A Bouquet of Blessings

Rising from the ashes....

2011-09-14T13:20:00.005-04:00

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

- I Thessalonians 5:18

::tapping on monitor screen:: Hello? Is anyone still out there that reads this?

I know it's been way too long. A few times, I've opened up to this page and have started to blog, but alas, I can't seem to find the desire to put the words together. So much has happened in the past year with our lives.

Today, I'm committed to writing. This has by no means been an easy blog post to write. It's not one of those full of happy-go-lucky-we're-doing-great kinda posts. It is full of reality. It is full of life. But most of all, it is full of HOPE!

It's something I am ashamed of. I am embarrassed to share and I am being told by the master of deceit that it is no one's business. But indeed, it is and I refuse to harbor those feelings any longer.

I'll tell you why.

Many of you know how I feel about the present administration and about the fact that this country has been going in a downward spiral since he took office in 2008. Sweet hubby's job started tightening the reins. There are now no benefits for employees, because they just can't afford it. The quality of the medical insurance (that they do not pay for) is so bad, and the cost is so outrageously expensive that we don't have medical insurance, with the exception of Kai, who desperately needs it. It's been a few months that we've been in this situation and we've decided we need to do something fast. So, after much prayer and lots and lots of thinking, we've decided to move out of state where Scott could find a job doing what he is prepared to do and where we could have insurance for the entire family.

We started looking and looking. Lo and behold, Scott applied for a position with a large international company that bought out the company he used to work for. He knew all the ins and outs of the position. Within days, we were sent an email stating that he was one of the final candidates, followed by a FedEx envelope full of forms required for new employment and blood orders for a drug screening test. Boy! God was showing himself in a big way. After many months, this was the answer to our prayers! He was going to get a nice pay increase and more importantly, we were getting great medical insurance for the entire family for what seemed like peanuts compared to the cost in Florida.

We praised and thanked Him every time the wonderful thought came into our heads, which was about a hundred times a day. The icing on the cake was that the job was in Tennessee. A placed that I've loved since I could remember and have been to many times. The last was with sweet hubby celebrating a weekend together before we picked up our Anna Grace.

Then, as many of you know, the tax credit that we'd had sitting at the IR*S for the past 4 years had been changed to a refund! Oh, yes! Life certainly was changing for our family in a huge way.

You see, last year the economy got so bad, so quickly, that we were forced to do what sadly many Americans have had to. We had to file for bankruptcy. The home that we had so proudly purchased 7 years before, was surrendered in the process. I felt ashamed that we had lost our house, our credit and were left sitting with nothing.

But, God remained faithful. He was pulling us out of the trenches. A new job was almost at our reach and we were receiving almost $40,000. that had been sitting as credit with the government. It was a new beginning for us! Yes! We were going to fix our old, now falling apart van, and use those funds to move the family to Tennessee, finally have medical insurance and start a new life.

So, that's the story of rising from the ashes. Okay, it's not.

As we waited to hear from the powers that be that sweet hubby had gotten the job and a received a starting date, days turned into weeks. Nothing. We checked in a couple of times and were told that they had to divert their attention from that position to another, but to hang in there a few more weeks and we'd have the answer. It all looked good.

We sighed, but trusted and continued to praise.

We also waited for that big check to come in. There were delays because they were doing a 'review', as most everyone I know who is waiting for their big refund, has been told. Several weeks later. We receive the letter from that infamous agency saying that everything was approved and that our check was on its way! Again, more praising. We just had to learn patience. That's it. God was teaching us patience.

In the meantime, bills continue to pile up. We are looking at another surgery for Kai in the next few weeks and praying daily that no one gets sick or injured while we wait. But, it's all good. Patience is a virtue and God was certainly showing us that.

Fast forward to last week. The email from the new job came in. The company decided to go with the other candidate because he was local. "An easier choice." We felt crushed. How could that happen? Sweet hubby had already done his background checks, drug screening, salary was agreed upon, and he knew everything about the position. It was just figuring out the logistics. Well, it wasn't meant to be. Many tears and many questions to God went up from me. So, what did we do?

WE PRAISED AND WE THANKED HIM!

Yes, it's all His perfect plan. Maybe that wasn't the job that was meant for us. Maybe it wasn't going to be 'the best', and we know God only wants the best for us. So, we dusted our sandals and decided that there was nothing we could do. We have to move forward and God will show us what door it is that he wants us to walk through.

BUT...we still that have big check coming! Yaaay! Although that's not completely the answer to prayers, we could give a big sigh of relief that at least we were able to start over. We continued to thank and praise.

We waited and waited for the check to arrive. I spent more hours on the phone with said 'agency' that I ever thought I could or would want to. Person after person assured me that it was mailed 'over a month ago'. They reviewed the address. They gave me a check number. The date it was mailed. "It must have gotten lost in the mail", we were told. Finally, we were instructed to file a form to trace the check. We did as they suggested.

Just two days ago, they found the check! Yes, it had been mailed. The only problem was that it was mailed to the trustee of the bankruptcy courts and not us. Their letter was apologetic over the 'confusion and inconvenience this may have caused.' The bottom line was that our almost $40k dollars that we were going to start life over again with was to be given back. We happened to file for bankruptcy the same year that the adoption tax refund went from a credit to a refund. Therefore, we are no longer entitled to that money.

So now, no new job. No money. No insurance. No starting over.

But the most important part of this is that we remain steadfast in our faith.

GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL!

GOD REMAINS COMPLETELY TRUSTWORTHY!

GOD REMAINS SOVEREIGN AND OMNIPOTENT!

GOD IS IN CONTROL!

I won't tell you that I received the news and jumped for joy. Oh no! I cried. A lot. I ranted. I questioned. I was devastated and angry and sad and depressed. I felt hopeless. Every single one of those feelings was the flesh. That was the humanness in me.

Then something wonderful happened. God's grace took over. I was not only picked up by a God-fearing husband who said to me, "God's plan is much bigger than that, much better. We have to trust! We have to stand firm in His word and in the fact He is in control of all of this." I knew immediately. THAT was the voice of truth speaking through him.

We again, dusted our sandals, picked ourselves up. This time, with more love and joy and hope in our hearts than we've felt in a long time, we thanked Him and praised His glorious Name! Why? Because we believe in everything He is and was and will be. He has not changed, nor will He ever change.

If you've still not realized why I am sharing such a very personal story is because there may just be a person or two out there that is going through similar situations. I just want you to know that there is ALWAYS hope. There is hope in our Savior. He will never forsake you. You just need to trust that with all of your being. I know personally, that I can't wait to share with you what bigger and better plans He has for us because I know He does.

In the meantime, we continue to thank, praise and honor the Name above all names! We trust Him more than ever now. How awesome is that? To think that life is back on track, and then you end up with nothing again. But it is really nothing? No. We ended up with the most important thing a person can have when they feel so down and so deep in the pit that they can't see the light shining over them. We ended up with HOPE! And that word encompasses all that Jesus is. It encompasses the reason He died on the cross for you and me. He is HOPE!

Come what may, bring the rain because we remain steadfast in saying,

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!

- Joshua 24:15

I pray these words bless you as they have blessed me.

Our circumstances in life are worldly.

Our God's love for us is eternal.

(I do want to add that during Bible study this morning, we were talking about God's promises and so forth and Kai burst out saying, "Mama, we're going to get to the Promised Land.... Tenneessee!". We learned about the Israelites a couple of weeks ago. That made me smile BIG! Yes, baby, we are gonna get to the Promised Land!!!)

'One Born Every Minute'

2011-03-29T22:58:00.006-04:00

Leaving the courthouse with our little man on our first Forever Family Day!

I have so much to blog about, but tonight, specifically, my heart wants to share about domestic adoption. I don't know how many of you have watched the show 'One Born Every Minute' on the Lifetime channel and to be honest, tonight was the first time I've watched it myself. My son came running upstairs to tell me it was on and it was about a birthmom placing her twin babies up for adoption. I, of course, immediately flipped the channel to watch. All I can say is, "Wow!" Ironically, the littlest person in this house, our domestic baby, just turned five this week. FIVE!! Rarely is there a day that goes by that I don't think about how God has blessed us. Yet, ironically, the love is so huge that sometimes I forget he wasn't born in my womb. (Actually, that's even happened with my Chinese babies, too! Shhh!!)

I digress.

What I really wanted to say is that adoption is the most amazing gift you could ever experience. There is nothing in the world that it could be compared to. I have given birth three times in my life. Each and every time it has been a life changing, incredible experience, but it was 'safe'. It was, for the most part, something you prepared for. You knew the outcome, God willing, would be a sweet angel in your arms, after nine months.

With adoption, it's not like that. At. All. Tonight, I am only focusing on our domestic adoption because of the roller coaster of emotions that I was reliving while watching the show.

Your heart soars with every thought that there is this 'chance' that you could bring a baby you've been dreaming about home with you. And a few minutes later, your heart feels like it's going to rip apart because of the fear-filled possibility that the birthmom will change her mind. This cycle happens over and over. A part of you understands, or tries to understand the pain and grieving that she will be going through after that baby enters the world. Yet, the ugly, selfish part of you, the part of you that feels that you could offer that baby everything he or she deserves, doesn't want to have any empathy.

As you wait to hear the news about this little creature's arrival, your mind spins out of control. Between the grandiose dreams of motherhood and the horrible, negative thoughts of being rejected, the spectrum of emotions is so vast that an ocean could run through it.

Then it happens. The moment everyone in this triangle has been waiting for. The baby takes it's first breath of air. He enters the world. I could only imagine the thoughts that go through the birthmom's mind as she hears those first cries. My heart shrivels up thinking about the decision that she will be making.

How can you ever, ever repay anyone for a gift like that? Giving this child life and handing them over for someone else to raise, in my eyes, is the most unselfish act that any woman can ever make. There just aren't enough thank you's in the world that could scratch the surface of how you want to express what it means for you to be given the opportunity to be called "Mama".

While watching tonight, I felt like I was back in that hospital room almost 5 years to the day. Watching the birthmom's pain on the TV set was like watching the pain in our own birthmom's eyes. Watching the anxiety and finally relief as the adoptive Mama held her babies, was like feeling my own anxiety and finally relief as we walked out of the hospital with that baby boy.

If this is just an iota of the love that God feels for us, His adopted children, it's a love that I can't even wrap my brain around. I worship my God. I adore my husband. But the love for my children, all six of them, is an unexplainable, protective love that knows no boundaries. Blood may be thicker than water, but a mother's love for something that has been given to her by God himself is stronger than any human can logically understand.

I am thankful that my heart knows and tells me that these are not my adopted children. These are my children. Period.

I am blessed.

We are blessed.

We are blessed beyond measure.

Thank you, Jesus!

