I guess it has been awhile since I put up pictures. So here ya go!
I just want to eat his face off!
His eye lashes…are delicious!
Miss Princess! of QUITE A LOT!
And I mean, she just makes you smile!
I love them to pieces!
The clan at Six Flags during Holiday in the Park!
Krystina is 3! Can you believe it! She is such a sweet little girl!
And we had Rainbow Cake.
And it was so yummy! I forgot to buy candles, so we only had 1!
We love you Krystina! We are so thankful that we have you back in our life! We have been through valleys and mountaintops with you, and we would not trade it for anything.
You have captured our hearts and will forever hold a special place there! I hope you know how much we love you. How much Jesus loves you. That is the greatest thing in life, to know Him.
You don’t need a spoon, just dive right in! It is YOUR birthday!
These girls are double trouble! And the best of friends!
I hope all your wishes come true!
I know the friendship that has formed will be forever! We love you forever! Through thick and thin. We will always be here to support you. To hold you. Love on you. We cherish you!
I made this tonight, and it was SO good. I wish I had a picture to show you, but we gobbled it all up before I could take one! I found it on Rachael Ray’s website! Enjoy!
* 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
* 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* Two 6-inch hoagie rolls, split
* 1 clove garlic, halved
* One 1-pound package frozen cheese tortellini
* 1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
* 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
1.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 500°. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper; roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and any juices to a large bowl.
2.
Meanwhile, during the last 5 minutes of roasting, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the cut sides of the hoagie rolls, season with salt and toast in the oven. Rub each toast with the garlic clove.
3.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions, adding the green beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Add to the tomatoes along with the mozzarella, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; toss and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the garlic toasts.
Yep we are still alive here. My days have run together…and I wake up and it seems like we are already at the weekend. And it does not stop. I mean can you believe we are already almost done with January. WOW! The most recent thing that has been taking up time is the fact that my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer before Christmas. She had surgery to remove her whole right section of her colon last week. We went to MO for the surgery. Now she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. We are still unsure as to if she will have chemotherapy. Most likely she will. I so wish she did not have to go through all this. It makes me sick watching her feel so terrible.
I am homeschooling my oldest son. We are using Alpha Omega Curriculum. I seem to like it so far. I am still working on schedules and what not. Any ideas? What worked for you?
Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
Gratefulness is an important life quality because it helps us to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have. Gratefulness is a lifestyle but it starts by saying “Thank you” to others who bless us.
Begin now to prepare your children for receiving gifts. Talk about the importance of the giver, not just the gift. Teach children to look at the nametag first so they can be thinking of the person who gave the gift while they open it. Encourage children to express thanks to the giver, even if that person is not in the room at the time. A phone call to extended family or a thank you note to a distant friend can mean a lot.
Gift receiving sometimes provides that awkward moment when we want to ask, “What is this?” or discover that we already have one of these. Play a “What if” game with children to help them anticipate how they might say thank you in those times.
Opening gifts can happen fast and then children are off playing with new toys and games. Helping them to take time to express gratefulness can extend the true meaning of Christmas past the few hours of Christmas Day. And don’t forget to take time to thank the Lord for his special gift in Jesus Christ for us.
Is it really only 5 days till Christmas….where is my time going??? I am not done Christmas shopping. And I have not gotten half the stuff done that I wanted to do with the kids! 
I swore this Christmas I would not be so busy…but this is the busiest December we have ever had! So the next 5 days I am going to just take it all in hour by hour and enjoy all the family that comes tomorrow. 
Only 2 days to get done all that I need to get done before Kim’s graduation. So little time in my days. Or maybe I just need to be better planned. Whatever it is, I only have 2 days.
We have our house all decorated for Christmas. I think it is so pretty. This is my favorite time of year. I love all the decorations. I love all the get together’s with my family. I am thankful we will be able to spend Christmas with Kim and Krystina. I bought lots of stuff to make all sorts of goodies. Kim had said she does not remember ever doing that with her mom. I know I am not her mom, but I wanted her to have some good memories, so we are trying to do things that she will remember. And things that Krystina and Kaitlyn would enjoy doing. Kaitlyn loves to help and so does Krystina.
