Doing Summersaults

February...and a Little Bit of March

2011-03-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

For not wanting my boys to play football, we sure had a blast watching Landon this season! Flag football is pretty harmless, though! The scary part is that he LOVED it and he seems to have a natural talent. That combined with the fact that he is 4'6" and 72 pounds as a Kindergartner, I think he may just have a future in the game... His team took the championship in their division and the boys each received a blue trophy. Landon carried that trophy around for days and even SLEPT with it!!!

Zachary has been continuing with Karate, as well. He has worked his way up to an advanced brown belt! In April it will have been 3 years since he started. He has had moments of burnout and wanting to take a break, but then he always changes his mind and wants to continue. It has been wonderful for him and has helped him in so many ways. He is sooooo close to that blackbelt now!

We squeezed in one trip up to the snow this winter! We had hoped to make more, but between blizzards that we couldn't drive in, not knowing when we would be leaving to get Selah, Landon's football games, and Zach's basketball games, we just couldn't make more trips!

This year we treated Daddy with all his favorite desserts for his birthday! Yummy! The boys got him new fishing gear so they can have the good stuff when they head out fishing next summer up north!They had so much fun picking out everything at Big 5 Sporting Goods and it was precious watching them decide how much they could budget for gifts for Daddy out of their saved up allowance. They sure were generous with their Daddy!

Valentine's Day fell right in the midst of our adoption court case being postponed and the judge asking for more documentation. We were all a mix of emotions, but we still had such sweet moments on one of our favorite holidays of the year! Zach made a great big Valentine for me with the help of grandma! He also made a Valentine for me from Selah. He is such a sensitive little guy!

A "Heartthrob" and the "Man of your Dreams"!

My life-sized Valentine from Zach

mmmmm...mmmmm...mmmmm

And last, but definitely not least....Zachary's 9th Birthday!!! It was all about the Kansas Jayhawks this year! You don't find much in Arizona that has a Jayhawk on it, so luckily I found a great vendor on Ebay who sells edible cake toppers of any theme you can imagine! I ordered the KU emblem from them which they shipped out amazingly fast and I had it within four days! I brought it to our local Fry's Supermarket and they did such a great job making the cake! Zach was so surprised and happy beyond words! I love my Fry's!

Our next big occasion should be traveling to pick up our sweet Selah! We are all so excited! A dream is finally coming true! All our family pictures after this posting will be of two little boys AND a little girl...our family of 5! Stay tuned... ;-)

Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, and Flag Football Begins

2011-01-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Even though we have all been desperately waiting for that telephone call that will tell us we are one step closer to bringing our Selah home forever, life goes on...and with the energetic and loving little guys God gave me, it goes on packed full of silliness, happiness, and busyness!!! I am so thankful for Zachary and Landon. They keep my days incredibly busy and they simply just do not give me many moments for self-pity and sadness. Their joy is contagious and God has been using them to teach me how to wait with grace!

Making Gingerbread Houses is a very messy, but fun annual tradition of ours!

Zachary's grade level had a fun Christmas Play called Elfis and the Reindeer! Very Cute!

Zachary performing at his first piano recital and fancy pancakes made by Chef Daddy on Saturday morning!

Some of the wonderful women in my life that celebrated Selah's hopefully soon homecoming. They are all amazing women! And...two cute runners for the Fulton Snowflake Sprint!

I got the chance to have a nice night out with my handsome husband! We attended the annual Christmas Party hosted by his work.

Look at my two babies so grown up! They looked so handsome for Christmas Eve!

Zachary, Landon, and their cousins Haylie, Ashlie, and Caeden.

Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad!!! They just get cuter over the years!

Each year the boys leave a letter for Santa along with the milk and cookies....socks to keep Santa's toes warm on the long journey....oh, yes, and this year Zachary decided Rudolph needed a special blanket to keep warm!!! I love their gentle hearts :-)

There is the Santa and Friends spread before the boys go to bed, finally, at around midnight! I told them Santa was going to skip our house because they were up so late!!!

Look what Santa left! The boys had been good this year, so they did get their special requests, but Santa came through with a new book from Lisa Tawn Bergren! He brings us one of her books every year! This year her new one is called "God Gave Us So Much!". We LOVE Lisa's books. I have a post on my adoption link about her books and how special they are to us!

Look at the special present Daddy got from Selah this year! Even though she's not here with us yet, she definitely is his little princess! He would move mountains to have her home.

We had one more stocking hanging by the fireplace this year. Selah's is waiting for her still.

Happy 6th Birthday, Landon!!!! One birthday at TGIFridays and the other at Grandma and Grandpa Simmons' house! What a blessed little guy :-)

And finally....I always said (even up to a couple of months ago) that MY boys would NOT play football because I couldn't bear for them to get hurt or to possibly hurt others. Many told me it would be inevitable because they are really tall and strong boys, but I still insisted! As you see, I lost...my BABY turned 6 and started playing football! At least it's only flag football...do you think I'd be able to stick to my words if I just insist upon flag football forever and NEVER tackle?! Hmmmmm.....

Happy New Year to All! May 2011 be full of wonderful blessings! I am praying that in 2011 many children leave orphanages and come home to their forever families! I pray that God moves BIG this year!