Lord, please, I pray that you abundantly bless our birthmoms that have so unselfishly chosen to say, "Yes" and give life to your most perfect creation, a baby. Our babies. Father God, fill their hearts with your peace knowing that their children are loved and treasured beyond anything imaginable. Amen.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2011-03-18T01:56:00.005-04:00

So, what do you need to make it a perfect St. Patrick's day celebration?

Well, you start the day with making some leprechaun projects.

Then, of course, you need some yummy Irish food like corned beef and cabbage,

some green beer and a frosty green drink to wash it down with,

of course, a couple of "toasts" are a must in order to really make it a celebration,

three really cute kiddos for company,

and a ~~dollar weed~~ 3-leaf clover for luck!

There you have it, Lad. These are it! The makings of a great St. Patty's day celebration.

May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go. - Irish blessing.

A Do-Over: Chinese Royalty Visit Local Park

2011-02-11T18:08:00.007-05:00

**This post was written for the photography blog, so for those of you folks that have already seen this, my apologies.

Lately, I've been struggling about how to add more hours to my day. Life is so crazy, busy at the Bombardier household between school, work, and play that it's getting tougher and tougher to keep up with my old therapeutic buddy, my blog.

So, I thought I wouldn't keep you waiting any longer and would post a few pics from one of our visits to the park the other day. These two little critters make me smile....A LOT! I'm sure they'll do the same to you.**

After running errands with the Chinese Royalty, they begged to go to the park.

Knowing that they could definitely use the release of some energy, I obliged. Not to mention the fact that I, of course, had my camera with me and what a better opportunity to take pictures than at a park with two of my babes.

So, they jumped,

and they swung,

and they slid,

and they climbed.

They played games,

and they giggled.

They took a candy break.

and like all siblings, had to compare whose tongue was greener and whose lollipop was licked the most.

Then they tried to decipher ~~graffiti~~ ancient Hieroglyphic writings.

It was an afternoon filled with fun...

and love.

What a perfect way to spend the day!

HONORING OUR MILITARY

2011-02-03T12:57:00.001-05:00

As a tribute to our troops, I am honored and proud to offer a free photo family session to any active duty or disabled military families in SW Florida.

If you are one of these families, or know of one, please EMAIL ME privately.

Dear God, Let's Talk!

2011-01-31T21:08:00.011-05:00

As I was laying in bed tonight, I began thinking about all the things I start and never complete. I thought about all the times I pray to God for desires of my heart (not referring to material things) and after a while of not getting an immediate response, I just stop asking. I figure it's not in His will and it ain't happening. So, I don't bother with it.

Isn't that what our kids do when they really want something? They ask and ask and ask again. After hearing a few, "We'll see", "Maybe" or the occasional, "I don't know.", they just stop asking.

Before the holidays, I began feeling this strong nudge from God saying to me, "Draw yourself closer to me. Drown yourself in My Word. Let me lead and guide your life and you will see the changes that you ask for and think I don't hear."

So, I thought I'd once again ~~fail at~~ attempt to read the Bible in one year. I did that, for about 3 weeks. Then I got so far behind in my daily readings that it soon began to be chapters instead of verses. I think that was the third or fourth time I've attempted to do that. Don't get me wrong. I love the Bible. I have bible study with the kids every morning. We read, learn scriptures, and break apart and digest His word with a deep hunger. So, why I can't do it alone? I don't know.

Then, I tried praying at length daily. I tried finding that quiet time. I feel God's presence with me all the time. I talk to him 100 times a day. I pray while I drive, shower and even walk outside to get the mail. I see His miracles working in my life daily. The fact that I don't have time to sit and be still, is a cop-out. A poor excuse. If I can find the time to edit pictures, chat on Facebook, and peruse the Internet, I certainly have the time to give to God.

I want to feel Him. I want to give Him all that I have. Why is the humanness in me making it so darn difficult?

That all leads me to tonight.

Tonight, I realized, really realized, that God hears every word I say. I just don't give Him the time to respond. Or better yet, I don't give myself the time to see His response.

Tonight, I believe I've come up with the solution to this.

As a little girl, I loved keeping a diary. It was my secret place where I could write my most intimate thoughts and ideas. A safe place where I knew I wouldn't be laughed at or judged for pouring my heart out. But, besides being able to write down those thoughts, my favorite part was months later, being able to look back at that part of my life and seeing how those moments in my life had morphed into something else.

Some of you may think, "This is your brainstorm? A diary?" Well....yes.

A prayer journal of sorts. A diary to God. Writing in it daily, if I can. I'm excited about it because I love writing. Writing by hand. I love reading. And most importantly, I passionately love God! I want to please him.

How cool is that? I feel like I can talk and talk and talk. I know He's listening. Whether it's me speaking out loud or pouring my heart out through writing. He hears my heart. But you know what I am most looking forward to? Just what I looked forward to over 35 years ago, looking back at my writings, months later, and seeing what He's done with me. The thought fills me with a mixture of joy and thrill.

Lord,

I think I get it now. I am your disciple, Thomas.

But I think it's okay. I think you know that it's not that I doubt you, Father. It's not that I don't believe for one instant, that you can't move mountains or that you don't love me with a passion that is inconceivable, but I am a slow learner. It's just that I respond well to visuals.

I teach my babies every single day to be on the lookout for your miracles. We see them every day, Lord. Whether it's in a baby bird sitting in a nest or a little one with a skinned-knee that was healed with a prayer and kissy, or a beautiful sunset where we announce that you are painting with watercolors, You are there. I have no doubt in you. Whatsoever. But I learn so much easier by seeing.

Father, I hope you understand my enthusiasm when I think that I can empty my heart and soul out to you on paper and then months later, go back and see how your miracles unfolded in my life. To be able to remind myself of those miracles any time I want, just by opening a book, makes me giddy with excitement!

I can't wait to read in awe and wonder about your works and how you transformed me, how you transformed my life. Being able to relive the exact feelings during both the moments of trials and the moments of answered prayers, because they are right there, in detail, in front of my face, is a huge gift. Being able to see how you took my prayers, my pleas, my hopes, my dreams, my sorrows, my fears and molded each and every one of them into Your perfect will, is just icing on the many blessings that you've poured upon me.

Oh, Lord! I wish I had thought of this before. But, with each passing day, like all fathers do, you teach how me to grow and I understand that takes time. I am so thankful for your patience and unconditional love.

I think this was my first journal entry. It turned out to be a public one. Not what I wanted, but that's how it turned out, and you know it came from my deepest part of my heart. I love you so much, Jesus!

Looking forward to talking to you soon, Father. Very soon.

With all my love,

your daughter....

WOOT! WOOT! ARE YOU READY FOR A GIVEAWAY?????

2011-01-29T12:14:00.008-05:00

If so, head on over to my photography blog,

Ohilda Bombardier Photography,

The prize is uber cool! Yup, I said, UBER cool!

Dreams do come true!

2011-01-17T12:25:00.003-05:00

GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!!!

Affectionate + Adorable + Adroit = A.J.

2011-01-11T22:37:00.014-05:00

Those are just a few words that come to mind when I think about the youngest piece of my heart.

He is all boy, even when he's playing construction worker and stops off for a quick tea party with his sister.

I think one of the many things I adore about this boy is his loud, boisterous, impetuous laugh! He laughs with his whole body and soul and you can hear the roar building up from the deepest parts of his lungs before it spills out.

He can turn on the charm and enchantment likes he's flicking on a light switch. I try and fight it. Really. I do. But when I look into those big, twinkly, hazel eyes, it's so darn hard not to get tangled up in that string he holds around his little finger.

Beneath all the charisma and allurement, lurks a mischievous, playful and coy little boy. One who loves his Mama with all his heart and truly tries to please, but sometimes it's just a losing battle, for both of us.

Oh yes, he gets into everything. Every. Thing.

His direction following is as good as when you release an air filled balloon that hasn't been tied. You never know which direction it's going to take.

I especially love it (well, not really "love") when he breaks something or goes into someone else's things. He usually comes running with a look of pure horror on his face, all the while exclaiming, "I don't know who did it. But "...."'s whatever is broken and I just happened to find it that way. Right now. Really. It wasn't me."

Oh yes, the entire family then knows that it was A.J. who did it. No further investigation is needed. And when he finally 'fesses up, he's been heard saying (on the way to the time-out chair that now has a built-in imprint of his bottom since he's in it so much), "For crying out loud! I did it again!" Hehehehe.

The boy is a hoot. But, honestly, that makes him who he is. Although, he challenges me to the core at times, I wouldn't change a thing about him. Well, maybe just a little.

Truly, the Lord blessed us immensely when he called us to be AJ's Mama and Daddy and it's been absolutely nothing but an honor and pure joy!

Right after this picture (above) was taken, he hopped off of Santa's lap and came running to me with complete excitement in his voice. He said, "Mama! Guess what? I have it all under control! Santa asked if I was a good boy and before I could tell him that it was the old me doing stuff, he started asking what I wanted for Christmas! Mama, he didn't care!"

The raw emotion in his voice believing not only that this was really Santa, but that Santa didn't care about his not-so-great behavior made me almost tear up.

Oh, how could I have burst that bubble? So, I didn't. I shared in his joy and told him Santa was a really good man to overlook the "old" AJ! :)

My feisty little guy is also doing great in school. His favorite subject is bible study. His little face becomes very serious as he grasps each word I read to them during our bible stories. He's inquisitive and tries to make sense of why God does what He does. He loves God with all his heart and says the sweetest prayers at bedtime. I love when he's had an exceptionally tough day behaving but makes sure he asks God to help Anna Grace and Kai be good for Mama and Daddy. Of course, not mentioning himself at all. We gently remind him to not worry about others' behaviors and to ask God to help him be a good boy. Then, with eyes still tightly shut and little hands folded, he includes, "And Jesus, please help me behave a little better." So cute!

It's hard to remember that he shouldn't even be in kindergarten until September, yet he knows all his alphabet, can count to 20, knows all his sounds and is starting on sight words and basic math. He's smart as a whip and has an excellent memory. He can remember things you've told him once, from the previous year, and has an amazing sense of direction. Sometimes to the point that it's scary what he can remember.

What I think I love most about my sweet, baby boy is just that. He's sweeter than sugar and treasures his family. He's definitely a 100% Mama's boy, which of course, makes my heart mush.

I think my favorite part of the day with AJ is first thing in the morning. He wakes up bright and early and drags his sleepy, little body, with tousled hair and crumpled pj's to my bed. Then, he stands on the edge just staring at me. No words spoken. No attempts to wake me. He just stands there. Waiting. I'm not sure what for. But, waiting.

