It's ADVENT

My favorite time of year is here.  Advent has begun!

Marc bought us a beautiful new Advent Box.  It is a music box.  Each door plays a different Christmas carol.  Love the heirloom I know this will become!

Advent Day One-

It's Advent!  Advent is a latin word that means "coming".  We are celebrating the coming of Christmas day, the day that God became man and dwelt with us.  As we anticipate Christmas, we remember that we also anticipate Christ's return.  He WILL come again!

Today we will start our Advent book, wearing our brand new Christmas Jammies!  We will also start preparing our manger for the arrival of baby Jesus.  Remember, all month long when your behavior shows a heart that honors Jesus you will get to put hay in the manger.  Let's fill our manger with hay as a symbol of hearts that long to always honor and welcome Jesus.

The bliss of being in the calm after the storm

It's no secret that the last year or so of our lives was hard.  We don't need to rehash move, stress of unplanned construction, adoption, finding about we'd be moving again, having it fall through....ya da ya da ya da.  It was not a life ending trial or unbearable period of suffering,  but living the last year kind of felt like running a marathon without frequent water stations, on a uncomfortably hot day, and running the majority of the race through manure.  Just kind of steady struggle to keep pushing forward with little moments of reprieve just barely long enough to keep you going.

But I find myself now very aware that we are now in the calm after the storm.  It is lovely.  I was diagnosed about a couple months ago with Hashimoto's disease.  It sounds terrifying and yet is kind of fun to try to say times times fast.  What is it?  It is a very treatable autoimmune disease that affects your thyroid.  You'd think the diagnosis would be frightening and in some ways it is: it just stinks to find out you have a life long condition, but it was also instantly an all consuming relief.  I kept pushing through exhaustion, and a funk just thinking it was stress (stress definitely affects it) and that I needed to "get my act together";)  I was fighting trying to find  my joy again and daily fighting the urge to just nap and nap and nap.  Knowing that there was something physically wrong and not just me being lazy or not coping was like a burden lifted from my shoulders.  I don't just need to "get it together"....I need medicine.

It was hard to decide how aggressively to treat, I am in the early stages and I've spent far too much time reading far too much information, plowing through research articles, and reluctant to start a medicine that I'd have to take the rest of my life.  I prayed and it just became clear that it was the best course of action.  I started on meds about six weeks ago.  I feel better than I have felt in a LONG time.  Four kids is still busy;)  But I feel more like ME...me who needs a little extra cushioning after a busy weekend, but giving myself permission to take the needed naps without guilt is liberating!

On top of that, life has stabilized in so many ways.  Christian still has struggles and he's THREE, but he's settled more than every before (as would seem obvious).  We are seeing a new settling to his relationship with Phin.  A true BRO bond is there now.  They are at ages where they can play more and they have their own "things.".  Chloe and Christian are both in preschool and Phin and Ava in School.  I have THREE mornings a week to breathe, catch up, and enjoy the quiet in the house.  Ava has finally dropped her "new kid" complex and is really developing special friendships that SHE is confident in.  Phin has blossomed in Kindergarten.

We're finding our niche' at our church.  It's becoming like a second family.  We are slowly building friendships.  It's like the marathon is over and we are enjoying lunch;)

I have friends here I really am getting to know and love.  My kids do.  My husband does...and we live by my totally awesome family;)  I am able to enjoy my sister babies and smile at the days to come.  I feel like I am finding my place here and starting to uncover the roles God has me to play.

Sometimes we just need to take a moment and inhale and look around and see all the blessings that accumulated while we were dredging through poop.  God is faithful, we knew it in the midst of it, his Presence and provision was life itself....but on the other side, as all has calmed, it's just fun to see all the provisions that crept in there unawares.

That being said...I have been terrible at blogging and often I fall asleep so early in the evenings you'd think I was pregnant (No I am not;).  I should be steadily improving with this Hashimoto's business and I am going to do my best to blog through Advent.  My favorite time of the year is here...but my commitment is to put my energy into enjoying the season first and blogging about it second, so it may not happen daily, but who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself;)  Happy Advent friends, may you all be experiencing a calm in this season of so much busyness.