Halloween Fun 2010

2010-11-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

A free greeting card by Smilebox

Getting Away

2010-10-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

Our school district is on a year-round schedule so we just finished a two-and-a-half week fall break. It was such a nice break from the busy routine of school and extra curricular activities! Sometimes we really find ourselves just waaaaay overcommitted so taking the step back every few months really helps out A LOT!

This break we headed up north to Overgaard, Arizona. I have always loved nature - growing up in northern Minnesota on a fishing lake kind of made the "tom boy" in me come out! As an adult, though, my two favorite getaways are the mountains and the beaches. When I hear the whispering of the pine trees or the rhythmic rolling of the ocean's waves, I feel so at peace and so near to God. So, at a much needed time, we headed to the mountains where I got to hear lots of whispering pines and God was faithful and He met me right there!

We were finally able to head up with some dear friends for the weekend and then the boys and I hung out on our own the rest of the week while friends and Daddy headed back down the mountain. It is so fun to watch the boys just enjoy being boys. They run, play, dig, yell, collect, and get absolutely dirty and it is perfectly fine! They don't have to worry about cars hitting them, windows being broken by their football, or the limitations of our block walls down here in Phoenix. And I get time to hang out on the porch with my Bible, or another good book, or even the latest copy of "People" magazine! It is FANTASTIC!

The boys and our sweet friend decided to make ornaments for the trees. The drew on old 2x4's, the Dad's cut them out, and the Moms and big sisters used string and thumbtacks to create hangers. bunch we all are! What a creative bunch we all are! Note how they made a ton for in honor of our sweet Selah!

Look at this large furry "friend" we found visiting us!

Look! The colors of fall! That is a treat for us since it doesn't actually happen in Phoenix (the Valley)!

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!

Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord.

For the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.

Psalm 98:7-9

A Cardinal Kind of Celebration!

2010-10-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Our school participated in a competition to win some big time grant money from the NFL. They had a week-long celebration of fitness and the Arizona Cardinals!! They loved logging their hours of fitness at school and home and I loved how it made them aware of the importance fitness plays in health. They would come home from school, have a healthy snack, finish their homework, and then head back out for some kind of exercise! I didn't even hear mention of the computer or tv! Very cute! Friday was the best because of a huge celebration for the first 20 minutes or so of the day where the entire student body did the "Cardinal Shuffle" (remix dance version of the Cupid Shuffle). I just couldn't get enough of watching them dance and have the time of their lives! Here are a couple of cute pictures I took during the Friday morning celebration. Notice the boys have Bible verses written on their black out stuff under their eyes! Proud Mommy Moment for me 'cuz it wasn't even my idea! They love Kurt Warner and the way he speaks out about his faith and they love Tim Tebow and his example of writing the verses on the black out, so they put their two favorites together for this celebration! Thanks Kurt and Tim for being great role models for our children and for honoring God in all they do!

A Six Month Summary!

2010-08-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Because I am such a creature of "order", I just couldn't bear to pick up here right now after six months of not keeping up! So....because really writing it all would be a littly crazy, I thought I would post pictures of the highlights of our lives while we were waiting for our Selah... That, I felt would fulfill my need for order and then I could proceed to TRY to keep up with our lives more regularly!

From January to March the boys participated in Upward Basketball which is a Christian athletic organization. It was so much fun and the boys not only improved their basketball ability but they spent time learning more about the Lord through devotions and memory scripture verses.

Boardbreaking event at Karate for Zachary

Learning to Skate!

Daddy's Birthday!

Happy Valentine's Day! He's the cutest Valentine's present EVER!

Enjoying the snow up north in Overgaard, Arizona

The Harlem Globetrotters! What a fun night!

Zach asked his friend to bring a stuffed animal, book, and blanket to donate to Project Night Night. He decided on his own that he didn't need anymore gifts and that he would rather give something to children who are in need. I just love his heart...he is such a treasure!

Easter Sunday

A Sun's basketball with Reach Basketball.

Celebration of learning at Landon's preschool.

Landon had a ladybug obsession and talked me into ordering 1500 ladybugs! They were everywhere!

We went on a Disney Cruise in May! It left on Mother's Day so it was quite a treat and it also was in honor of our 10th wedding anniversary! I am truly blessed!

These boys were meant to be on the beach....funny we live in the desert!

A trip to Sacramento for a family wedding. It was beautiful there!

Summer fun in the pool!!

Exploring and fishing up north...no more snow, only beautiful weather! A needed break from the heat in Phoenix!

Back to school at the end of July...such a quick summer. Zachary is in 3rd grade this year and our little (but VERY tall) Landon went to Kindergarten! I can't believe how fast time flies!

February to August....all in order :-)

A Great Prayer Conference

2010-02-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to a prayer conference with a couple of my closest friends that was sponsored by Central Christian Church. We were blessed by the teaching of Dr. James MacDonald, Pastor Cal Jernigan, and Pastor Hervin Fushekati! All three speakers were amazing in the way they allowed God to use them to send out His message. They are each a testimony to what God accomplishes when we are obedient to Him. Each of these men have life stories and experiences that convince me that walking in obedience to God has more than likely not always been easy. I’m sure there have been many times throughout their lives in ministry that they have been ready to throw in the towel, to give up because things get tough….but because of their obedience they are allowing God to work through them and in turn consistently touching and changing the lives of so many people!