Oh, many, many a times I have woken up and jumped out of my skin because he's just standing there staring at me. Then with the cutest, most sheepish grin he could muster, he climbs onto my side of the bed, wiggles himself onto most of my pillow, pulls the comforter over himself and snuggles in next to me. He always whispers a barefly audible, "I love you, Mama." and within seconds, he's fast asleep. I love those mornings!

I love kissing those sweet cheeks and seeing that impish little face!

He's a great swimmer and has enough energy to put the sun to shame.

Nothing in the world makes him beam brighter than when he is praised for his achievements.

He loves being the tallest of the trio and is strong, lean and muscular.

He is confident, determined, brave and persistent. He makes a great case for himself when caught in the act and he is dauntless. He can go from being rough and tough to being a tender hearted, warm spirited, gentle, soul.

He has an imagination that is unrivaled and can go on for hours extending the story about how this happened and then that happened.

He loves being called Mama's Silly Goose and loves being held like a baby and rocked. I know that in a few years, that will wear off. So, I treasure each time he asks me to "rock him like a baby".

I often tease him when I'm carrying him (all 41 pounds!) by pretending to cry and saying, "AJ! Please! Please stop growing!" He giggles playfully and says, "Mama, I can't! Every time you feed me, I grow."

Oh, this little boy, who I can't believe is going to be five years old in just a couple of months and was literally dropped from heaven into our family, owns a huge piece of my heart. I am so very proud to be his Mama! And the best part is he darn well knows it. ::sigh::

Snapshot Sunday: It's all about Anna Grace!

2011-01-09T14:27:00.006-05:00

I haven't had much time to blog with the holidays and all the craziness, but today as I was editing pictures, I decided to join Stefanie's Sunday Snapshot and include a picture that I absolutely love, of Anna Grace. Well, of course, this Mama's heart can't always settle on just one picture when it comes to her kiddos, so I decided to give you all a much anticipated update on our girl. (Don't fret...I will do the same for each of the other kiddos also!)

So, today, it's All About Anna Grace!

Be still my heart....

Little elf helping put up the Christmas decorations. Oh, and the blue lips and mouth? That was courtesy of the ring pops Daddy has gotten into the habit of bringing home. :)

Helping Mama bake yummy Christmas cookies!

On January 4, my darling girl had another hand surgery done. We are praying for positive results, which shall be known on Thursday, Jan. 13, when we return to Shriners.

She wanted to make sure that I took a bottle of pink nail polish to the hospital to paint her piggies the same color as her cast. Of course, Mama obliged. Here she is with perfectly polished toesies, just 3 hours after surgery.

Her first set of baby teeth that were loose had to be pulled by the dentist a few days before surgery because they were afraid they'd snap off when they intubated her. The tooth fairy paid double for this. ;)

Of course, all Princesses need beautiful, curly hair, so we decided to go all out and get spongey curlers to achieve the perfect look. As you can see in the first picture, voila....Princess hair!

Having breakfast on some very cool plates Santa brought!

Is that the cutest little Indian ever? The boys were Pilgrims on Thanksgiving and she wanted to be the female version of "Squanto", since we had learned about him at school.

So, where do I start? I think of the little ones, Anna Grace is the one that has changed the most over the past six to eight months. She has continued to grow like a weed (she is 75 percentile in height on the AMERICAN CHARTS!!) but this Cuban Mama thinks she looks like a beanpole she is so thin. I took her to the doctor and the doctor reassured me that she is fine and that the reason she looks so thin is because she is so tall. Thankfully, I have a latin doctor who agreed to appease me and prescribed an appetite increaser. She's now eating us out of house and home. Heh.

Not only is she growing physically, but she has matured by leaps and bounds.

She had 2 adult teeth grow in right behind her baby teeth on the bottom. This occurred just weeks before her scheduled hand surgery at Shriners. When the doctors up at Shriner's saw that the baby teeth were beginning to loosen up, they recommended having them pulled so that they wouldn't break off during intubation. So, off we went to the dentist. My girl was so brave! They gave her a small bit of laughing gas and did their job. She didn't budge. Her courageousness was well rewarded by the tooth fairy that night and she woke up a very happy camper!

In school, she's been storming through her workbooks. She's actually doing mostly first grade work and while she is reading well, her strong area is definitely math. So much so that during our timed math tests, she surpasses Kai, completing approximately 30 problems in 2 minutes! She can count by 2's and by 5's and count forward and backwards from 100. I am so very proud of her! She now can write sentences and point out nouns and plural nouns in sentences, too! She recites scripture better than the boys and can remember not only the scripture, but the book and the verse, too. She is competitive by nature and while not very verbal about it, you can see the fire in her eyes. Then, she sits back and waits for the accolades to rain down beefore hamming it up! Pretty funny.

As to her attachment issues, we continue to make strides. Sometimes it's 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, but we are moving along. Like last time, the surgery helped reassure her that Mama was here to stay. We went up to Tampa, just she, Daddy and I. She was very insistent on sleeping with me the night before surgery and asked many, many times if I would be there when she woke up. I, of course, said yes to all of her requests and was the first face she saw when she opened her eyes in the recovery room. She then slept in our bed the first few days after surgery, until I was comfortable that she was no longer in pain. Then, I moved her back to her bed, saving me from receiving quite a few middle-of-the-night smacks in the face with a rock hard cast.

We continue lifting her up in prayer because one of the fingers that they worked on, the surgeon was a bit fearful might not survive, due to lack of blood flow. He told us he was giving it a chance, but if obviously the finger died, or any part of it would turn black, she would need to have it amputated. My heart is heavy for her because I know she was so looking forward to having 5 little fingers, but I also know how resilient and tenacious she is.

God has huge plans for this little girl and we firmly believe that she will achieve them all, for His glory. On the 13th (next Thursday) we return for the cast to be removed so they can see how the healing is progressing. If all is well, a new cast will be put on and we're done. If there is not sufficient blood supply to the finger, then we will schedule another surgery to have it removed. Please, if you are reading this and she comes to mind, would you say a little prayer for her?

Other than that, she's doing great! She is feisty, bossy, stubborn, mischevious, sweet, loving, gentle and caring all rolled up into one! She loves all things girly and is really beginning to learn to nurture her "babies". She understands what a "Mama's role" is and often talks about when she grows up she will live in the house next to Daddy and I, so she can visit us everyday with her babies. Yes, this coming from the same little girl that a year ago would have taken off running with a stranger if things were not going her way. She now looks forward to our Mommy dates and comes back and tells the boys about the special things that only Mamas and daughters could do.

I have been blessed infinitely with this precious treasure and thank God every day for placing her in our lives. I love her so much and am so very proud of how far she's come. God's wisdom is beyond anything I could ever comprehend. How could He possibly know that this little girl would fit seamlessly into our family? Because He's God! And I believe when all is said and done and I am an old lady with an empty nest, Anna Grace's bond with me will be just as strong as each one of my other blessings, if not stronger. That thought, makes me smile BIG!

Please, will you join me?

2011-01-06T15:03:00.013-05:00

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

I want to share a story about a very dear friend, Grace, and what she is going through as she waits for her sister, Stella, to walk into Jesus' arms. It's a story of hope, of love and raw courage and strength.

I would love for you to help.

It involves no money.

It involves no effort.

It solely involves allowing your heart to be moved and to pray diligently for this family.

It involves letting them know that they are not alone.

It involves being God's hands and feet and allowing these two sisters to feel God's love by showing them that whether or not you know someone in the physical world, it does not matter. They are a child of God. We are one body in Christ.

I want to start by sharing a little about my friend, Grace. Her heart is huge. She is kind, loving, and has a courage and strength that I have seen in very few people in my life. She is also a wife to a wonderful man, and the mother to two beautiful girls.

Grace and I have known each other for almost 20 years. We were pregnant together with both our older girls and she was the officiant at my wedding to Scott.

With all the joys that she's had in her life, she's also endured a lot of difficult times. These include losing her mother to ovarian cancer when she was only 17 years old. Then being diagnosed with breast cancer herself shortly after my wedding with Scott. She's a fighter. A survivor. By the grace of God, her sister, Stella, gave her an amazing, yet bitter-sweet, gift four years ago, when Stella was diagnosed with her own battle against this devastating disease. She literally gave her the gift of life.

In 2007, Grace chose to electively have her ovaries and both breasts removed in order to stay one step ahead of the horrible disease that had robbed her mother from her and is now stealing away her sister, also.

I'm asking you to please go over to Grace's blog, My Journey with my Sissy, Stella and read a bit more about these two amazing women. Then, join me in lifting them up to our God. Let them know by commenting on her blog that you are doing so. That you are praying for them. That God's people unite and that the power of prayer is huge. God listens. He may choose not to heal Stella, but His Holy Spirit can move mountains as they journey to the end of her earthly life by allowing them to feel a peace that they don't understand. The peace that can only come from Him.

Prayer warriors, dear friends, this means so much to me. Grace can obviously not change the circumstances, but her one desire, is to have as many people as possible praying for her big sister. I have taken the liberty to ask you, my readers, to do this and to spread the word. Please pray and leave words of encouragement. They so desperately need them.

Thank you, as always, your friend and sister in Christ....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-12-31T14:20:00.006-05:00

CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR, FROM OUR HOME, TO YOURS!

Today, a good friend reminded me of an amazing gift given to me from my sweet husband, two years ago on New Year's Eve. I thought I would share that gift again, with all of you! (Please remember to scroll down and pause the background music.)

* IF THE VIDEO DOES NOT COME UP, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!!

2010-12-23T08:28:00.005-05:00

"In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.'

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'

The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'

'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her."

Luke 1:26-38

Merry Christmas, friends!!!

Changes....I forgot about.

2010-12-06T00:31:00.008-05:00

With trying to keep up with all of today's technology, I consolidated my email addresses to my original one.

You may be asking, "what does this matter to me?"

Well, absent-minded me didn't realize that not everyone knows that address and that many of you have been continuing to write to me at my Y@hoo mail account.

*Ahem*, that very same one I haven't checked in over 4 or 5 months.

I am ashamed and apologetic for this oversight. Please don't think I ignored you.

I just logged on there and had over 1000 emails waiting to be read. Some that made my heart very happy, because it was from YOU!

Emails are something I'm pretty good about responding to. If you don't hear from me when you email me, chances are excellent that I never got your email.

So please, take a moment and make note of my new address HERE.

Pssst...by the way, life is crazy busy here and the kids are doing great. Lots going on that I plan on sharing soon....just in case you were wonderin'.

Hugs!

So much to be thankful for...

2010-11-26T18:29:00.001-05:00

A win - win deal!!

2010-11-16T16:15:00.003-05:00

My dear friend, Cathy, has been frantically fundraising to bring her sweet boy home! Now, she is giving away brand new 3G Wireless Kindle from Amazon!