Phin's Birthday Party

Sweet Phineas is now six year old.  My chubby baby is not a lean young man with an active imagination, a great sense of humor, and a certain affinity for video games.  He bounds through life with joy and truly is living up to his the meaning of his name...his is compassionate and concerned for others welfare.  We couldn't be more proud.

The theme for his Super Six year old bash was Angry Birds and it ranks at the top of fun parties to plan for this mama.  From decor to game, it was a blast to put together and Ava found great pleasure in assisting me.

Ava making mere balloons into Angry Birds for our decor.

Phin LOVED the finished product;)

Our Food table

Gift bags contained stickers, sling shots, and rubber birds.

We first played Angry Bird Bingo

I used a free printable bingo game with the large piece from a pack of angry birds confetti

I found these angry birds masks at Party City and kind of fell in love with them...they still crack me up;)

The boys had to line up for the Main Event...a life size Angry Birds game

My mom collected boxes from work for me and we used green balloons as our pigs.

My dad build a giant cling shot and I found angry birds balls on amazon.

Phin and his Video Game partner loved having a game brought to life

Little borther loved it too;)

Cupcakes were the request from sweet Phin...which "not too sweet" frosting

We fit in a game of pin the tail on red bird before presents.

I have to say, I am so excited about the group of boys he is in school with- they were sweet and well behaved.

My family....always a key part of making birthday parties a success.  Phin is one loved son, nephew, grandson;)

A Heart Felt Plea

*Photo credit- Hawa Images

This kid is pretty special, I think you readers will agree.  He is full of life and mischief...cute as can be in every way possible.  I feel so blessed that he calls me mom.  I cannot imagine my life without him.  Please know I feel profoundly privileged to raise him...profoundly privileged.  But it is not lost on me, that he was not meant to be mine.  In an ideal world, this little boy would be calling a woman in Haiti "mama."  He would never have left her arms, never have been abandoned.  His heart would never have been wounded, he would never have to grow up wondering who else would abandon him.  I love this kid in the very depth of my being...and because I love him, I would give anything to have been able to intervene when he was a newborn and support his birth mom so he would never have experienced the hurt and trauma of abandonment.  I would give anything.

I feel privileged to have adopted.  It is a journey that has changed me in ways I could never have imagined.  I am so grateful.  I feel passionate about orphan care and adoption.  I am even more passionate about doing all we can to make them unnecessary.  Marc and I knew we wanted to forever be involved in Haiti and we knew we wanted to be involved in keeping Haitian children with their birth families, so their are fewer children with wounds and stories like Christians'.  During our adoption, we became acquainted with Heartline ministries and we knew it was were we wanted our support to go.

Heartline Ministries does lots of really cool things to keep families together.  They originally were an orphanage and as they took in children they realized their focus needed to changed from taking care of kids to taking care of families and keeping kiddos and parents together.  Today, their ministries are multifaceted and focus on keeping Haitian families IN TACT through education,job training, and maternal care.

"In Haiti, a woman's lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 83. In developed countries the rate is 1 in 3,800."

Did you read that....1in 83 women die while pregnant or giving birth.  65% of Haitian women have ZERO access to prenatal care.  Haiti's infant mortality rate  (deaths under age 1) is 50/1000 babies.  The USA's  is 6/100 babies who die in the first year. 

Did you know that there are over 400 orphanages in Port Au Prince alone.  In many of those orphanages the children don't even get a meal a day...but they get more than their parents are able to supply.  Parents are relinquishing children simply because they cannot feed them.  What was shocking for me to learn is breast feeding is extremely uncommon in Haiti.  There is great lack of knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding and it's benefits...there are many reasons for this, but the one that makes me more furious is formula companies that came in decades ago under the guise of providing aide.  Formula was positioned as better for infants and a sign of status.  It is expensive and ended up not only providing false information but crippling a culture that simply cannot afford it.  

