Tithing is FUN!

Tithing sometimes conjures up unpleasant thoughts, but it really shouldn't. Years ago, Jeff and I decided to take the plunge and start tithing--even though our budget didn't make sense on paper. However, we were challenged by the verse in Malachi 3:10.
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

We decided that we would take God up on this challenge and see what would happen if we tithed at the beginning of the month. Would we run out of money, or would God provide? We found out that He is true to His word, and we didn't run out of money.

Over the years, we have found that God has blessed us in some unexpected ways and has 'poured out so much blessing' that we have been wowed by the things He has done. Here is an example:

When we got approved to adopt Zoey and Kate, we needed a few things. We needed a double stroller and actually, two double strollers would come in handy. We went to KidsRUs to check them out. The one I fell in love with was a jogger stroller. It rolled so smoothly and handled with ease. Unfortunately, it had a huge price tag. We left the store and I decided I would try to find a used one. I looked and looked. Nothing materialized. The lady at the consignment store said that they sell within hours of coming in. I prayed and asked God for a new double stroller (or two). Shortly after, a friend emailed me to say that her friend wanted to get rid of her double stroller. It was not a jogger, but it was a nice one. I was quite happy to get it and stopped praying for a jogger.

Today, I was talking to my neighbor and she mentioned that a friend of hers had a double jogger stroller that she was trying to get rid of. (!) I told her I would love one and she said she would check to see if her friend still had it. She told me that her friend had posted it on Facebook a week ago, so it was probably long gone.

An hour or so later, my neighbor pulled into our driveway. I went out to see what she needed and low and behold, she was unloading a beautiful, almost new double jogger stroller!! It has only been used about five times, and is nicer than the one we looked at in the store. She also brought a huge bag of kids clothes for Jake and Jordan. How fun! Many of the clothes were too small, so we get to pass them on to another friend who is in need. Cool!!


The kids had a ball pulling out all the clothes and trying them on. Lately, the three little kids have been doing an amusing Kung-fu move and saying, "Ta-Da!" It just cracks me up. I snapped this picture of them doing their 'move,' while wearing a strange assortment of the donated clothing.

The Tireless Trio

The Smell of Rain

I love the smell of rain. It means spring...it means flowers and green grass. It means I have to stay inside and listen to a bunch of kids fighting. Oh...yeah, that's the part I DON'T like!

It is colder today and rained briefly, so we are forced to abandon our hope of cavorting around the yard. Drat. I guess I'll have to stay inside and edit the photos from yesterday.

It was a beautiful day yesterday and we played outside all day. Well...the kids played and I took pictures (so technically, I was 'playing' too). I had thought that Kate and Zoey were keeping up pretty well with our other kids, but once outside, the differences began to be pretty evident. Kate's gross motor skills are pretty poor--even compared to Zoey. Zoey tries to run--bless her heart--but on the uneven ground in the yard, she had a bit of trouble. It didn't stop her from trying--it's just that the other kids ran much faster. This may change for both girls as they gain strength and get used to running around. It really doesn't matter because they all have a blast together (when they're not fighting over the toys!).

"With the cleverness of a chipmunk, I harvest my 'nuts.'"


"I was overwrought at the discovery that I had to give up "MY" swing to Zoey, to use the one next to it that is exactly the same. My mom's power of persuasion calmed me down and I am now happy to use the middle swing. I will not be using the swing on the far left, however, because well...that would rock my boat."

Seeing them sticking their heads out the windows causes the thought, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo! to spring to mind.

Big sister helped push the swings and squash all the creepy bugs in the playhouse.

My little monkey is afraid of heights, so he stays on the bottom rungs.

Relishing the freedom of running through the grass


We are still waiting and praying for news from the doctors at U of M regarding a decision and date for Kate's surgery. I am fighting fear and just asking God to help me trust Him. I guess the concern in the doctor's eyes kind of unnerved me a little. On one hand, open heart surgery is 'routine' these days...but on the other hand, open heart surgery is also a big risk.

Playin' outside

We have had some unseasonably warm weather to enjoy and we have all been playin' outside. We are so thankful to get out of the house, especially since we have been sick for so long.


Little Kate checks out big brother, Ryan's, truck



SaraGrace has some Eskimo kisses for Zoey


"I do all my own stunts."







"Great day...let's kick back and relax."

Kate's Heart Cath

Daddy reads a book to Kate while we sit in the waiting room

Grandpa came for extra moral support

Little Kate came through her heart cath with flying colors. She was so brave. Although she didn't like being poked and prodded, she handled it pretty well until she had to get her first shot of Demerol, before the start of the procedure. They told us that she would get very sleepy. Ha.

They don't know Kate.