Christmas is around the corner! What a perfect opportunity this would be for you to win one of these either for yourself or a loved one. But, better yet, you'd be helping precious Michael come home!

Please head over to Because We Are Led... and help pave the way for Michael to be united with his forever family!

Freedom Is Not Free!

2010-11-11T09:52:00.006-05:00

From the Bombardier family to every man and women in uniform, both active duty and veterans, who have answered the call and given up so much for our freedom, we thank you! Your dedication, courage and heroism does not go unnoticed. May God bless you and keep you safe. May God bless America!

To the many Mamas that I know who have seen their precious sons and daughters, turn from young men and women into courageous and proud soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors, I salute you! You carry them in your hearts while they protect our country, with dignity and grace. May God's peace fill you and may your children be held in the palm of His hand until they are returned safely into your arms.

To my own wonderful husband, who proudly served our country! Thank you for being a shining example to your children of what a true Patriot is. We love you!

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought, how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, Freedom is not free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
at the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, Freedom isn't free!!

- Kelly Strong

In Honor of National Adoption Month

2010-11-04T21:59:00.004-04:00

Natural Child: Any child who is not artificial.

Real Parent: Any parent who is not imaginary.

Your Own Child: Any child who is not someone else's child.

Adopted Child: A natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.

- Rita Laws, PhD

LET'S TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

2010-11-02T09:18:00.004-04:00

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Top 10 Reasons Christians Should Vote

Voting publicly recognizes that we submit to the authority of the political
system in our nation as established by God. Romans 13:1-7

Voting recognizes the equality of all people and their right to speak and be
heard. James 2:1

Voting is one way that we can obey God's command to seek the good of those
around us and our nation as a whole. Philippians 2:3

Voting shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged
to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf. 1 Timothy 2:1,2

Voting is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in
our nation. ‘All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do
nothing, Edmund Burke. Psalms 34:14

Voting makes a difference in the same way a grain of salt makes a
difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good.
Matthew 5:13

Voting is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the
benefits of living in a democracy should play a part in upholding democracy.

Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to
take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions. I Peter
1:13

Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been
given in ways that honor God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.

Voting is Biblical. Jesus commands us to fulfill our responsibility to the
civil authority. Matthew 22:21

* Source: Adapted from Florida Family Policy Council and Let Freedom Ring,
Inc. which referred to original source: "Factfile: Top Ten Reasons to Vote"
by Kandiah Krish in "Just Politics."

Halloween....Bombardier Style!

2010-10-31T18:09:00.013-04:00

Even us "big kids" had fun trick-or-treating!

The kiddos ready to head out for their loot!

Tonight was Kai's 2nd round of trick or treating and he didn't want his camouflage makeup on.

Our beautiful "Angel".

Soldier boy with his guardian angel watching over him.

Proud American soldier!

Big boy, Adam (25), still loves dressing up!

The whole crew, minus Amanda, who chose not to dress up, although she went along for the fun!

PUMPKIN CARVING TIME!

Everyone had the opportunity to get down and dirty!

Separating the pumpkin seeds for roasting!

THE FINISHED PRODUCTS:

MORE HALLOWEEN FUN AT A LOCAL PARK!

One BIG Pumpkin!

A very happy little girl!

Taking turns at a beanbag toss game!

His smile melts this Mama's heart!

My triplet "babies" after a day full of Halloween fun!

WAIT!

2010-10-29T07:24:00.007-04:00

I heard this on the radio the other day while driving back from Kai's ENT appointment. I was so moved by it, that I rushed home to look it up. It made me think about how I've always felt that while God's timing is perfect, His watch is so very s-l-o-w.

As I continuosly wait on God throughout my life, to lead me to my next step, I realized that I have many friends who are in the same situatuion. Whether it be an adoption, a job, an illness, pregnancy, finances, whatever, we always have some sort of unanswered prayer (or so we think) that we are waiting on God for. A prayer that we need resolution to in our time!

So, I thought I'd share this with all of you. It definitely puts things in perspective.

WAIT!

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait? You say, wait!" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate
hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes', go-ahead and sign,
or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe
we need but to ask, and we shall recieve.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taught
and grumbling to God, "So, I'm waiting... for what?"

He seemed, then, to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want--But, you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit decends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save... (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of the infinte God, who makes what you have LAST.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that "My grace is sufficient for Thee."
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer is still, "WAIT."

- Author Unknown

It 'just happens' to be that God gets the glory

2010-10-27T22:13:00.006-04:00

Have you ever had a miracle occur in your life? A real, true-life miracle? You know the kind, the ones that you know could only come from God. I am blessed to say I've had a few. Today, He revealed Himself in a big way. Front and center.

Today's post was intended to be about Kai and an update to his medical situation, but it's not.

Really. It's much bigger than that.

It's about God's immense faithfulness when His broken children fall apart and land at His feet.

I do know that this post will end up being a bit long because of all the detail, and I apologize for that in advance. I intentionally enter every detail I can remember, not only to show how God deserves every ounce of the glory, but I also do so for myself. During tough times when I find myself wondering where He is in my life because I don't feel His presence, I go back and read these blog posts and it immediately brings me back to Him, to the Truth.

I hope you do end up reading all the way through to the end. My prayer is that as you see how God revealed His glory to me, He will do the same in your life.

Okay. 'Nuff of the Foreword.

Here's what happened:

Back in June, I took Kai to visit his cleft team. The group ENT (which we don't see with the exception of the yearly cleft team visits) looked at his ears and mumbled something about the tubes being out and that he had possible fluid in both ears. He then sent him to the audiologist for testing. The results were that his ear drums were "flat", meaning fluid and that he had some hearing loss in his right ear. That worried me a lot. Kai has a lot of scar tissue built up inside his ears from four prior tube surgeries. The last thing we wanted to hear was that he needed another set of tubes.

At that visit, I asked for a referral to see an ENT that had been recommended to me in Tampa (about 2.5 hours away). The pediatrician of the team gave me my referral and we were done for the day. A few days later, I set up the appointment with the new doctor. The soonest appointment they could give me was for today, October 27. That meant we had to wait 3 months to get in to see her.

I've been trying so hard to give my control issues to God. I figured He wanted this time for me to pray for Kai, which I of course have been doing.

This morning finally arrived. We headed out of the house shortly before 7:00 a.m. for our 10:00 p.m. appointment. I wanted to give myself plenty of leeway in case of traffic, etc.

I had my Mapquest (yes, I'm one of the few people in the world without a GPS) papers right next to me and all seemed fine when I got off at the exit that would lead me to the office. After about 20 minutes of driving, I realized I was totally lost. It was 9:55. I was very nervous. I pull over, call the doctor's office and tell them. The girl gives me directions and tells me that I need to be there soon because if I am later than 15 minutes, I would need to reschedule, regardless of the fact that I had been driving 3 hrs. to get there. I was about 5 miles away.

Finally, with sweaty palms, I walk into their office at 10:10. I check in and give them all the corresponding paperwork. The girl says to me, "I need the referral, please." I point out to her the doctor's referral that I had just handed to her and she says, "Thank you. Please be seated."

Fifteen minutes later, what seemed like a very harried nurse opens the waiting room door and calls Kai's name. We immediately get up and follow her into a small triage room. She turns to me and abruptly says, "I need the referral papers." I responded with, "I gave them to the girl out front. I believe they are in the file." She quickly flips through the pages of the file she is holding and as soon as I saw it, I said, "There! That's it!". She said, "No. This is the referral from the doctor. What I need is the case authorization from his caseworker at the insurance company." I said, "Why didn't anyone tell me this? I've been waiting for almost 3 months for this appointment." Sounding perturbed she responded with, "We couldn't get a hold of you."

So, I take a deep breath. I then said to her, "This is his caseworker's name and number. Can we call her now and she can get you what you need?" She said, "Yes, I'll try that but we can't see him until I have that, so go back to the waiting room." I then scoot my kiddo out the door again and we sit in the same chairs hard chairs.

Thirty seconds later, she appears again with a scowl look on her face. She said, "I called. The caseworker is on vacation, so we'll have to reschedule." I looked at her and with hesitation said, "Wait. Can we call someone else? Please? I've been waiting for almost 3 months and just drove 3 hours to get here." She said, "I can't call because it's very busy here. I'll give you 15 minutes. If you can't get me the paperwork within that time frame, we will have to reschedule." She turned her back and walked away.

I sat there in disbelief, almost on the verge of tears.

I immediately dial the caseworker's number. Sure enough. Same message. She was out for the week. I left her a voicemail with the hopes that maybe she might call in, by the Grace of God, and get it. I then remembered that her office is in the same office as Kai's pediatrician. I call the pediatrician's office and explained the situation to the receptionist. She reiterated that the caseworker was out of town and unfortunately, she was the only one that could fill out the required paperwork. She then said, "Here is the number for the main office to the insurance company. Call them and see if anyone there can help you."

In the meantime, the clock is ticking.....fast.

I dial the insurance company's number and explain the entire situation to the lady that answered. She puts me on hold and comes back only to tell me that the caseworker is the only person that could assist me because she has Kai's file and she is the only one that knows it.

I was beginning to feel desperate. I ask to speak to a supervisor.

A soft spoken man picks up the phone and almost in a whisper says, "May I help you?" I spent two of my precious minutes explaining again the entire ordeal to him. The harried nurse had already walked by glancing at me and then up at the large clock on the waiting room wall.

The supervisor repeats the identical response that the previous girl had already told me. By then, by bottom lip was quivering and my eyes were welling up. I couldn't believe they weren't going to see Kai. He then explained further that because of his "special needs plan" it is the caseworker's responsibility to follow up, blah...blah...blah. His explanation was followed by asking me why I hadn't called earlier if I had made the appointment 3 months before. At that point, I just repeated, "I didn't know. I didn't know." I thanked him and hung up.

I look at the clock. Six minutes before I'd reach the final countdown. I knew I was going to start bawling, so I quickly glance towards the receptionist and without giving her eye contact said, "I'm going to my car a minute, I'll be right back."

I grab Kai's hand and almost run across the parking lot to my car. Once inside, I fell completely apart. I started wailing to God as I buried my face into my hands. I yelled, "Lord! I don't understand! I've been begging you for months for him to be okay. I thought that's what you wanted from me. I've been praying fervently for my little boy! For him not to need any further surgeries. For him not to have any hearing loss. Why God? Why? Why are you not even allowing him to be seen by the doctor? Why did you drag me here? Lord, please intervene!" I sobbed uncontrollably.

I look at the clock on the console. There were three minutes left.

I had resigned myself to the fact that now I would have to reschedule and probably have to wait another 3 months, especially during the busy holiday season coming up. I sat there for another second, sniffling and trying to regain my composure. I then thought, "I'll try once more. Maybe I can soften this supervisor's heart. After all, he's a supervisor. He should have the authority."