If you haven’t heard about Dr. James MacDonald, you have to check out his ministry at www.walkintheword.com. He is the pastor at Harvest Bible Church in the Chicago area and he is the host of the nationally syndicated radio program called “Walk in the Word”.

Even though there were tons of “take-aways” from the conference, I think the two that stood out for me were:

1) The teaching on Jeremiah 33:3 which says “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).” AMP

This verse just laid it out point blank for me. It says you have got to talk to God if you want to hear Him! Simple, huh? God tells us to talk to Him and He will answer you!” How much more straightforward can it be? If we want to know the things we cannot understand and want help making those choices in our lives, we must call on Him. He says He will then show us “great and mighty things”! Wow!! How can you NOT afford to take time out of every day to call out to God?

Here is that scripture from the Message Bible: “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own”…I love the ending “things that you could never figure out on your own”. That tells me that if I don’t make praying and worshiping God a huge priority in my life, there are going to be WAAAAAAAAY to many things that I can’t figure out!!!!

2) The passion Pastor Hervin Fushekati has for Christ so totally “oozed” out of him as he shared his story of living in Albania and his conversion from the Muslim to the Christian faith. His sharing was so touching…I think not only because it was simply such an interesting and amazing story, but because of the humbleness with which he presented himself and his story. He told of being a part of a very powerful and strong Muslim family and even being placed in a position by Muslim leaders to infiltrate Christian youth groups and then to conversion to Christianity and church planting and even establishing the International Schoool of Theology and Leadership. Can you even imagine? To me it is so mind boggling. We forget that we, as Christians living in the United States have such freedom to worship….His story is a true reminder of how sad life could be without that freedom and a reminder to never take it for granted…nor to take our relationship with Christ for granted!

I will close with this Bible verse and thought from Pastor Cal Jernigan:

Be still, and know that I am God – Psalm 46:10

God tells us that in that quiet time with Him when we pray; we make a relationship with Him come alive…without prayer we will never experience the person of God.

Makes sense, huh?

My Sweet Baby Boy has Turned 5!

2010-02-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Landon turned 5 this month and we had a blast celebrating his special day over and over and over!!! First, we hit Build-a-Bear and the Rainforest Café to celebrate with his bestest buddies!

And then on his actual birthday we brought cupcakes to his pre-school classroom AND had his favorite dinner along with ice cream flurries (with a candle in them of course!) He was so funny about his dinner request…turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, mac-n-cheese, and strawberries! Quite a combination!

Then on the weekend we had to have the big extended family party as well! That one had a football theme. He loves football (especially the Cardinals…and the Vikings)!

As I sat and thought about how fast the time had gone and how I could hardly believe my baby had already turned 5, my heart was moved and God urged me to see how important the years…the weeks…the days…the moments of my life are with my children! I mean, I know that, but do I REALLY KNOW that?! I try to be present and I try to do what is best, but I know when I take a very honest look at MY life, I can see that sometimes the “trying to do what is best” gets in the way because it makes me over-commit and strangely enough my focus is on my “busyness” as opposed to being on my family! There are so many things to do and so many of them seem like they would be great for the kids, great for me, great for our family….but I have to draw a line in the sand and pick only what we can do without me becoming mentally absent, often distant, and sometimes even cranky!

I am stepping back quite a bit. Sometimes it feels weird and I don’t know what to do with myself in the quiet moments. It feels strange to not always be rushing around! But, I have found so much more time and mental ability to stay totally engaged with both the boys and my husband. I don’t feel myself losing my patience as often and I feel like we have more time to just simply enjoy each other. Will I EVER get caught up on emails, phone calls, and everything else? Probably not…but that’s okay.

I want to be sure to not miss even a moment…not a moment of the good, the bad, and the in-between. I am so blessed to be given the family I had always dreamed of and I don’t want to take a minute for granted. I want to carve the memories into my mind and on my heart so that they can last forever. I want to cherish the incredible gift God has placed before me …the gift of parenting…the gift of caring for His children while they are here on earth!

“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.
He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves

What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor! –Psalm107:28-30

Christmas 2009 Memories

2010-01-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was so full of fun memories! It truly was one of my very favorite Christmases EVER!! I know one of the things that made it extra special was the fact that my husband was able to take quite a bit of time off from work. We all love it when Daddy is home with us!!!! I am so thankful for the family God has given me....How could I ask for more?

Hmmm....there is just one more thing though that I'm asking for....that next year we have our little girl with us to build even more family memories throughout the Christmas Season! Pretty Please?

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Friendship (Snippets Part 2!)

2009-11-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

To start off the month of October, I was blessed by my sweet friend, Stacy who came out to visit from Minnesota. She was able to visit this time without her children and we attended the Women of Faith Conference in Phoenix (http://www.womenoffaith.com/) AND stayed overnight at a hotel WITHOUT CHILDREN! It was so great to get to spend that time with her. It has been six years since the last time we had been together without our children! I love it when our kiddos get to play and get to know each other, but any Mom out there knows how much (or how little) quality conversation takes place when you are surrounded by small children! :-) I think we have started and never finished at least 1000 conversations over the years! This weekend gave us the chance to talk about so much more than the surface topics...we got the chance to talk about the past, the here and now, and about our hopes for the future. The Women of Faith Conference gave us such a springboard of topics to helped us dig into some soul searching about our lives and the plans God had for us and the plans He still plans to lay before us. I am so thankful for that precious time I had to spend with Stacy!!!

