New Easter Tradition

Sometimes in life, it is important to stop and reflect.  I read a great post on a blog I enjoy reading called "The Anderson Crew".  It was that post that made me stop and evaluate the way we have been doing things.  Easter is one of those things.  Every year we have given our kids an Easter Basket stuffed with toys and candy, and they love it!

I shared the post I read with Darrick and we talked about Easter.  It is an exciting time of celebration remembering that the Lord is risen.  We tell our kids that Easter is about Jesus and not the Easter Bunny, but how are we showing them?  We tell them it is not about the candy but then we give them a big basketful!  

So this year we made a commitment to be more consistent with our words and actions.  We decided that on Easter morning each child will receive some type of book to foster their relationship with the Lord, a verse written on the inside cover of their book that Darrick and I will be praying over them all year (until next Easter) and a few pieces of candy.

Last week Darrick and I went to the Christian Bookstore and looked through book after book until we found the right one to match each child's personality and where they are at in their walk.  We actually enjoyed searching for each individual child-they are so different!

Then we also took a week and thought and prayed about what verse to pick for each one of them.  We came together last night after they were all in bed and shared verses and picked the one that we both agreed was best for where each child is at.  Then I wrote it in their book and we laid them out on the table.

Naomi-6 years old

Jacob-10 yrs. old

Micah-12 years old

*We are not sharing the verses on the blog because we feel that they are very personal and private.

We told the kids last week that we wanted to start a new tradition and they were okay with that.  But what warmed our hearts the most was that each child came to us individually and thanked us for their book.  Naomi was so excited to get her first Bible, she couldn't wait to bring it to church and tell our Pastor!

We desire for our kids to grow in their relationship with God and in their understanding of the Lord.  How can they do that if we do not guide them along the way and point them to Jesus?  Parenting is a journey, and we are constantly learning, growing and trying our best.  We are so thankful that God holds our kids in His hands.

Chicken Love

From chicks to chickens

 It is so hard to believe that it was only one year ago these sweet little balls of fluff entered our family.  We absolutely adore our girls and their distinct personalities. People often tell us how dumb chickens are but we do not believe them!  Our girls are smart!  We have handled our chicks from day one and they are now so tame. 

 And here they are today!

Buttercup

Lily

Oreo

 As much as we love our girls, we have discovered a problem.  When we are home we let them free range in the back yard.  But now that Spring has arrived, they want to spend most of their time in our garden beds!  Three of the four are empty so it doesn't really matter but in the last one we have our strawberry plants from last year and they are tearing them up!

They are eating the new baby plants, digging huge holes and taking their dust baths, ugh!  We hope this summer to build them a better area with a nice big chicken run.  But until then Darrick has come up with a brilliant temporary solution so we can get our garden started!  Stay tuned to find out what it is!

Gluten Free Baking

 One thing we are learning about eating gluten-free is that you have to make it easy.  It is frustrating when you want to make something, only to discover you are missing a key ingredient.  So we made a list of gluten free baking basics and then we went shopping.  We found all our items at a gluten-free store and Safeway.

 I love Mason Jars and I love to see things displayed in Mason Jars.  I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate one cabinet to all our items so they would be easy to find when needed.  But as I was putting the jars on the shelf, I was just not happy with how it looked.  I had to stack jars and some were behind others and it just looked messy to me.

 So I grabbed my hubby and had him help me rearrange shelves in another area in our kitchen.  Thanks Darrick!

 We moved our cookbooks up to the very top, which left more room on the shelves for our jars.  I did not change the bottom shelf or the spices under the shelves-they were already like that.   We are really like how it turned out and we are finding that it functions very well.

 TOP: Baking Powder, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, mini PB cups, instant vanilla pudding, baking soda, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, xantham gum, instant coffee

MIDDLE: Hershey kisses, GF rolled oats, mini chocolate chips, M&M's, natural unsweetened cocoa, milk chocolate chips, cook & serve chocolate pudding, slivered almonds, ground cinnamon, cook & serve vanilla pudding, gelatin

 We have been trying many different types of flours.  The one that we have discovered that we like best is one made by Gluten Free Mama.  It is called Mama's Almond Blend All Purpose Gluten Free Flour.  She has great recipes that you can find on her website. We have found the things we made from her recipes to be pretty close to the originals.  We have found it in a gluten free store but have discovered it is cheaper on amazon.