So, I redialed the number. A new girl answered. I tell her I had just spoken to someone regarding my son and ask if it was possible to speak to her again. She told me they have over 50 operators there and it would be impossible to know who I spoke with. She then said, "How can I help you?" I, for the 4th time, explained the entire story, ending with wanting to speak to the supervisor. The woman answers me by saying, "Mrs. Bombardier, I'm sorry, but you apparently just spoke to him 5 minutes ago and he explained why he couldn't....." and then she stopped speaking. There was silence on the other end. Just as quickly as she had stopped, she said, "Hold on a second, please."

I waited for what seemed like an eternity, since I was pretty much out of time. Yet, something inside of me told me not to hang up.

After a minute, she gets back on the phone and says, "Today must be your lucky day!"

I was confused.

She then said, "Donna, your caseworker, just happened to walk in to the office. She apparently left something in her desk before leaving on vacation and she stopped by to pick it up."

I literally yelled, "WHAT?" I knew things don't "just happen". I knew that was God! Even after I doubted him, even after I questioned him, He remained faithful. I suddenly became lost in Him. I almost forgot the woman was still on the line. She said, "Mrs. Bombardier? Would you like to speak to her?" In between praises and sobs, I managed to muster a "Yes, please!"

The caseworker gets on the phone and says, "Hello?" I was already on my way back into the waiting room, oblivious to the smudges of mascara covering my eyes. I was crying and rambling off a-mile-a-minute. Through sobs I said, "Donna, please. I need your help. I'm out of time. They would only give me 15 minutes and I'm out of time."

The poor woman must have thought I was nuts! She said, "Slow down. How can I help you?" I took a deep breath and then said, "I drove 3 hours to get to Tampa to bring my son to see an ENT. I've been waiting 3 months for this appointment and they are telling me to reschedule because I don't have some paper they need from you." She asked, "The case authorization paper?" I said, "Yes!!!" She quickly responded with, "Tell them it will be there in 2 minutes. I'll do it right now. You just happened to catch me here. I'm on vacation this week!"

There were those words again, "just happened".

I thanked her profusely (in between the many thank you's to Jesus) and hung up. I turn to the nurse and staff that had seen this crazy mother go over the edge right before their eyes and said in as calm a manner as I could come up with, "That was the caseworker. The paper will be here in 2 minutes thanks to God!" and I plopped myself in the chair next to my boy who had a bewildered look on his face. I felt like I had defeated Goliath. God had orchestrated it all. Had I not been late, I would not have called when she was walking into the office to pick up something. Had I not attempted to call back and try to soften the supervisor's heart, I would have missed her. Every second of every incident was a piece of the puzzle. He amazes me!

Immediately we were taken back to a room.

In addition, God's faithfulness did not end in just getting us in to see the doctor.

Kai's "hearing loss" was due to a ball of wax the size of a small pea, wrapped around the tube that had already come out. It was pushing against his eardrum, therefore impeding his hearing. She removed it and took him back to have another hearing test done. Both his ear drums were perfect, meaning absolutely no fluid and his hearing was normal. No need for further surgeries!

Furthermore, the final prayer was to see if we could get a diagnosis as to why he can't breathe out of his nose. God answered that one also. We received a diagnosis from a cat scan done 2 weeks ago, which I "just happened" to take to her today. He has a pretty deviated septum, but she said she's definitely seen worse. She doesn't recommend surgery until he finishes growing because bones and facial features change during growth.

We have a sleep study scheduled for next week and if that if the results of that are reasonable, there will be no further surgeries in my sweet boy's future for at least a couple of years until his bone graft is due. At the end of November, we go visit Dr. Hero.

What an awesome, sovereign and merciful God we serve!! The cries of His children never fall on deaf ears. Thank you, Jesus for loving me in a way I will never, ever understand!

Something magical happens....

2010-10-23T22:04:00.006-04:00

When The Triplets get new PJs!

Oh, yes, it does!

They break out into huge GRINS....

complete SILLINESS....

and even possible CACKLING!

Some may call what happens to them HILARITY...

from the tops of their heads ...

down to their ticklish, wiggly, piggies.

But me? I just call it ...

PRECIOUS PERFECTION!

So sad, with a thankful heart.

2010-10-21T21:38:00.008-04:00

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. - John 10:10

Today, a friend shared THIS LINK with me. My eyes welled as I read of the agony that this mother must have gone through as the precious child she had carried close to her heart for eight months, was cruelly ripped out of her womb.

While China's one-child policy still very much remains in effect, this heinous act happens world wide.

After reading the article, I feel a need to take a moment to thank our precious angels' birthmothers for their courage and tenacity. I pray that God bless them abundantly. Although, we will never know the circumstances of what they went through to assure the birth of their baby, we do know it must have been a difficult path to walk. I pray that God fill their hearts with his unexplainable peace and that they may somehow know deep in their hearts how happy, loved and treasured their babies are. It is a gift we could never repay. We are reminded that the miracle of adoption blesses our lives every single day when we look into the faces of our sweet babies.

This post wasn't intended to be about the upcoming elections, but it is inevitable for me not to bring it up knowing that we can stop these atrocities from happening in our own backyard.

We are God's children. We have the opportunity to make our voices heard and remove from office those that agree on the killing of millions of innocent babies. We can make a difference. Please vote on November 2nd!

This is BIG!

2010-10-13T21:49:00.014-04:00

NO, THIS IS HUGE!!!

I'm talking about the November elections, folks. These elections are HUGE! We are only days away now from making a difference. Yes, YOU CAN and yes, YOU WILL make a difference! Together, we can help save millions of babies from dying by protecting them until they are given a chance at life!

PLEASE take the time to vote, but more importantly, take the time to KNOW who you are voting for. You all know my passion for the right to life and for the unborn.

The following politicians are 12 enemies of life and they must be removed from power!

Rep. Baron Hill (IN-9)

Rep. John Boccieri (OH-16)

Rep. Chris Carney (PA-10)

Rep. Paul Kanjorski (PA-11)

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3)

Rep. Tom Perriello (VA-5)

State Sen. Joyce Elliot (AR-2)

Rep. Alan Grayson (FL-8)

Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC-2)

Rep. John Spratt (SC-5)

Rep. John Salazar (CO-3)

Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN-2)

The above are presumably public servants who voted for – or supported – the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion in American history. Yes, you read that correctly, the largest! They are using your hard-earned tax dollars to pay for insurance coverage for abortions.

If re-elected, they will remain reliable defenders of this anti-life policy.

Be a voice for those babies who are not being given a chance to live!

Let's come out swinging, Americans!!! This is OUR country! Let's take it back to what our forefathers created it to be!!!

To find out how YOUR member of Congress voted, click HERE.

Mama's Homeschool Steps Out

2010-10-07T15:35:00.008-04:00

Literally.

The past week has been absolutely gorgeous here in SW Florida. We've been blessed with cool, breezy, no humidity mornings where we've not had the need to turn on the air conditioner. The kids love it and I love it!

This morning, I thought we'd have a special day of school by taking "school" to the park! It was very cute because when we got in the car packed with a blanket, school supplies, books, laptop, and snacks, Kai said, "Mama, you can't have school at a park." I said, "Sure, we can! That's another great thing about homeschooling, Kai. We can have school just about anywhere!" They got a kick out of that!

So, we arrived at one of their favorite parks, laid out our blanket, Amanda grabbed her laptop and everyone settled in. We started our school day, just as we do every day, with bible study. I was quite surprised how attentive they were sitting there listening to the story and during discussion time.

Reading and talking about Gideon and the importance of obeying God.

Everyone hard at work!

We had reading time and then ran off eagerly to the much anticipated playground equipment to burn off some energy. We came back, had a snack during story time, and then did our math work.

WOOT! WOOT! RECESS TIME!

Back to work!

Afterwards, we packed up and decided to take a little "nature" walk through the park. We saw neat birds like herons and egrets and walked the boardwalk in search of alligators. We've discussed many times about habitats and which animals live where. I often don't even have to bring it up because the little ones are very quick to let me know where we are and which of God's creatures may be lurking around.

This boy takes his math very seriously!

My girl's wings are spreading and she is doing amazingly well!

My China-man tackling those tough word problems!

We then took a walk through some very neat cactus gardens that AJ insisted on wanting to touch (no worries, I did not let him) and then through some pretty stunning rose gardens and a few small flower gardens that were surrounded by beautiful, fluttering butterflies.

Stopping at the pond and checking out the lily pads for frogs.

Nothing like finding real alligators to fit in perfectly with our reptile lessons this week.

I am enjoying homeschooling my babies so very much. Every night I thank God for the opportunity to be home with them and to be allowed this honor. Watching them literally bloom before my eyes is an amazing gift.

Heading home after a great day of school!

I remember saying to God when we started, "Lord, I'm doing this because I know you have called me to do so, but I am pretty sure that although I know you never make mistakes, you may have just picked the wrong person for this particular job." As usual, he probably laughed while sitting on his throne and said, "HA! Here she goes again." I am so thankful that again, I was obedient and stepped out of my comfort box.

I do want to thank some wonderful, veteran, homeschooling Mamas who have given me such great advice. I remember in particular being told that the most important piece of advice they could give me was to take not take it so "seriously". I thought at first, "Hmm...that's weird. How could you not take school seriously?" Well, now 2 months into it. I find that truly has been one of the best pieces of advice I have been given.

The first couple of weeks, I was so stressed about making sure we were "sitting down ready for class" at 9 am. I felt it was imperative for me to adhere to a stringent schedule. Now, I've thrown that all out the window. Oh yeah, we definitely have class every day. We still do bible study, reading, math, Spanish, science or social studies every day, with a day here or there of music and or art. But, I no longer adhere to schedules. If we wake up a little later, we just start later. If we wake up earlier. We then start earlier. If reading goes past the 30 minutes allotted, great! If it's less time, so be it. We're ALL enjoying school so much more now. The kids know the routine and know which subjects follow which. They look forward to school and on the one or two occasions, where we've not had school because of doctors' appointments or for whatever reason, they truly have missed it.

I am so thankful that I have been blessed with such wonderful friends that are not only amazing Mamas, but they are homeschooling pros. Your opinions, thoughts and ideas are invaluable to me. Please know the door is always open to receive whatever you wish to share!

To teach is to learn twice. - Chinese Proverb

Not what a Mama wants to see...

2010-09-28T18:30:00.004-04:00

....but, it is what makes his ~~crazy~~ heart happy. And mine? Well, it makes mine rapidly palpitate ~~have a heart attack~~.