The Women of Faith Conference is also a special time for me because it is a time each year I get to spend with a group of my friends from Phoenix, as well. This was our fourth consecutive year attending and I can’t even tell you how blessed I am each year by the entire weekend. It is amazing how God works and how He can make one event touch the lives of each one of the thousands of women in attendance. If you think about it….how different must all our lives be? Imagine the situations and stories represented by the thousands there? But still He is able to work through the writing, speaking, and worshiping to speak words of truth to each and every woman there. Does each year play as powerful a role in my life as the previous? No. But, does God use the time to bless me and change me? Yes! He is so amazing…ALL THE TIME!!

The blessing I thank Him most for during these weekends is the blessing of friendship that He has so lovingly placed upon me. One of the hurts that I had allowed to, almost in a sense, define me, was a lack of trust in the love and friendship given by others. Several life experiences had caused my heart to be broken in several pieces way too many times. Trust became a long journey of faith. Step by step I was learning about the work that the Holy Spirit could do in my life.

I remember four years ago sitting at the Women of Faith Conference and being touched by the depth of the friendships the speakers had with each other. I heard the speakers endearingly refer to each other as their “front porch” friends, and be described as “Jesus with skin on”. I looked around at the women I was attending the conference with and wondered if any of these women would eventually become that to me. I asked God to open my heart completely and help me trust in Him to guide me into blessed relationships. Guess what? He did it!!! Many of those women have become “Jesus with skin on” to me. They love me the way Jesus tells us to love others and I am so incredibly in awe and so incredibly thankful for how God worked in my life to answer my prayers! He is so good…ALL THE TIME!!!! I will forever remember to cherish the blessing of friendship He has given me and I never want to forget to take time to hang out on the front porch with those He has chosen to place in my life!

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. Proverbs 27:9

Snippets of Summersaulting (well...maybe a bit more than a snippet :-) )

2009-11-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

I CANNOT believe that I have been such a delinquent blog writer!! Well, after finishing up on a HUGE project and getting a little r and r, I am ready to write again :-) Now....where do I start? The last couple of months have been incredible and filled with so much! So, because I just can't bear to skip the good times, I am going to go ahead and write about each of them now...even IF it may be out of order and probably NOT good blog etiquette!

So....tonight's entry is about the trip we took over Labor Day weekend. We headed off to California and our first stop was Palm Springs where we took a little bit of time to hang out by the pool ....

Zach LOVED the slide at our hotel!!!

Landon, however, took a little longer to master it!

.........and then we did some sightseeing. Our favorite adventure was definitely the Aerial Tramway that goes up to San Jacinto National Park. It takes only 10 minutes to go up the 2.5 miles to the park! It was so incredibly beautiful up there and the chilly temps were such a welcome relief!!! I definitely recommend the trip if you are ever in Palm Springs! You can find more info at http://www.pstramway.com/.

Going up the tram...10 minutes to get to 8500 feet above the desert floor!

At the top! Soooooooo pretty!

The boys had so much fun climbing!

Just like a whole new world!

After that we headed to Carlsbad for a day at LegoLand and some time on the beach!

Star Wars and Legos...what could be better?

They LOVED the Pirate Water Park at Lego Land!

But the beach will always be my favorite place to make memories....

Look at those blue eyes!!!

Deep in thought....

Can I just hold on to these days forever?....

If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey! Deuteronomy 11:9 (NLT)

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

2009-10-10T01:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad just celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary and they are more in love now than they have ever been! I love their story…I love their commitment to each other…and I love the example they set for all those around them. Their 56 years have been filled to the brim with the good, the bad, and the ugly. But, through it all they have chosen to live by their vows and love each in both good times and bad and that has brought them to now.

Just days before their anniversary, my father got very sick with unbearable abdominal pains. After one horrible night, they went to the urgent care in the morning and the doctor immediately admitted my dad into the hospital. After first diagnosing him with an obstructed intestine, which was a scarier diagnosis to think about, they changed their minds two days later and determined that he instead had a bad gall bladder and that it would need to be removed immediately. This was great news because a gall bladder removal just seems so much easier than an obstructed intestine!

My sweet mom was so distressed throughout all of this. I didn’t know who to worry about more, Mom or Dad? Mom couldn’t sleep at night without Dad there…she would finally drift off to sleep just as the sun would begin to rise. The two of them are together almost all of the time. They truly are each other’s best friends and they just don’t do well when they ever have to be apart from one another!

So, at almost 79 years of age, my father underwent the first surgery of his life! That is actually a pretty good record if you ask me!!! The surgery went well and afterwards when they brought my dad back up to his room to my waiting mom, the nurses were very happy to meet her! They told her they were so excited to meet Mrs. Simmons because they had been hearing about what an absolutely incredible and wonderful woman she was! I guess as my dad was coming out of the anesthesia, he became extremely talkative (which is really funny for him because he is not a big talker) and he just couldn’t stop raving about his wife! He told the nurses and anyone that would listen that he was married to the most wonderful, smart, beautiful, sexy, and incredible lady in the world!! AND (don't forget)….that she is the best cook and he just absolutely loves her pot roast!!!!! Okay….how cute is THAT?!!!