Happy Baking!

Let the Paperwork Begin!

Adoption Update

It seems like since 2010 we have been riding on an adoption roller coaster.  We got on the ride in 2010, thinking we knew the destination: adoption of a child from the WA foster care system.  Due to many unforeseen circumstances that adoption never came to be.  I say unforeseen but that was on our part, God knew.  After this we were in a period of waiting.  We were not sure which way to go.

In 2012, we were contacted by the agency that guided us through Naomi's adoption.  They were looking for families to relaunch adoptions in her country.  After about 21 successful adoptions that country was closed.  We were so excited and said yes right away.  We have been working toward this adoption and raising money.

But last week we got an update about the opening of the program that changed our minds.  The program has not reopened.  They are hopeful it will, but they cannot guarantee when.  We felt discouraged but we understood.  We have worked with this country and are aware of the way things progress.

After prayers, talks and advice we felt that we needed to withdraw from the program.  We wrote the agency and made it official.

But we do feel God leading us another way.  As of today our formal application has been accepted by Bethany and we are now officially in the process to adopt 1 or 2 kids from the foster care system.  The reason we say 1 or 2 because we are looking for a little girl but we are open to a sibling group.

The cost is about $10,000 so all the money we have already raised will be applied to this adoption.  We have had a great relationship with Bethany for a few years and the local staff that works with our family.  We are very excited to work with them as God leads our family.

Our next step is the Home study process.  Thankfully it looks like some of the classes we already took a few years back will transfer to this adoption and save us some time.  We look forward to sharing our journey with you!

Glad to be back at Church

It has been my goal all week to go back to church today.  I have not gone for a couple of months because I have been so sick.

Last night, as I laid in bed, I got excited thinking that I get to go to church in the morning.  I have been hungry for God's Word, worship and fellowship.  I knew I would be tired afterward but I still wanted to go.

It felt so good to be immersing myself in God's presence.  It was beautiful to be there on Palm Sunday and watch my kids walk down the aisle waving palm branches and singing.  This time of year really means a lot for me as a believer and I was so thankful to be there today.

Allergies

In light of my recent "Gluten Intolerant" diagnosis, we thought we should get Jacob tested for allergies.   Why Jacob and not our other kids?  Here are our reasons:

• Jake always has a bumpy rash on his cheeks
• He often complains of tummy aches
• He has recently started complaining of headaches
• Lots of sneezing and congestion in the spring
• Loss of appetite

So last week we took him to our Dr. and they did blood work on him and we just got the results back.  Jacob is allergic to: Grass, Wheat and Oats.

So it looks like I now have a gluten-free buddy!

Our Tent Trailer

 We are so excited to buy a tent trailer!  We have been camping for years, in fact, we both grew up camping.  We have been tent camping all these years, which has been great but it was time for a change.  It was mostly Darrick's idea and he is very happy with his choice!  We cannot wait until the weather warms  up and we can take it out for the first time!  We already have one camping trip scheduled in June with Darrick's brother and his family.  Who wants to go camping?!?!

Ballard Locks

 The second place we took Flat Stanely was the Ballard Locks.  It is on Lake Washington and helps boats and ships move through different water levels.  We were able to see two boats travel through.

They also have a great Visitor's Center with some interactive exhibits and a movie with the history of the Locks.  Jacob really enjoyed the exhibit where we got the chance to move a ship through the Locks.  He had to figure out when to raise and lower the water levels and when to open and close the gates.  Great learning!

The Freemont Troll

 Right now we have a Flat Stanely, so it was time to take him on an adventure.  We decided to take him to see the Freemont Troll.  In 1990 the Freemont Arts Council held a contest in an attempt to rehabilitate the area under the bridge.  It had become a dumping ground and area for drug dealing.  The troll is based on the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

The kids thought it was so funny to put their fingers up his nose!

His eye is a hub cap

He is holding an actual VW Bug