I don't often get to post about my biggest baby, Tito. He's 27 years old, lives in another city and although we talk weekly, he's got his own life with a new bride. I guess I could admit that he's grown up.

From as far back as I could remember, Tito has always had lots of dreams. One of those dreams is one that I chose to ignore as he was getting older and would talk about it. I would nod and just say, "That's nice, honey." That was the extent of my encouragement of said dreams.

But, having a very similar personality to his Mama, he's no quitter. He perseveres. He's a fighter, literally. You may be asking, "So, what is this dream?"

My Tito has always wanted to be in the ring, either boxing, or worse yet, something more extreme like MMA (mixed martial arts) or UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). And while this is not my idea of fun or even a sport (and yes, I know it is), I support his dream and do the only thing I can....pray.

Tito's been training at a gym with a Sensei for this type of sport for a while now. Last week, when I got into the car after church I saw I had three consecutive missed calls from him. That surprised me. He usually calls me on the way to work during the week, which he already had. Three calls immediately drew a red flag. What was wrong?

I called him back and he answered with, "Mom, where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you?" I said, "Sorry, I was in church. What's wrong?" I could tell he was weighing his words carefully. There was a tone of excitement in his voice, mixed with a bit of caution.

He said, "Mom! I was invited to tryout for UFC." There was silence on my end. He said, "Can you hear me?" I said, after taking a deep breath, "You were? What do you mean?" Hoping that invite was to go watch a fight or something ~~safe~~ like that. He said, "The UFC is putting on a seminar that normally cost over $1500. to attend. I was INVITED to go and fight!"

I said, "So, this means you're going to actually fight, as in another person?", sounding dumb but hoping I had heard wrong. He said, "Yes. In the heavy weight division." After I reminded him about his beautiful teeth, his nose, his face, his brain possibly getting crushed, Mohammad Ali's illness attributed to being hit so many times in the head, etc., he said, "Mom, this is like a dream. Not many people get this chance." So, I bit my lip and said, "I really am happy for you. I will support your dream and pray for your safety. I love you and I want you to be happy and if this is what makes you happy....so be it." He seemed relieved, not that anything else I would have said would have changed his mind, but he seemed relieved.

So, this past Saturday was the big fight in central Florida. He went up with his trainer. I asked him if his wife was going and he said he asked her not to because he wasn't sure of what it would be like and if for some reason "it got ugly", he wanted his full concentration on what he was doing. So, to this Mama's ears, he was going at this alone. I prayed most of the day Saturday.

He called me early the next morning and told me all about the fight. He was a bit bruised, but said overall he was repeatedly told by the experts there that he did very well and they see him having a future in the ring. He was even told this by someone (sorry fighting fans I have no idea who this is) named Jeff Monson, a professional UFC fighter, who gave him some tips.

The fight consisted of 4 minutes of standing up fighting and 4 minutes of "grapling" on the ground. Tito is on the right and has the small tattoo on his back.

Warning: The person recording, does on a couple of occasions use foul words.

Tito, my precious first-born son, if this is truly your hearts desire and you want to follow your dream, your Mama will be standing there, albeit eyes closed, on the sidelines, holding on to her rosary and cheering you on. I love you, baby!

Heartwrenching!

2010-09-27T18:46:00.007-04:00

I don't know if many of you have heard about this case, but as I watched the video, my heart shriveled up and tears ran down my face. I believe this scenario is the reason why many adoptive parents choose to adopt internationally. I know for us, it was very high on the list.

If you have read our AJ's story , who was adopted domestically, you'd know that our initial reaction when asked about adopting domestically was "No". Besides the cost, compared to an international adoption, one of our biggest reasons was just that, we knew that the possibility that we might ever lose a child was more than our hearts could bear.

That said, I am so incredibly thankful that God laid out the plans perfectly and that we were obedient to His calling. We not only had a wonderful attorney who informed us of the importance of both biological parents agreeing to terminate their rights, but we were immensely blessed to able to meet both of AJ's biological parents. Then, and only then, after it was clear that everyone was on the same page, did the attorneys go forward with the process.

My heart just goes out to this family. I cannot fathom the thought of one of my children being taken from me after 3 years. While I feel the biological father in this case is legally entitled to raise his son, I think that it would only be common sense on everyone's part, beginning with the judge, to put the child first and give this sweet boy a transitional period, instead of ripping him away from the only parents he's ever known and placing him with a total stranger who lives in a completely different state.

When I see cases like this happening, I sometimes wonder, "Are we in the U.S.?"

I do know that adoption is not for the faint of heart. What do you think?

(Please remember to scroll to the bottom to pause the music player.)

Sweetness - Sunday Snapshot

2010-09-26T14:00:00.005-04:00

These were pictures I took of the Triple-Trouble-Trio back in 2008.

I love seeing the look of wonder and curiosity on their faces.

I love their soft, rounded, baby cheeks.

I love the shape of their full, rosebud lips.

But most of all, I love their beautiful, expressive eyes. It's almost as if you can look into their souls, if you stare into them long enough.

Sometimes those little eyes are filled with sadness, sometimes with surprise, but most of the time, they are filled with joy and love.

No doubt enough love to fill this Mama's heart to the brim!

Click on the link above to share your own Sunday Snapshot!

Those kinda feelings...

2010-09-24T17:59:00.006-04:00

For days, maybe weeks, I've been feeling a nudging to write this post. No idea how or what it will turn into, but bear with me while I try and transform some of the thoughts in my head into words.

I've been thinking about adoption...a lot lately. Our lives are by no means tranquil or empty. So, it's not that I feel the need for more children. Life in the Bombardier household is well, it's chaotic. It's busy. It's exhausting. But, it's our life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I often wonder if sweet hubby thinks differently when he's trying to play a game on the computer, read a book, or watch a football game and has kids coming to him for all sorts of reasons. Once in a while when I feel bad for him, I ask. Sometimes thinking I may hear that he's wishing for calm, peace, quiet. But he's never yet responded with anything like that. On the contrary, my wonderful, sweet hubby loves his life. I love my life. We both love and live for our family.

Don't get me wrong. We love calm. We love peace. We sometimes really love and desire quiet. But when I think or imagine my life without all the hustle and bustle. When I think of what it would be like without the "he took this away from me" or "she won't move out of my way", I shudder inside. Then, when you throw in the "Mama, I'm tired. Can you carry me?" or "Mama, you're the bestest Mama in the world. I love you soooooo much!", my heart just turns into mush. I don't ever want to stop hearing those little voices. Many times, the hustle and bustle isn't even us. It's them keeping busy. Our home is filled with laughter and giggles and much running up and down stairs, in between couches and in and out of rooms. It's filled with a hormonal teenager wanting to be left alone and minutes later, coming to curl up with me or tell me about a TV show or something that she's reading. So, while we're obviously a very average family, why is it then that I feel that we are extraordinarily blessed?

I'm guessing you are thinking why am I rambling and what does this all mean? It means that I would love another child. I would love to be blessed again by another sweetie looking up and calling me, "Mama!", even if it is followed by a whiny complaint that someone was unfair to them for some crazy reason, like not wanting to be their best friend.

I'm not making any grand announcement that we are adopting again, because sadly, we're not. What I am trying to say is that I don't think the feeling of wanting to be a Mama for the seventh time in my life, is one I know my heart will never stop yearning for. It's a feeling that I have been trying hard to learn to live with.

I am the last one to go to bed at night and I couldn't tell you, as I do my rounds of kisses while they are sleeping and give everyone one last tuck-in, how blessed I feel. Sometimes to the point of tears. Joyful, thankful tears. I have been given the most amazing and incredible job in the entire world. And I'm thinking that to ask God to allow me to do it again, even if it's only one more time, would just be plain selfish of me. But Lord, I'm thinkin' that you may not really be against that kind of selfishness. I'm leaving it all in your hands.

Celebrating Culture

2010-09-22T21:26:00.007-04:00

Oh yes, folks. That's what this totally, creatively-challenged Mama did!

A few days ago, I posted a status on my FaceBook asking my worldy friends for suggestions on what to do with the little guys to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. I should not have been surprised by the huge amount of wonderful ideas that poured in, enough to fill our entire week of school.

So, I took advantage of that and we've been discussing China, it's people, and the culture including the Moon Festival, all week. Today, we culminated the event by celebrating during school time, going on a field trip and having a family celebration at home.

After getting reading and math out of the way, we read the legendary myth about Cheng E and Hou Yi.

Then, we discussed how the Chinese often celebrate with yummy goodies in China that include Moon Cakes. We talked about what they thought Moon Cakes looked like and they created their ideas of a Moon Cake with playdough. They really did look yummy!

Then we talked about Chinese lanterns and how these are used in many parades in China.

So, we colored:

and we cut:

and we pasted:

until we ended up with these beauties:

Which brought about lots of fun and giggles as they played with them!

Next, we went on a field trip to an authentic Chinese grocery store, where the elderly couple that own it, shared with us how they celebrated the Moon Festival in China when they were younger.

Of course, we certainly couldn't leave there without picking up the perfect yummies for our own little Moon Festival celebration tonight. So, we bought these:

On the left is a small, traditional Moon Cake, filled with Lotus paste and egg yolk. In the center is what we know as Moon Pies, and on the right are also some traditional Chinese sweet balls filled with red bean, peanut, or sesame paste.

Finally, when Daddy arrived home, we went out as a family, including big brother, Adam, to eat some yummy Chinese food. Then came back home for our little Moon celebration. We layed a blanket out in the yard and brought our goodies with us. The celebration began with a small lantern parade. They were so proud!

The full moon was shining bright and strikingly beautiful as we re-read the story of Chang E for Daddy and Adam to hear, while the little ones filled in all the details about the Jade Rabbit and the beautiful palace Chang E lives in.

We each ate some of the traditional Moon Cake, which I admit was not to anyone's liking except our beautiful Chinese Princess who, true to her style, loves to eat just about every thing placed before her.

That was followed by the chocolatey Moon Pies and everyone closing their eyes and making a wish upon the moon, hoping that Chang E fills it.

....and with that, our 2010 Celebration of the Mid Autumn Moon Festival, Bombardier style, ended.

It was a fabulously, sweet day in every sense of the word, from the company to the food, to the occasion.

This Mama could not ask for more!

Double Special! - Sunday Snapshot

2010-09-19T14:34:00.006-04:00

This is a very special picture. When we went to visit my Mom a few weeks back, she said, "I found this dress that your grandmother had made for a life size doll I had over 40 years ago. I was thinking that it may fit Anna Grace." Sure, enough! It fit her thin, very tall body, perfectly!

I know I'm a bit biased, but the fact that our beautiful Chinese Princess is wearing something that my beloved grandmother made for my Mom over 40 years ago, makes it "Double Special", as Anna Grace said!