When my mom told me about that, I got choked up because that is what marriage really should be all about. It should be about love that is that strong. And it needs to be known, too, that it was not as if my parents had a life that was easy and not filled with trials or tribulations. It was rather the opposite. They lived through life shattering events…things I pray I will never have to face. I know there were times it would have seemed easier to walk away from each other. There were probably times they may have questioned their lives and how they could go on anymore. But, their commitment to each other and to God prevailed above all else and here they are 56 years later, loving each other more than ever before. I only pray that God will bless my husband and me with a marriage like my parents… and that in 56 years my Bryan will be that much in love with me!!

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me what true love is all about!

Are You Compelled?

2009-09-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

I volunteer with a non-profit organization called Live Love here in Chandler, Arizona. Right now Live Love has me swamped and a bit overwhelmed (no…let’s be honest…WAY overwhelmed)! You see, October 24th will be our third annual Live Love Day and I am fervently praying for a day of success…a day of completing what the Lord has laid before us.

What we do is work with neighborhoods identified as being in need of practical help. We bring volunteers together from local businesses and Churches who work side-by-side with residents to restore beauty and dignity in the lives of these families. We paint homes, make minor repairs, clean, do landscaping, and try to make connections for the families with organizations who can help them meet their day to day needs. You can check us out at http://www.whatislivelove.com/.

This year we are working in three different neighborhoods and are expecting more than 500 volunteers. This is the first year I am leading my own neighborhood which is why the overwhelmed feeling has set in! You see….I’ve had this ongoing prayer for quite some time now. It’s a prayer that many people have…two of my favorite songs are even written about it, so folks, I know I am NOT alone in this prayer!

My prayer has been that God open my eyes to what He sees, to break my heart for the very things that break His heart, and then to fill me with the wisdom to complete His Work in the way He wants it completed.

Can I tell you how LOUDLY HE HAS RESPONDED? First, He allows me the blessing of being able to work in the very neighborhood from which I taught second graders prior to staying home with my boys. Second, because all but two of my families speak only Spanish, I have been the one to sit on their front porch, their kitchen table, or their living room sofa and talk for literally hours. In those hours of conversation God answered my prayer; for right there one afternoon, I truly felt my heart break in a way that only God could break it. It ached to the core for the desperation, the sadness, and the faces that were simply void of hope. These were people with stories of grief and misfortune. I couldn’t believe that right here in a very strong and thriving city like Chandler, Arizona, would there be people living in the conditions I witnessed. Because I taught here years before, I knew it wasn’t good, but now….now things were worse. Our failing economy was so evident and told such a tragic story…

Now? Now I ask you to pray with me that the Lord continues to answer me because I want to do His Work with excellence. I want… and so desperately need to be filled with His wisdom to guide a team of leaders and volunteers that will truly be His hands and feet. I pray for the whole day to reflect the love of a Father who never gives up and Who can restore the hope…restore the joy….and make a new story.

In Church (The Grove Bible Church in Gilbert, AZ www.thegrovebiblechurch.com/)yesterday we had a guest speaker, Tim Davis who is the President of E.L.I.C. The Grove is having a Serve the World Week and Tim opened the week with a moving message about caring enough and being “Compelled by our God of Boundless Mercy”…compelled enough to do what the Lord is asking? To make a difference?

Think about it…hold it still in your mind for a moment and then take the chance to let it run through your heart…are you compelled?

Here is a You Tube video that may help compel you…pay close attention to the lyrics. I’ll post them next time!

Moments

2009-09-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

God uses even the simplest of moments to change the course of our day. That simplest of moments for me was the other morning…it was one of those chaotic kinds of mornings that could only be classified as “challenging”. Everything started out as normal, but for some reason my boys just couldn’t get the ball rolling. You know the kind of day I’m talking about. One child doesn’t want to wake up and the other doesn’t want to brush his teeth. Then the food isn’t what either child was hoping for, one shoe from the pair is MIA, and their little ears just simply CANNOT HEAR my directions the first time (or the second…or third). Oh..wait…the lunch is STILL not put in the backpack? Didn’t I just hand it to them? How did it end up in the hallway floor?

And….and then a problem I never quite thought I would have. Are you ready? My oldest son, Zachary, had been very engrossed in his Bible lately and that particular moment? Well, during that particular moment at approximately 8:10 am (when we MUST leave the house at no later than 8:13) he just WOULDN’T STOP READING HIS BIBLE! What do I do with THAT one?!

Now, honestly, it was truly an answer to prayer. I have ALWAYS prayed for my children to be filled with a hunger for God’s Word, but that morning? Well, that morning, I was so frustrated and in such a hurry that out of my mouth came my very stern and somewhat irritated words “Put that Bible away NOW!” Can you just hear it? Well, God heard it and took swift action! I hadn’t even gotten the last word out and He stopped me dead in my tracks! He instantaneously made me realize what I had just done!!!

