is really VERY intelligent.
I guess that's about it for tonight. It feels good to write, even if only a mundane update.
Anita
3 comments:
Awesome update! Love it! And sometimes I have to chuckle because I swear you write exactly what I'm thinking! The bit about being a hermit in real life, about not over scheduling the kids which translates to underscheduling them, using your blog as an outlet but yet not using it as often. ALL thoughts that I've been mulling over the past several days. Anyway. . . glad to see a nice, long update!
Always good to hear from you.
Right there with you in the desire not to over schedule, which may sometimes lead to under scheduling. This year, we too have added a few things to our lives. While we leave the house more ... it is a good thing.
It seems like quite few of my blogging buddies have slowed down the pace this fall. It's kind of weird ... wondering what my friends are up to, but also not having as much to share, myself.
We still have a Ghanaian beauty who is very much the rote-memorization learner, and seriously struggles with the critical thinking side of things.
Didn't realize Kendi was from the Bolga area. That's where our girls are from. I've visited their village. Crazy to picture little Kendi trying to run the show in the village we visited, or one nearby.
Praying that Eric's kidney gives you MANY good years together.
Hope your week is BLESSED!
Laurel :)
Woo-hoo! Two REAL comments! The comments these days are few and far between (except for the spammers)! Thanks gals.
Heather, this is just further proof that we must be the twins they thought of us as in Ghana! ;-)
Anita
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