Right about now, my grandmother must be wearing a great big smile as she looks down upon us from Heaven.

Amazing love

2010-09-16T21:12:00.005-04:00

Sometimes when I think about what a turn of events my life has had from where I expected to be, even 10 years ago, I am amazed. I would have said, "You're nuts!" Me? More kids? No way!

God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. These little people show me daily how what an incredible gift I have been given. When we set out to adopt, we wanted to give a family, a home, to a child who may not ever have known one. We wanted them to be loved and treasured for the perfect creations that they are. Although I admit, it was for selfish reasons also that led me to adopt because I absolutely love children and couldn't see myself with an empty nest. These sweeties have really filled a space in my heart that was empty, and one that I never knew it was even there.

I laugh and smile daily with these little ones. All of them!

My happy little swimmer who loves, loves, loves the pool!

AJ said to me as I was laying him down for a nap yesterday. "Mama, I love you so much that I don't have the words." I said, "You don't have the words?", all the while my heart was swelling as I watched my beautiful little boy's wheels spinning in his head. He looked at me with the most serious little look and said, "Nope. I have no words to tell you how much I love you, but Mama, it's bigger than a whole lot." Statements like those (and I am blessed to hear them often from all of them) make every second of my life worthwhile.

They all wore Mexican hats to celebrate my birthday at a Mexican dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, I gave Kai a complete lesson at the grocery store about why the milk containers have different colored tops (Blue - fat free, Red - Whole and Purple - Skim) and the differences between them. We arrive at the register where the man in front of us had a gallon of fat free milk. Kai looks at the milk, looks at the man, looks at me and then says, "Mama, if fat free is what people drink to lose weight, Why is he still fat?" The man looked at him smiling and said, "I guess it doesn't work.". Out of the mouth of babes. At first, I sort of wished the ground would swallow me up, but I had to laugh. He didn't know better. On our way home, we had a long talk about the etiquette of not telling people they are overweight. He felt bad. We ended up giving each other big hugs when we got home and he promised that he wouldn't tell anyone "ever again they were fat."

Baking banana bread with Mama.

Miss Anna Grace was with me at the pizzeria a few days ago. I had just cut her bangs and she really did look cute as a button. She kept brushing her hair back (think "Cher") in order to accentuate the new look. An older lady came up to her and said, "Wow! You have beautiful hair. It must look like your Mom's. Anna Grace said, "No, my Mama's hair is not black." The lady glanced at me and said, "Oh honey, I meant your real Mom." Before I could intervene in the conversation, my little spitfire looked the lady straight in the eye and said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "This is my real Mama!" and she walked away from the lady and stood by my side. I just looked at the lady and said, "She's right. I am very much her real Mama. Have a great day." We walked out of the pizza place, my girl and her real Mama, hand in hand. I couldn't have been prouder of my beautiful daughter. She understands the meaning of family and now fully feels like she's a part of ours. For that, I am forever thankful. She's come such a long way.

So, each of them, in their own way manage to creep just a little deeper into my heart daily. It surprises me every time because just whenI think they've pretty much taken over my heart, they go and do something adorable and make me fall in love with them all over again.

I am so incredibly blessed and honored to have been chosen to be their Mama. But mostly, I am so thankful that most of the time, I don't listen to my plans and follow God's, because His plans are always perfect!

Something to ponder...

2010-09-15T07:02:00.007-04:00

Simple Wisdom

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another short quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials...

the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Remember to love and thank those close to your heart.

A big heartfelt thank you to all of you that have touched my heart and made a difference in my life. There are many. I pray you know who you are and know you are loved.

They were born in my heart

2010-09-06T21:00:00.002-04:00

"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." - Author unknown

Catching my breath!

2010-08-31T00:09:00.003-04:00

That's how I feel most of the time. I have to remind myself to stop, breathe and just take it all in slowly.

We've now completed our first week of homeschooling and I have to say that we love it. Yes...you heard right, WE love it! I have heard on occasion at the end of our school day, "Why is it over?" or "Can we have more school?"

There's been a little adjustments we've had to do here and there, especially with little brother, who although has been working with me on his alphabet, numbers, etc. for the last year, has not had really any structured schooling. The little man has been fighting a battle of wills, but I know in time it'll "click" and he'll realize that it can't all be fun and games, but if he works hard, the rewards are endless.

Anna Grace has moved up like a trooper. She's still lagging a bit behind in the reading/writing department but she is working very hard and the pride in her eyes when she's met another milestone is worth every second of effort on both our parts. I look at her sometimes and just sit in awe thinking about what a completely different little girl she is from the baby that was placed in my arms a little over 3 years ago. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments!

Kai is, well...Kai. Nothing bothers the boy. He plows through obstacles and challenges like there's no tomorrow. I call him my little sponge. He absorbs every bit of information he can gather. What I plan on being 20 minute lessons, now frequently turn into an hour lesson because of all the "Why?" or "What?" questions that he has. His memory is amazing and can recall details of what he learns, days later, even if it was just mentioned as a quick comment.

I love the fact that homeschooling gives me flexibility to take the time to answer all those questions, to be silly, to make it fun, to take breaks when needed and not necessarily when scheduled. We're very structured, with a pinch of throwing caution to the wind every now and then. I am completely in awe of how much they have learned, and want to learn, in just one week.

Science seems to be the favorite subject. We've made "Slime" to recreate the feeling of a frog's skin when we learned about amphibians. We've learned about the planets, the stars, and the solar system. We've sat for over an hour ooohing and aaaahing over pictures taken by the Hubble telescope and so much more!

My biggest baby, Amanda, is also doing great in school and ended her sophomore year with a 4.2 GPA. I am so proud of her! She is now taking AP Economics, AP Government and Politics, Pre-Calculus Honors, Chemistry Honors, Spanish 1 Honors, and AP English Literature. Needless to say, she's very busy nowadays.

So, while we continue to settle into the new place with lots to keep us occupied, I will try to keep up with the blog and my friends, whom I have missed dearly and am trying to work my way back into their bloggy lives.

AMAZING!!!

2010-08-23T13:01:00.005-04:00

Nothing short of that. Just AMAZING!

That's how our first day of homeschool went.

The day started off bright and early. I was up at 5:30 and the little ones soon followed by 7:00 a.m. They were beyond excited. I was nervous. I wasn't sure how I was going to keep everyone focused, working hard and having fun all at the same time.

We began our day with a morning prayer asking God to anoint Mama's Homeschool and to help us all be good listeners and respectful of each other.

I then went to the chart where each child was assigned two jobs for the week. I loved watching their eyes light up when their name was called and I explained what their job was and how important it was. Everyone took their job ultra-serious! They were so cute!

The proud Pledge leader.

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

Kai was the Pledge leader, so he got to hold up our flag while we saluted with hands over our hearts. We discussed a bit about what the flag means and why we need to honor it. That totally changed their attitude and you could almost see a twinkle in their eye as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

We then did some bible study and talked about Jesus and his love for his children, followed by a very fun rendition of the Hokey Pokey but instead of singing "You put your (insert body part) in and you turn yourself around" you say, "You give your heart to Jesus and He turns your life around.....that's what it's all about!" They loved it! We laughed and played twice to appease the chants for "More!"

Turning themselves around during the Hokey Pokey dance.

After that, we had Reading/Spelling. This is the only area where I had to sort of split myself in three. Anna Grace is not at the level I expected her to be and AJ is a bit more advanced that PK level, so I'm gonna bump him up and I will be able to teach them both the same levels. Kai was doing great and is definitely at a beginning first grade level.

Then our line leader, Anna Grace, led the line downstairs for snack time. They sat for a few minutes drinking juice and eating grapes while talking about how much they enjoyed Mama's Homeschool. Our snack time was scheduled for 15 minutes, but after 10 minutes, they were chomping at the bit to get back upstairs. We did this right after the "Zookeeper", AJ, did his job of feeding the dog.

We then had Spanish, which Kai claimed to be his favorite part of the day. They were so funny and cute. I'm assigning 3 words a week for them to use at all times. Each time I hear the word during the day/night, they will receive a point which will be accumulated towards a prize towards the end of the week. So, I've now heard "Abre la Puerta" (open the door) many times in addition to them telling me they live in a "casa" (house).

At the end of the day, drawing a picture of what their favorite part of the first day of school was.

Math was fun. We rolled dice in a game I made up. 1 die for AJ, 2 for Anna Grace and 3 for Kai. Once the dice were rolled, they had to add up the total and then I'd assign a certain task for them to do. For instance, Anna Grace rolled a 2 and a 3, after she'd tell me the total of 5, I'd ask her to take 5 bunny hops to the other side of the room. There were pretty creative making elephant noises, crawling like inchworms and even stomping like Megatron.

So cute! Here they are making "bubble faces" when I flicker the lights. That's there sign that it needs to be quiet.

Recess outside was rained out so I let them play with their toys for a little while, but they were anxious to get back to school. We came back upstairs spent a few minutes doing the "wiggle the wiggles out of us dance" and had story time, followed by lunch.

After lunch was science. I was very impressed with how much their little brains could take in. I planned on speaking about our planet. Instead, they were filled with questions about the sun, the stars and Kai even brought up the "solar system". Our time allotted for Science went well over double of what was planned.

We ended the day with music and singing two silly Mama versions of "Joy in my Heart" and "B-I-N-G-O" and then a final thanksgiving prayer.

We could not have asked for a more perfect first day of school, especially after hearing them repeatedly say, "Mama's Homeschool is the best!" ::insert swollen heart:: and for all of it, to God be the glory!

We tried!

2010-08-13T15:34:00.006-04:00

I attempted yesterday to take the little ones out for a photo shoot in the yard. The heat index here was 105. Poor things! They tried so hard. But, between the sweat dripping down their little faces and the sun in their eyes, they were miserable. We ended up having an afternoon of fun in the pool. Then, everyone was happy, that includes Mama!

Enjoy!

Grabbing a flower for Mama. ::sigh::

He cracks me up every day with his antics!

On your mark. Get set. Go!!!!!!

Brothers!

Two of my happy babies! (Notice how Anna Grace is towering over Kai. She's 75 percentile in height on the American charts!!)

Someone tell this little guy he HAS to stop growing up!

It's so great to be little!

The Triple Terrors!

My precious Chinese princess!!!

"Pleeeease Mama, when can we go in the pool???"

" You said CHEESE, Mama? I thought you said, "SQUEEZE"!!!"

Always happy!

So cute with those glasses on!

Playing with Fred, our pup.

These little ones are three huge blessings born in my heart.

Ring-around-the-rosy.....

And lastly, I added this one in (it was taken a couple of months ago) just because I loved it.

Four of my six blessings.

Pool pictures coming soon!!!! Hope you enjoyed these. They sure are growing fast! Too fast!