I backtracked as quickly as I could and getting down to eye level with my little 7-year-old told him that it makes my heart SO incredibly happy to see him so deep into God’s Word and that I knew that God had the BIGGEST SMILE on His face right that moment! I then took a deep breath and in the sweetest voice I could muster (actually a little high pitched in my nervousness about the fact that Zach would be tardy if we didn’t get out the door NOW) I begged….”But could we P-L-E-A-S-E get in the car super super quickly so that we can get you to school on time!!?” And without skipping a beat my sweet Zach gave me his handsome smile, a big hug, and got up and ran to the car.

After I finished my morning drop-offs of Zach at school and then Landon at preschool, I headed to my Mom’s In Touch prayer meeting. For those of you who do not know what Mom’s In Touch is, it is an absolutely wonderful international organization that helps “impact children and schools worldwide for Christ by gathering mothers to pray.” Their vision is to see that “every school in the world be covered with prayer.” Our schools, which include our teachers and our children, need to be lifted up in prayer and support! Teaching is a very tough job that takes a huge amount of time, tons and tons of energy, and an incredibly big heart. We entrust our children into the hands of our educators and to me it therefore seems absolutely essential to pray for them and our children while they are away from us and out of our immediate care. You can check them out at www.momsintouch.org.

Anyway….at my meeting, after sharing my funny story from the morning, the wonderful women there prayed prayers of thanksgiving for my little Zach’s hunger for God’s Word and they also prayed for my younger son (who has been quite a challenge as of late) to hear God’s Word and develop a personal connection to Him. The prayers were beautiful and so perfect for what had been happening in our lives. They truly were prayers led by the Spirit and when I left that meeting I was filled with an awesome sense of peace.

My day continued as I rushed about to my Live Love meeting (I’ll tell you about Live Love in another post), to pick up Landon from preschool, and to a bunch of other errands before I headed back to pick up Zach from school. The day had been busy and I had already stopped thinking about the events from the morning, but the very second Zachary jumped into the car he pulled out his Bible and started sharing! How cute is he and how thankful I was to the Lord that He guided me toward sensitivity in the morning so that I hadn’t stomped out Zach’s passion!

So, immediately Zachary starts reading from the book of Romans which he tells me he thinks is his favorite book in the Bible because it “Just has so much good stuff to say to us, Mom!” He read
Romans 12: 9-13 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give our brothers and sisters more honor than you want for yourselves. Do not be lazy but work hard. Serve the Lord with all your heart. Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes. Pray at all times. Share with God’s people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes.

As my sweet and definitely spunky little Landon hears the line about joy he pipes right in…”Whoo-hoo-hoo, Mommy!!! That must be God talking to ME!!!! That is MY Word from God!!! He wants me to be having lots of joy and not be angry and whining so much!!”

Can I get an “Amen”? My Heavenly Father planted a seed in Zachary’s heart and when I almost ruined it with my impatience and focus on our schedule; He stepped in and helped me fix my ways. Then He took the work He was doing in Zachary to answer our prayers from that morning for Landon. We prayed that Landon would hear God’s Word and connect that Word to his own life…that Landon’s relationship with Christ would begin to grow and that his behavior would be reflected in it. And He did it!! God opened the eyes of a wee little 4-year-old and helped him to see how He speaks to us about our lives through the reading of scripture…the reading of His Word. He took a simple moment and made it so important…He changed the course of life in one moment…the life of two little boys and one mom!

Children are a gift from the Lord;they are a reward from him. - Psalm 127:3

Heaven is the Face

2009-08-31T00:52:00.001-07:00

You have probably heard of Steven Curtis Chapman before...He is an incredible Christian Singer Songwriter who has been around for many years. He and his wife also have a heart for adoption and have adopted three little girls from China. They created an organization called Shaohannah's Hope that helps orphans in various ways. Tragically, their 5-year-old daughter, Maria, died in accident in May of 2008. I cannot imagine the pain that family felt, but their story has once again been a testimony to what Christ can do in our lives when we include Him and let Him do the healing He wants to do. They have continued the work on their organization and it now has grown and has a new name and website...http://www.showhope.org/. They are also opening "Maria's Big House of Hope" which is a home where the "least of the least in society can receive the highest of care". Go to the website to watch the video clip! It is very inspiring!

Steven has also released a new song called "Heaven is The Face" which is absolutely beautiful....Be ready....get the Kleenex...this one is sure to touch your heart.

Heaven Is The Face by Steven Curtis Chapman

Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “daddy please come play with me for awhile”

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for God,
You know, I just can’t see beyond the door
So right now Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for God,
You know, I just can’t see beyond the door
But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space

All the cancer is gone
Every mouth is fed
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed
Every lonely heart finds their one true love
And there’s no more goodbye
And no more not enough
And there’s no more enemy (no more)

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You
And we both run into Your arms

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see Heaven in the face of my little girl

Click here to watch and hear him perform it....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_q3LGYR3oM

And here is the link to hear Steven talk about Maria's Big House of Hope and the writing of his new song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnHM_2x-pBI

The Schumaker Camping Adventure

2009-08-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend we decided it was time to dust off the old tent and camping items and bring our boys camping up in northern Arizona near the Heber area. It had been close to 10 years since the last time my husband and I had gone camping in our tent, but I was excited because I knew just how much our boys would love it!!! I just envisioned them being able to roam and explore, fish, help Dad build the campfire, roast marshmallow and make smores, and spend two nights sleeping in a tent!!! It was a beautiful picture in my mind!!