Heartline not only does prenatal care and delivery at their maternity center, they provide breastfeeding education and support and women are keeping their babies!  My precious little boy was abandoned at about a month old, I don't know anything about his mother, I don't know if she passed away or was simply unable to care for him, but I can't help but pray that if she has any further pregnancies she finds heartline and the support it offers.  I can't help but wonder...if she was taught and able to breastfeed, would she have been able to keep her son?  

These are a whole bunch of heartline babies back for a maternal class (all less than 6 months) ALL still with their birth mama. (Photo taken from Tara Livesay's facebook page;)

I am so passionate about what Heartline does...it almost seems to simple, doesn't it?  Certainly it is much simpler than adoption!

Earlier this year, we learned about a new midwife at Heartline.  Beth Johnson went to Heartline last fall for a short two month stint to cover for a full time midwife who needed to take some time off and be back in the states.  While there, God worked in her heart and called her to stay...she obeyed and stayed.  She has been just trusting God to provide for her support while in Haiti.  We were so blessed to join her support time in the small way we can.  I have been so blessed to follow her blog and hear her heart and her stories.  I have been blessed to correspond a bit with her virtually.

This week she flew home for a couple days to attend her little brothers wedding, she had enough air miles to tack a short jaunt up to Chicago onto her trip.  She flew in Sunday morning, was with us for a day and over night and flew back this morning.  We have grown to love her over the web and were so privileged to get to see her in person!  She exudes Jesus love and her passion for Haiti is palpable.  She LOVES what she is doing and she is doing it literally with all her heart. 

My kids loved Miss Beth and asked this morning if she can come again next Sunday;)

Here is my plea:

I've never done something like this, but I am asking my readers to pray about and consider supporting Beth and Heartline ministries.  I know many people have been touched by our precious little boy.  We aren't all called to adopt, but we are all called to care.  I pray that we are all supporting orphans in someway, but won't you join me in supporting a woman and program that is all about PREVENTING babies from becoming orphans in the first place?!  Yes, I am asking you to pray about giving money; I cannot tell you how much you receive in return, but I know it will be more than you can possibly imagine.  The updates of this ministry, the stories of ladies of their babies- these things are worth more than gold.

Beth's Blog has her story and many stories of the work she is involved in.  There is a tab right smack dab at the top of her blog that says SUPPORT...and you can easily get involved.  CLICK HERE:)

Heartline Ministries has a website with opportunities to support children's education or women as they go through the job training program as well...complete with pictures of each woman who needs a sponsor.  click here

There is so much brokeness in our world...and we can use all our energy try to make sense or it all or just roll up our sleeves and DO something about it.  PLEASE consider joining us in changing the potential stories of kiddos about to be born in Haiti.

Preschool!

Today was the first day of preschool for Christian and Chloe and marks a huge milestone for mama.  It will be the first time in 8 1/2 years that I will consistently have time to myself...three mornings a week to be exact.  I know it will fly by...mornings are short, but I am so thankful nonetheless;)

Since school started for Ava and Phin, I have been enjoying my time with the littles...

I've loved that time...but I also love that it's finally time for preschool to start too!

We visited preschool last week, met their teachers, and received their tote bags.  Receiving tote bags is such a small thing, but they served as a reminder of how much life has changed in a year.  They were symbols of hope to this mama's heart;)  When they receive their tote bags, it is optional for the child to decorate them any way they want.  Last year we didn't decorate them.  We were knee deep in settling in and preparing to pick up Christian in Haiti.  This year, it was a fun leisurely activity.  A symbol that we are settled and in a stable place as a family...such a seemingly small, simple thing that meant so much to my heart and testified to God's faithfulness to us.

We were all thankful today arrived.  These littles were super excited!

I wanted a picture in front of the school sign...but the suns angle made it a "little" too bright.

Chloe did great.  She fancies herself a preschool expert now and had made sure Christian known multiple times a day that she used to be little in 3K like him.

Christian had quite a bit of anxiety and CLUNG to my leg....therefore my anxiety was a bit high too;)  He did great though and was understandably proud of himself!