Okay, I am off to bed. Tomorrow is a big cleaning day!
Isn’t it funny how when God closes one door, soon after another opens. When give God room to work, he unfolds this awesome plan for each of us. But we have to let go, in order for Him to perform. So about 2 weeks ago now, I got a phone call from Kim. Do you remember her, that is Krystina’s birth mom. Now it was not unusual to hear from her, we are still supporting them and talk to them often. She was due to graduate next summer, but has completed all her work and will be graduating on December 8th. I told her we would be there for sure. We are so excited to see them. I wont lie I am nervous too, It has been 5 1/2 months since we have seen Krystina. And we love her! But her and her mom are doing wonderfully! Actually Kim is a dorm mom, and a role model for the other parents there. So we spoke with her counselor at the Teen Challenge center to confirm everything Kim shared with us. And she confirmed it. Then she said, you know Kim really thinks of you guys as her family. She would really love to come and live with you again. She knows that you guys have been hurt and have lost friends and spent money on an adoption that did not go through. WOW, is all I could say. So we really thought and prayed about what to do, and we have decided to bring them back to our home. We will be going down Dec 7th and returning on the 9th with them in tow! We are working very hard on getting Kim’s room ready again and Krystina will share with Kaitlyn. We started praying for a car for Kim and within a few days someone donated one to her. So she will be able to get to and from work. People have donated furniture to her for her room and so that when she eventually has her own apartment she will be able to set it up. Is that not totally amazing. We are so very excited to see them. I am amazed at God, how he has transformed her life. It is about his Grace, Mercy, and Love. It is about his love for Kim. It is about us being totally vulnerable to Jesus and allowing Him to work through us. It is genuine Love for them. To see God continue his good work. As I keep reminding Kim, He who began a good work in you , will be faithful to complete it! And that is so true in her life. It is true for your life. It is God’s grace extended to them in a tangible way. To love them where they are at. Despite my own hurts. To allow God to have his way…We are basically adopting them both and taking them under our wings. I think we already did that but it will be more so now. I do not mean legally adopt them, you know what I mean right? We have no plan but to, allow the Lord to work His plans out. Our desire is to see Kim continue to grow as Krystina’s mom. Be a support system to them. And play an aunt role for Krystina. We believe that God has great plans ahead of us. And as He sees fit, it will unfold. Trust & Faith. To believe in something you really do not see. But isn’t it awesome to know that we can trust Jesus, because he is faithful and trustworthy! He has our best interest at heart!
So here I am. I have sat down and looked at my blog several times since I promised to be back and write something! But the words were just not coming. But today while driving home from Target, I really felt the urge to write, because it seems to be a therapy for me. So our lives have been so busy..to busy actually. I am trying so hard to slow down, stop the clock…can you believe it is almost Christmas. Where has the year gone. I swore last year that I would not be in the same situation as the previous year with no presents bought, no plan. But…here we are again in the same situation. I think it is getting better. Today I came up with a plan, so now I have something to work with!
So my health. I found out that I have a lipoma tumor…that is what they think it is. I see the surgeon tomorrow to discuss having it removed. It is quite large and it causes an ache in my left side. Having surgery right before Christmas is not what I was thinking, but that is what it is looking like. So I am going to just trust in God’s timing and try not to worry about it. My adrenal glands are not working right either. And it is making me physically tired. So I am just pushing through day by day!
So if you think of us in the AM say a little prayer. Once I know when we are having the surgery I will post it!
I know I have not blogged in awhile. Life has been crazy. I have had medical tests. Which has kept me busy and tired! If you follow me on facebook, you know what I am talking about.
And life with 4 kids is just nuts…period! Plus we have some major changes coming our way again. I want to write about them, BUT you are going to have to wait till Monday. I am getting ready to leave for an Encounter at our church. And I am trying to focus on that. BUT IT IS HUGE NEWS!!!! Just when I think God is done…he has a way of changing our plans. But isn’t it fun! I sure think so. I so want to be in his will. I want to be willing always to do what he asks. So we are embracing these changes with open arms! So please come back Monday, I promise you will not be let down! Have an awesome weekend! And thank you to those that have written to check on us. I appreciate it. It feels good to know that you are loved, even when you don’t write anything!