It started with Bryan calling me Friday morning telling me that I should be checking the weather channel since he heard it would be raining all weekend. I checked and it said there was only a 20% chance of rain. I figured it wasn’t that bad and we decided to forge ahead with our plans.

The boys were sooooo happy…about ready to pop with excitement as they waited for Dad to come home from work so that we could head out. We got on the road at around 5:00 pm and really had very little traffic. It was going to be a great weekend!!! As we were heading up the mountain we could see very dark clouds off in the distance and then streaks of lightning….which worried me a little bit. Then the rain started pouring on us, but only lasted a few minutes. Then right where those ominous dark clouds and streaks of lightning had previously been, reigned a beautiful double arched rainbow! I snapped a few pictures while driving.

We arrived at the campground at around 7:30 pm and it was dark, but there was no rain. The air was fresh and the smell of pine trees was glorious! We found our site and started unpacking and setting up the tent. The boys immediately began roaming and searching for sticks with flashlights. It was exactly how I had envisioned it. All went smoothly. Bryan and I actually got the tent up in great spirits without snapping at each other even once! We built the fire, set everything else up, got out the marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey bars, and the boys used the awesome long sticks they had found to begin roasting marshmallows. The night was blissful…

Until it came time to sleep. The double sleeping bag Bryan thought he grabbed was really only a single therefore we didn’t have enough sleeping bags and I ended up being the one left to freeze….hmmm.

The campers next to us didn’t want to abide by quiet time hours and laughed and partied well into the evening.

I am almost POSITIVE an animal resembling a bobcat walked stealthily past our tent right where I happened to be facing.

Then I had to use the potty. It was dark. It was cold, and I just thought I had seen a bobcat. I held it as long as I could, but finally gave in and crept outside……all I can say is simply NOT good!

The morning was beautiful. The sun was shining. The boys were excited beyond measure to jump out of the tent at the crack of dawn and go explore. They rounded up a bunch of sticks to make a “humongous” fire that night and thought it was the coolest thing to run around outside in their pj’s! I cleaned all the dirt out of the tent. We had some breakfast and went for a hike which was GREAT!!! We laughed ourselves silly at our son, Landon, who at 4 years old, was super determined to drag for over a mile a log (literally)that was nearly the same size as him back to camp for the fire that evening.

Next was the FISHING TRIP and that is truly where things started in their downward trend! Follow with me…

Fishin’ for catfish with chicken blood that Landon picked out at Wal-Mart?

Dead fish and crawdads (or something) along the shoreline.
Kids bored ‘cuz there are no fish and therefore start playing along the shoreline.

Kid falls into water along muddy, green, murky, fish gutty shoreline. COVERED with yuck!!! (How do I NOT have a picture of that?!)

Then….the rain!

We head back to camp and the rain pours harder. Daddy gave Landon a shower and then we decided that we would pack up and pull out of camp since we had no desire to sit in our tent and stare at each other! Our boys, however, were not happy and the tears were very sad. But, with a little bribery of a trip to Circle K (yes, we ARE classy) and gift somewhere along the line, the boys tears were dried and pack up is what we did.We spent the rest of the day on a road trip through a part of Arizona we had never visited before. It was a beautiful trip and I was reminded over and over again how amazing our God truly is!!! True beauty only comes from and through Him.

We finally got home at around 10:00 p.m. and we were all exhausted and a bit crabby….but overall, it was a
Memory of a Lifetime!

Psalm 36:3-9
The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

Isaiah 42:5
God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth.

Paperwork? All Gone!

2009-08-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the NBC (National Benefits Center) application has been filed, and all other documents needed for the dossier have been notarized, apostilled, and mailed off to All God’s Children so that they can begin the process of translating all the documents into the Bulgarian language. That means that we are almost finished with our paperwork! Now, we will wait for our NBC approval which can take 2-3 months. When we get that, hopefully the translating process will be finished and then we can be registered with the Bulgarian Minister of Justice. Please pray for favor in the approval and translating processes so that we can get one step closer to bringing our Selah home. I don’t want her to spend even a second more than absolutely necessary in any situation where she does not have the love of her very own forever family…the kind of love that I so wish every child in this world had.

I find myself amazed at how God knew before time began that our family would someday adopt…How He knew that He would place that desire deep within our souls. And here we are now having been given the privilege of realizing His grand plan…of feeling that ache in our hearts. As we take each step, I realize that plan even more. Each time I complete something, learn something, or as time simply passes, I find that new feelings erupt and an even stronger emotion and awareness occurs within me. I think how incredibly amazing it is that God knew I would feel this way…even when I never ever imagined the way I would feel!