She was DETERMINED not to go to sleep. She was hyper-vigilent, eyes darting back and forth watching every person in the room. Her eyes would close, but then startle open with any noise or movement by anyone.

They had me carry her to the cath lab to lie her down on the table but she got hysterical. They said they needed to give her another medication and this one 'would put her out.' It was a syringe full of liquid that they had to put in her nose. Ugh. They said it was fast acting.

They don't know Kate.

She continued to be DETERMINED not to go to sleep. Her body was tense and she wrapped her arms and legs around me in a death grip.
Finally, they had to get out their 'big gun' medication to put her out. It was another shot in the leg, and Kate was screaming, "No...No..." I was crying along with her. I felt so sorry for my little fighter. I was beginning to have my doubts about her ever going to sleep, but thankfully, she DID finally go limp in my arms. Her eyes didn't close, though, which was very freaky. I layed her down on the bed and she looked so tiny lying there.

She was done in an hour and a half. They told us that she had to lie still for four hours so that her leg incision wouldn't bleed. (It was a very small incision, not needing a stitch, so she needed to be still to give it a chance to close.) I asked if she would be sedated because I know how restless she is. They told me that most kids are pretty sleepy and are content to lie in bed and watch TV.

They don't know Kate.

She was restless--back and forth between Mommy's arms and the bed...twisting and turning, and bringing back memories of our plane trip home from China with her. haha She did snuggle with me for the begininng of the four hours, but it didn't last long. By the end of the third hour, she was motioning for her clothes and wanting to get dressed and go home.

The doctor came to talk to us and said that she is now unsure that a full repair would be the best option for Kate. She does have two ventricles, but to do a full repair, they would have to totally change her blood flow in the upper chamber and lower chamber of heart, besides bridge a HUGE hole with a conduit. There were some other things, too, that I can't remember. So now, she is thinking that the surgery that leaves her with a single ventricle might be a better option.

The doctor will talk to the surgeon and see what his opinion is. If there is not a much bigger benefit to doing the full repair, the doctor is worried that it is not worth the risk. She said that it would be a very difficult surgery, and since Kate is a very good candidate for the single ventricle repair, it might not be much of an advantage to do the full repair. Her exact words were, "The full repair surgery is so complicated. I would feel terrible if something happened to her."

The doctor will call us next week and hopefully we will have a surgery date then. She is hoping for an April surgery date. If you would pray with us that the surgeon will have wisdom as he decides which surgery to do, we would appreciate it so much!

The first hour after the heart cath...still feeling sleepy.

She wanted to hold hands with Mommy...so sweet.

"As soon as I'm done with my snack, I want to go home!"

One of those days...

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt like your brain stayed in bed while your body went running all over the place?

Ryan and I were going to drive to MSU, several hours away, so that he could receive an award--an FFA degree (FFA stands for Future Farmers of America). It is a big honor and I was so excited for him. So that we would know how to get to MSU, he came home with a map from his class. I should have listened to the inner voice that recommended that I print out a Google map to go with it. But of course, I ignored my inner voice.

I thought it would be a fun outing for SaraGrace and Jordan and also give Taylor a break to just babysit the three littlest ones. Apparently, the part of my brain that stayed in bed forgot how loooooong FFA award ceremonies are.

We all got in the car and were having a nice time talking, when all of a sudden, I started seeing signs for a city far past where we were supposed to be going. UGH. Our so-called map was incomplete (to put it nicely) so we couldn't even try to figure out where we were. Since I'm female, I immediately pulled off at the next exit to ASK for directions. (smile) Yep...we had gone 45 minutes past our exit. GROAN. Thankfully, we still had just enough time to get to the ceremony.

We made it--a tad stressed--but in time. The ceremony then went...count them...almost 3 hours...YES, three hours!! UGH! Poor SaraGrace and Jordan sat in a totally dark auditorium (so they couldn't even draw to amuse themselves) and listened to speech after speech. Finally our Ryan walked the stage and soon after, we were able to go home. I bought the little kids milkshakes for their good behavior.

Our Mom dragged us here for a NOT fun outing

How can my baby be this old? wah...

I laughed to Ryan about the possibility of it taking us an extra hour to get home if we ended up sailing past our exit. I shouldn't have laughed. After two hours, I realized we were again approaching a city that was 45 minutes past where we should have gotten off. ARGH!!!! How could it happen again?! I wasn't even talking on my cell phone! At least I would have had an excuse if I was talking to someone...but nooooo.... I am just brain dead. I don't normally have a hard time finding my way around so this was just a very weird day. Note to self...do NOT leave home without a map!

Poor Taylor had to babysit an extra two hours, and while I was gone....Jake pooped his back.

