The Cascades

Our kids have been dying for snow. So today for our Friday outing we thought we would try to find some. We took a drive to the Cascade Mountains. The closer we got the colder it got and it ended up settling at 22 degrees. We never did find snow, it was too far away, but we found lots of other cool things to explore.

The first thing we stopped to see were some giant icicles. We were all amazed and Darrick warned the kids not to stand under them in case they broke off. The kids just wanted to touch them. Well, not Jake, he started a trend that the others soon joined in on!

After we drove some more we came to a beautiful Lookout. Darrick and I got out and enjoyed the views while the kids stayed in the car.

We finally reached the part of the road which was blocked off so we could not go any higher. So we got out and walked around. There was a beautiful river nearby so we went to explore that.

One thing about us is that we love to explore! We are very curious and like to touch and explore everything! Sometimes it gets us into trouble as you can see from the video below "Micah on thin ice". Darrick happened to be taping so we got the whole thing on video! Here are a few pictures I took during the incident. I'm sure you can tell what happened!

Micah on thin ice

Application Completed!

We have completed our first step which is finishing our application to adopt for UJIMA! It seemed really easy and maybe that is because we did so much paperwork for Naomi's adoption. We were able to turn it in last night at our last PRIDE class.

We really enjoyed our PRIDE classes and learned a lot. There was a lot of open discussion and our leader used a lot of experiences from her own life of fostering and adopting. She has a total of 15 biological and adopted children! What a testimony!

Some of the class was really hard for me to handle. To hear what happens to these children when they are first removed from their homes and how they can ge shuffled around. It is heartbreaking and hard to listen too. I was often on the verge of tears.

Last night we were able to meet some of the UJIMA staff and introduce ourselves to them. After we introduced ourselves and that we are hoping to adopt a sibling group between the ages of 4-10, one lady said that her heart skipped a beat because there is such a need for just those specifics.

I started a journal, which I also did for Naomi, to record the process and our feelings and to someday give to our children. Here is part of my entry from last night to give you some insight to how we are feeling:

"Tonight I am thinking about our kids...what is their story? Where are they tonight? Do they feel safe and loved? They have no idea that we are here wanting them so badly and wanting to be their parents. But God knows who they are, and where they are and He is watching over them and in His time, He will bring us together."

It's a great day to bake cookies!

Last year we started a tradition of making these Santa cookies every Christmas season! When I was little my Aunt Karen use to make these for the holidays. Last year I saw that my cousin Kim made them so I got the recipe.

The first step is to make the Santa face.

Naomi just kind of did her own thing!

After we baked them and they cooled, it was time to decorate them. Do not ask me what Jake is doing in this picture...I have no idea...

After dinner we each had one and they were delicious!

Our Friday

So this morning I am doing the dishes after breakfast. I look out the window and this is what I see...

My camera was right there so I took some pictures from the kitchen window. What is with this kid? I better keep him away from frozen metal when it gets colder!

Darrick had to work until 5:30 pm tonight, which is the latest he has worked since he started on shore duty, because he is in charge of the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony on the Base. So we were not able to go on our Friday outing. But tonight after dinner, we put on the Christmas music and decorated the tree. Then we watched the Polar Express and drank Hot Chocolate.

And just in case you are wondering, my beautiful angel, that I made in 2ND grade , it sitting proudly at the top of our Christmas Tree. I know this makes my brothers so happy to see that she still lives on!

Time to grow our family

After we adopted Naomi, we knew that we would adopt again. We weren't sure how, where or when but we knew God would tell us when the time is right.

We have always been interested in the Foster Care system and all the kids that long to be in a family. To us, it really seems like a no-brainer. There are thousands of kids that need a family and we are a family that has love to share. Plus we strongly believe when it says in the Bible to take care of the orphans. James 1:27a says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."

So when we moved to Washington to started to research the Foster Care System and different adoption agencies. We found out the first step on our journey is to take PRIDE classes. PRIDE stands for: Parents' Resources for Information Development Education. It is a 27 hour course that we are taking right now. We have completed 2 of the 6 sessions so far.

When we picked which session to sign up for we picked one that worked with Darrick's work schedule. The class is being held in Seattle at One Church, One Child/Ujima Community Services. It was not the closest class but the one that worked. Our Pastor and his wife Martha agreed to watch the kids for us so we signed up.

Pretty soon after the class started on the first day we knew why we were there. God led us to UJIMA and we knew we wanted them to be our adoption agency. We love their philosophy which is "Finding families for children and not finding children for families". They are all about the kids and believe in that so much they charge nothing for their adoption services. I mean $0.00!

We are asking to adopt a sibling group, preferably a boy and girl between the ages of 4 and 10 but we will see where God leads. We know that He already has our children picked out so we are relying on Him. We really want to be able to keep siblings together since they so often get separated in the system. We are open to any race.

So yesterday we got the application and are working on that. We need 4 references so if you would be willing to do that for us please let us know! We need to do Background checks, fingerprinting, CPR/First Aid and get updated TB tests. Let the process begin!

First Frost

Yesterday morning we woke up to our first winter frost! It was beautiful and kids were fascinated by it. They couldn't even concentrate in school because they wanted to keep looking out the window at it. So I decided we should take a break from school so they could go out and experience it!

The first thing they all wanted to do was touch it!

Our Jake is so cute! Right away he laid down in it and tried to make a snow angel! Have these kids been in Hawaii too long or what! I tried to explain it was not snow but he made a bit of a frost angel. Naomi had to lay down and try to make one too. And if you know Jake, you can probably guess that yes he was trying to eat the frost!

Naomi had to check on Baby Jesus, our outside Christmas decorations, to see if He was cold!

But the excitement of our day does not stop there. When the boys were in the backyard taking Oliver potty, they spotted 2 big fat raccoons walking on our back fence. Micah made me so proud, by running in the house and grabbing the camera! The first picture was taken by him. After he took the picture he called me and Naomi to come and see them. They climbed up a tree and watched us from there.

Oh, the things we would miss if we were not homeschooling!

Time to start our Advent Calendars

Today we started our Advent Calendars! I found this idea on a website called Activity Village . It tells you how to set it all up and gives you different ideas. Then each day you click on the Advent page and click on the number, for example today was 1. It then has a coloring page that you will color, cut out and then add to your Advent Calendar.

Today was a Bell. Included on the page was a bell craft, sing-a-long to Jingle Bells, a joke and two computer games. But the catch is that you can only see that day, if you try to click on another day to see what it will be it says: No Peeking! I tried!

It is not too late to start! Let the Holiday Season begin!