Even though it could be another year until we get to cuddle and hold Selah in our arms, she is already a part of our family. We think of her all the time and can’t help but talk about her constantly! Zachary and Landon talk to others and write about their sister as if they already know and love her. Our little Zachary closes his prayer EVERY night with “Lord, please take care of Selah and tell her we love her. Let her mommy love her as best she can and don’t let Selah be hurt. Please just let her mommy love her and just not be able to afford her.” Every night he says this, my heart splits in two. It cries out to God repeating my son’s words and asking that He protect her and let her feel the love of a birth mother. But it also aches for the mother that has to surrender her child because she cannot care for her; A Mother that loves her child to a point of surrendering her…surrendering her to the faith that her child will live a better life apart from her. And then?...then I am left firmly standing in faith that God’s Word is Truth and that His Truth says He will make all things good and that from even a tragedy and injustice such as this… He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, and festive praise instead of despair. (Isaiah 61:3)

The Blessings of our Little Piece of Paradise

2009-06-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

We just got home from vacation from where we love to call "Our little piece of Paradise". We spend a week every year in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and we absolutely, completely, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. My husband doesn't get a lot of time away from work and completely relaxing for him just doesn't seem to happen very often....but when we go to Cabo....it is a different story! Is it the incredible awe inspiring beauty? Is it the great food? Is it the kind hearted people who live there? Is it simply spending a significant amount of quality time together? Honestly, I think it is a combination of all the above!

I am pretty sure one of the reasons I love this place so much is that for me, every direction I look, I see the beauty that can come from Christ alone. He is so glorified and exemplified in the incredible beauty of the sea and the rock formations. I have taken at least 500 pictures over the years of the same arch and the same mountains and the same beaches and sunsets…but every time I see them again I cannot stop myself from snapping shot after shot because it is just so breathtakingly beautiful. How God managed to blend all the colors so perfectly and mold the rocks just right and create a sea that is sometimes so innocent and still and at other times so ferocious and wild, leaves me awestruck. Then I can add the beautiful sea life of sea lions, whales, dolphins, stingrays, pelicans, and a multitude of beautiful fish…and again I am left amazed.

Psalm 95:3-5 (NLT)
3 For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth

and the mightiest mountains.

5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too.

And then I go beyond the beauty of the land. I go to where I see people…people that in one moment are capable of putting my perspectives on life and happiness right back in order. I know that right now we hear all over the media about the violence in Mexico. I know that there are lost souls and that there is corruption, but I also know about the good…the very very good. Because I speak Spanish, I have been blessed with the opportunity to talk with the many people who live and work and have families in Cabo San Lucas. I have learned about people who have nothing but are willing to offer you something. They have a joy in their hearts that doesn’t come from anything worldly. They work hard day after day…they try to sell their goods to tourist after tourist (and many not so nice tourists)…all to try to put a meager meal on the table for their family. I would like to say I could work so hard for so little and still be filled with joy and not anger…but I do not know if I could. The media and the scare of violence and swine flu nearly wiped out their only industry…but many still love to chat with me and share their life stories and learn about mine. This is where I see God. Right there in the hearts of these people. Think about it. Really. What kind of person would you be in their circumstances…at earning a minimum wage of 52.59 pesos (about $4.00) per DAY?!! That’s right….per DAY!!!!

2 Corinthians 4:6 (TNIV)For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

We had the wonderful opportunity to visit and spend an afternoon at Casa Hogar during this trip. Casa Hogar is an orphanage that is home to 22 boys ages 6-14. It is an orphanage that opened about 18 months ago and is really trying hard to be a blessing for these children. Did I see God while we were there? Yes! We saw people with hearts filled with compassion for these children who are working and dedicating their lives to try to make the lives of the children a little bit better. We saw young boys who have lived through more sadness than some of us ever will, but their smiles and the sparkle in their eyes says that there is a God and that there is hope wherever He is. The orphanage is wonderful, but it doesn’t have a lot and is in need of much. In case you are interested, here is their website. http://www.casahogarcsl.org/i/69/home.html

Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)Learn to do good.Seek justice. Help the oppressed.Defend the cause of orphans.Fight for the rights of widows.

And then I come to my own little family. Do I see God through them? Most definitely! When I see my boys running, laughing, and playing with complete abandon, my heart is so moved. Their laughter and smiles shines the light of Christ around them so brightly that it is impossible to not notice! They are absolute miracles….a gift from Heaven above.

Psalm 127:3 (NLT) 3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

And finally, where do I see God? I see Him at work strengthening my marriage to my wonderful husband. We are given the time to step away from the everyday responsibilities that so often keep us away from each other and from spending quality time together. We are given that time to remember how much we enjoy each other…time to find a few stolen moments for romance…and time to simply just “be”.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (AMP) 9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun--all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun.

All in all? Blessed beyond words and so very very thankful.

Why Summersaults?

2009-06-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt as though you are spending your life sitting on the sidelines watching other people live out passionate lives? Do the fears of failure, rejection, or criticism cause you to feel as though you are frozen and that the dreams tucked deep inside your heart will never ever come to be? I totally GET that feeling!!! I spent so much of my life experiencing fear instead of allowing God to work fully in my life. But, by His incredible and loving Grace, He took the fears away and freed my soul from its frozen state and, GUESS WHAT?.....I AM experiencing my dreams and passions! He is leading me along a journey that will definitely have ups and downs, but I know it won’t be a sideline type of life. When the fears are set aside and resting in His amazing Hands, and we choose to do our very best to follow His Will for our lives…we are free to experience life the way He designed it. And let me tell you, when we are living life the way He designed it….it is definitely like experiencing the exciting freedom of turning one summersault after another!!! Join my family and me as we do our best to follow Him, His Word, and His Will as we journey through life….first stop?...adopting a little girl from Bulgaria!!!