My Treasures

"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Isreal, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3


Yesterday the kids had a day off school and I suddenly realized that it was sunny, (good lighting for pics) they were all home, and I needed to get a picture of all of them. Since Ryan will be leaving us for Nashville Auto Diesel College in July (sniff, sniff), these rare moments will become non-existant soon. There was only one problem. I had a half hour to get to a dental appointment and none of my treasures were wearing clothes that would look okay in a photo. I rushed upstairs to find black and while clothing--but alas...could only find white. Oh well.... This was the final result of about 15 minutes of them trying to hold this pose. Out of about 20 pictures, this was the only usable one. haha I'm not that thrilled with it, but it's beter than nothing. Hopefully when it warms up outside and gets green, they will allow me to try this again but it's difficult trying to find a time when they are all available.

Below are some of the duds...but they tell the story, so I like them for their silliness factor. Oh and by the way....Kate goes for her heart cath in the morning (Fri.), and we would so appreciate prayers for her. As you can see in the pictures, her color is not good and we would like to have her get her surgery as soon as possible. Thank you for praying with us!

Outtakes....

Zoey gets her new brace

Zoey's brace was ready for pick-up yesterday, so we made the trip to the orthotist. She is always so happy to go 'bye-bye' with Mommy.

There was a lot of down time while we waited for them to make adjustments to the brace, so Zoey amused herself with my cell phone.

All set to go shopping with her purse and cell phone!

Finally, the orthotist came back in with the finished leg brace. It has a panda on the back of it that lights up when she walks. Very cute. She wimpered a bit when he put the brace on her leg, but when she stood up to walk, she was all smiles. Although she still limps pretty badly, it is MUCH easier for her to walk. They built it up a bit, to help make up the difference in her leg lengths. They couldn't build it up to be even with her good leg, because her foot points downward. Having a foot pointing downward at the same level as the other leg would require her to swing her leg out sideways, rather than bringing it straight through in a normal gait. Not sure if that makes sense...but anyway...

When she realized that we were trying to help her walk better, she gave me the most beautiful smile of appreciation. It was so precious. She had this look on her face like, "I really get it that you are trying to help me and my heart is filling right up!" She was grinning from ear to ear. Tears pricked my eyes as I watched her walk and smile with such delight. When we got into the car, she hugged me tight and gave me another bright smile. Awww...my heart swelled. What a sweet little girl she is!


She is getting around pretty well, although it is definitely something she needs to grow accustomed to. My only complaint with the brace is that it is now hard for her to sit on the floor because she can hardly bend her leg. The brace is also rather cumbersome. So, it's great for walking but not so great for playing on the floor.

This is how her foot looks without the brace.

And this is how it looks with the brace. Much better!!

She is very proud of her brace and doesn't want anyone to touch it when she takes it off for nap and nighttime. Ryan got her up from her nap and he said that the first thing she did was point to her brace. I am really glad that she likes it and wants to wear it. We'll see if that lasts once summer is here and the brace makes her sweat. For now...it's all good!

Her siblings cluster around to see Zoey's new brace.

Zoey shows them her brace with the light up panda on it.

Has Spring Sprung?

No matter what the weather is like, spring is coming for two reasons.
--One, the local ice cream place has opened.
--Two, my daffodils are coming up!


I realize the little sprouts could be covered with snow again, but at least I know they are there, with the promise of spring around the corner.

We have had a few days of weather in the 40's and 50's, so we went outside for a little bit to get some fresh air. Zoey and Kate have apparently never tried a swing, because they were laughing with a surprised kind of delight at trying them out. Kate slumped over in the baby swing because she tends to be a limp noodle, but she LOVED it! Zoey is very athletic and can handle the regular swing. She also LOVED it. It was so fun to see them experience this new activity and see the sparkle in their eyes.


It was Jordan's birthday this week and he was able to ride his new Big Wheel birthday present outside after coming home from his birthday lunch out with Mom and Dad. He was very happy and we were proud of him for being willing to share it. We don't require the kids to share their new birthday toys, so it was totally on his own.


Zoey and Kate continue to be settling in well and learning English. They are very different but get along fairly well. There is a lot more fighting between the 'triplet's' then there has ever been with our other kids, but we are working on 'being nice.' Jake has been picking up Chinese and speaks to them and to me in his Chinese words. It cracks us up because he uses the Chinese before he uses English. Kate is really lagging behind in gross motor skills so we are trying to coax her into doing more for herself. Jake and Zoey can climb stairs and get up on their kitchen chairs easily, but Kate cannot. She is the oldest of the three. We aren't sure if it is due to heart condition or if she just managed to get her foster mom to hold her all the time (like she does with me!) and just hasn't developed strength in her leg muscles. She tends to be a princess, and wants everyone to wait on her, which is pretty funny. Yesterday, Jake got socks for the girls and wanted to help them put them on. Zoey was disgusted and waved him off, but Kate delicately raised her little foot for him to put her sock on. She is a trooper, though about taking medicine and being poked and prodded by doctors, which is a blessing, since she has much of that in her future. She is rescheduled for a heart cath on March 13, so we are hoping she is all over her cold by then. We are all still coughing and blowing from the virus that doesn't seem to want to leave our house. Enough already!


Taylor and Ginger share a rare quiet moment last night.

God Provides Again

I am in awe again at how God continually provides for us. When we moved forward with Kate's adoption, we knew she would need an open heart surgery shortly after coming home. With the adoption of Zoey and Kate, we had double the expenses, and had to borrow much of the money. There was no way we could borrow money for a heart surgery.

Every time I let myself get panicked about it, I had to remind myself that God knows our finances and has no desire to send us into financial suicide. I gave it back to Him and wondered how in the world He would provide the thousands of dollars I knew it would be. We have good insurance, but paying 20 percent of a half million dollar (or more) surgery is still a huge chunk-o-change.

When we set up Kate's heart cath, the social worker from the hospital called. She asked if we had a secondary insurance that would pay Kate's medical expenses. When I said no, I was shocked to hear her say that Kate qualified for a special program that will cover the rest of her expenses! We have to fill out the paperwork, but it looks like we will qualify and will not be liable for hundreds of dollars.

I got off the phone and did a happy dance! :) God is so amazing--and always has a plan! If we had walked away from adopting Kate because of the cost of the surgery, we would have missed out on another chance to see God provide.

Shifting gears

Since I am sick of posting about poo and barf, I figure you are tired of reading about it. So, today I decided that we were going to pretend we were all feeling fine. The sun was shining (yay!)and I was feeling the need to do something creative. Since the sun porch was warmed by the sun, it was time to take some photos of the kids. I have pictures of our first three sets of kids (ie: Ryan with Taylor, Jillian with Molly, and Chloe with SaraGrace) hanging in our hallway, but didn't have our last two sets. I had tried to have Jordan and Jake's picture taken at Walmart but it turned out so awful that I couldn't hang it up.

Here are some of our pictures...some good, some not so good. Smile.




I love this one because Kate just leaned in and hugged Zoey spontaneously.


I love this one, too, because Kate looks like she is checking to see how Zoey is handling the strain of posing for photos for paparazzi Mama.

I wish I could say that no one barfed today but 'cough until you puke' was the name of the game today. Enough said....

People often tell us that we need a huge house, and Jeff usually says we don't because our kids always end up in a five foot square area around us. This is especially true in the morning when I am in the bathroom trying to get ready to face the day. I try to sneak in there dreaming of some privacy. Alas the kids seem to have radar superior to homing pigeons. Within minutes, they all start to straggle in. This morning I had the usual running commentary. "Wats dat? Why you do dat? Hewe's you toothbrush." And then they said it. "Ewww...." Just when you are starting to think that maybe you don't look too bad for your age, your kids comments slap you back to reality. Couldn't they come up with something nicer than, "Ewwww...?" I usually mutter something like, "Well, you don't have to look. I don't remember inviting you in here. No one is making you stay." They just smile at me as if to say, "We still love you, Mommy, even if the mere sight of you makes us gasp involuntarily." At least I don't let snot run out of my nose an into my mouth and lick it, like they do! Now THAT deserves an "Ewwww...."

Apparently, the fat lady hasn't sung...

..because the sickness STILL isn't over at our house. Our last barfer was a week ago, and although most of us have coughs and colds, at least no one was vomiting. Until today. Jeff left for Boston around 2PM and that seemed to send a message to our kids' immune systems to malfunction. Lately, whenever he leaves, they get sick!

I went to get the kids up from their naps and opened Jake's door to the stench of 'poop my back' and vomit. Oh goody. While cleaning him up, the big girls were getting the little girls up and they yelled, 'Zoey smells like poo.' This would normally not be a big deal, except that she happened to be wearing underwear instead of pull-ups. The poo was, of course, diarrhea. Gross. Another pair of underwear goes into the trash.

It has almost become comical. You know that battle field scene in "Gone With the Wind," where men are lying on the ground moaning and coughing? That's what our house sounds like!

I need to buy some medical supplies so that I can look in their ears and listen to their lungs and not have to guess when to take them to the doctor. SaraGrace had a 104 fever tonight that was quite scary--but thankfully, it came down after some T*lenol and a lukewarm bath.

Forget spring. I can't wait for summer.