Wrapping it up!

2010-08-11T18:55:00.003-04:00

It's so strange to think that summer is almost over and my babies will remain with me. Usually around this time of year, I start getting mopey because I have to send them back to school. Not any more! They are excited and I am thrilled!

They are so cute! Every morning they wake up and ask, "Is today the first day of Mama's Home school?" They are dying to rip into all the boxes, explore all the new books, start all the crafts and just thirsting to learn.

Ironically, although we've had a busy summer with moving into a new house and everything that goes with it, not to mention all the fun in the sun we've had, we've also been doing lots of reading and educational games at home. I guess they figure that's not learning because it's too much fun. I'm thinking that's a good thing.

We finally picked up Anna Grace's glasses today and she's wearing them like a champ. She's assured the boys that "they are not to be touched and that she needs glasses and they are very important", all in her adorable Long Island/Chinese accent. I must record a conversation with her to share on here for you to appreciate the complete cuteness of the girl. My Chinese princess has grown up so much. All of them have.

It's amazing to look at the triplet trio and not see babies anymore. How did that happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that they were placed in my arms? Makes me a bit sad. Fortunately, they are still very much into snuggling with Mama and allowing me to love on them even in front of their friends, so we haven't hit that age where they feel they are too old for it. I so wish they would stay that way.

Tomorrow will be our next to last week of the free movies (gonna go watch Arctic Tale) and then we have a play date with friends from school last year. Next week is last minute preparations for school and we're off to the start of a new adventure in the Bombardier household.

Just when I thought she couldn't get cuter....

2010-08-06T13:29:00.001-04:00

She went and did this:

Yes, our Chinese princess is sporting glasses!

What do you think? Cute, huh?

Mama's What?????

2010-08-05T12:43:00.004-04:00

Well, we have this:

and this:

and this, too:

But more importantly, we have this:

Three very happy kiddos that have been so excited to go to "Mama's Homeschool". That's what they call it. So cute!

I'm not sure if many of you knew, but I've been homeschooling Amanda now for almost a year. She's doing beyond great! I've prayed and prayed about whether or not to homeschool the little ones and each time I have, I would feel God's nudging me to do so. I waited. I prayed some more and again, the answer was, "Yes! This is what I want you to do." So here we are!

Summer's almost over and we've been busy, busy, busy. (Lots of pictures to be shared soon) We've had trips to the beach, weekly trips to the movies, to the park, lots of pool playing at our new house, and playdates with friends. Soon it will all be coming to a close. On August 23rd, Mama's Homeschool will be open for business! Our curriculum is set and we just need to get a few more odds and ends to complete what we hope and expect to be a spectacular year!

I know many of you homeschool and as I've ~~picked brains~~ asked many of you on FaceBook for your ideas, I'm also asking those of you that read the blog.

It's gonna be a whole new world for all of us. We're excited and ready to jump in with both feet! We have lots of plans that include many fun activities while we learn!

If you homeschool or even if you don't, and have resources, ideas, or just want to give me your input, feel free to email me or leave me a comment. As always, I love hearing from you!!!!

Oh, if you're wondering about socialization for the kids.....read THIS! I loved it!

'Nuff Said!

2010-08-04T13:15:00.003-04:00

Christmas in July

2010-07-05T20:00:00.002-04:00

Many of you know my dear friend, Holly, from A Purpose Driven Life.

Holly and her family, after much prayer and God's leading, have found their daughter, Elaina, in China. I can't tell you how scrumptious this little one is. But, I can tell you that Holly has a huge heart for orphans. She's an amazing servant to our Lord and is always there for those that need her.

She needs us now and not only can you help, you will end up with a beautiful piece of jewelry for an extremely reasonable price ($10. average).

Here's the deal:

On July 6th ONLY- shop Sarah's Treasure Box Make SURE you leave a note when checking out that you are purchasing for Elaina's fundraiser or they won't get credit for the purchase.

Check out her Etsy shop now to see what you want but don't buy until tomorrow, July 6th. You do have to register to use Etsy but it is super easy and painless! Just pick a username, email account and password and voila! You pay online and it's done in a few clicks of the mouse!

Have fun shopping!!!

YOU can help!

2010-06-23T23:55:00.003-04:00

Will you prayerfully consider helping this precious 11 year old find his way home?

A dear friend is fundraising to bring home their son, after learning about his heartwrenching story. Michael is an amazing little boy who will be coming home to an amazing family. By buying a raffle ticket you can help make this dream come true and win an Ipod touch or some other great gift while doing so.

Please join me in praying for Manny!

2010-06-18T09:09:00.001-04:00

We are right smack in the middle of our move, but I am stopping to ask you to please take a moment, visit my dear friend, Beth's, blog and pray for her sweet angel, Manny.

Thank you! Truly. Thank you!

Letters of Intent

2010-06-11T09:26:00.012-04:00

Do you have someone you'd really like to write a letter to? Someone who you've been itching to tell them how you feel? Well, head over to Julie's place and join in on the fun!

As for me? I sure did!

Dear Old Fuddy Duddy Neighbor,

Guess what? We're moving! Yes, I am sure your crinkly heart will be happy to know that my three little, very active, sweeties will no longer be running into your beloved grass or pulling into your driveway with their Big Wheels, which I know bothers you so much because they leave track marks on your royal carpet we know as grass.

I am hoping that your new neighbor paints their mailbox weekly, like you do, so they don't have to be reminded of the importance of the wood being maintained.

Our moving will also mean that there will be no need to peek out the windows late at night to see if the yelling is coming from our house. It is, Mr. Neighbor. You knew that. But you still had to show us you were watching. I admit. It isn't very nice of me to get the kids to run around and screaming, "I'm gonna get you" at 3:00 pm in the afternoon on a Saturday, when you're taking your beauty nap, which by the way, isn't working. But it has become kind of a game to catch you peeking through the bushes to see what all the racket is that's coming from the pool.

I am also sure that your wrinkled smile will be completely stretched as you see the moving truck drive away, knowing that the one little weed in the yard that has been bothering you for weeks, you can now come pluck, since your yard is perfect. Maybe that's why we decided to let the "yard go". I know that wasn't very nice of us. Touche.

We sure will be missing the fact that if we forget a garbage day, you won't be there to sneak around the side of our house and drag our cans out to the street.

Oh yes, before we leave, there's one more thing. Remember that time that you came and knocked on our door to complain that we had mowed the lawn too short and our dog, Fred, peed on your feet? Well, I thought you might be interested in knowing that his breed was rated number one in intelligence. Hmmm....he must have an extra sense that warns him about grumpy old men.

By the way, two weeks prior to that visit, you had told us we should have lowered the blades on the lawnmower because the lawn was cut too high. Just sayin'.

Yup! We'll be missing ya! The new place doesn't seem to have an 80 year old grumpy neighbor that can't stand little kids and has to keep his nose in everyone else's business. But, I suppose
we'll survive without you.

Terribly heartbroken,

The loud and boisterous neighbors.

Blinders

2010-06-10T13:08:00.005-04:00

Have you ever seen horses wearing blinders?

I've always thought that it was cruel to put blinders on these beautiful animals. I've learned now that it's not cruel at all. In fact, it protects them. Blinders are used to keep the horses on track and focused on what they are doing and what is in front of them. It prevents them from becoming scared or distracted.

About 9 or 10 months ago, I was a bit stagnant in my walk with Christ. I wanted with all my heart for God to push my faith to another level. In fact, I prayed for this. I wanted him to push me to the limits. I thought he'd do so gently. Instead, I felt like he threw me off a cliff.

God does not take lightly what we ask for, especially when He knows darn well the glory it will bring Him.

Almost eight months to the date of having been pushed over that cliff, I've learned that the only way to survive in this crazy, chaotic world we live in, is by trusting. By believing 100%, without any doubts, that when you are being obedient to what He wants from you, he will have your back. When you are still, His glory will be revealed and will shine like the sun for all to see.

He's ~~reminded~~ taught me that I am a stubborn, hard-headed, controlling, kinda girl that sometimes needs to go through the fire to be able to say, "I am lost. I can't get out of this mess without you. I surrender."

He's taught me that those blinders that I thought were so cruel to have someone place on you, were instead a blessing, a way of learning that if I follow Him, I will be on the right path.

He's taught me that only after I stopped fighting Him and surrendered completely, is when He was able to put those blinders on me. It was then that I allowed him to block my peripheral vision (the worldly views). I learned that the only way I could follow and remain focused, keeping my eyes on Him, was when I had those blinders on. I had to turn my back on opinions and thoughts, even from those closest to me, in order to know for a fact that I was following His will and not my heart or my head.

He taught me that even with blinders on, things would still cross my path that would entice me to want to pull them off; things that made me fear the possibility of whether or not I might be blindsided by something.

I had many moments of wanting to rip them off and be a part of "the world." It would have been so much easier that way. I thank Him daily for His gentle reminder that it was He who put them on. It was He who knew that I couldn't make it past all this without being fully focused on where I needed to be, fully focused on Him. It was He that showed me that the only possible way I could be obedient to His will was by wearing these blinders.

He has created many miracles these past 8 months. I look back on them now and say, "Only God could have done that."

He has transformed lives.

He has torn apart relationships and built them new, in Him.

He has revealed depths of emotions in myself, and in those around me that I love, that would never have been revealed had He not allowed this ordeal to happen.

He has shown me to pray.

He has shown me to trust.

He has shown me that only He has the right to judge others.

He has shown me to believe. To believe in His faithfulness and to believe in His Word. To believe in the power of the blood that was shed at Calvary. To not doubt for one second that He has been with us every, single step of the way.

On June 21st, almost 8 months to the day that this all began, it will all be finished. I refuse to accept anything other than the fact that my God, the King of Kings, will be there in full glory to reveal his sovereignty before all involved. I also refuse to believe that anything but His perfect will will be the end result.

I thank Him. I thank Him for throwing me off that cliff. I thank Him for answering prayers. I thank Him for not answering prayers. I thank Him for the ordeal. I thank Him for allowing me to grow in Him.

When this is over, I will be praying for a way to share the full, non-encrypted story without intruding in our privacy, so that you too can be in awe of what a mighty God we serve!

I have pondered again and again about whether or not to go private with my blog, and He has once again affirmed to me that as long as there may be the slightest of possibilities that I can use my teeny piece of cyberspace to further His Kingdom, then it should remain public.

So for now, June 21st, is the magic date. Until then friends, I humbly ask that you continue to lift us up.

By the way, it feels incredibly good to be back!

what have we been up to?

2010-06-08T19:32:00.005-04:00

I sure have missed blogging. I miss my friends. I miss sharing my beautiful family.

But there's been so much going on in our household.

First and foremost. You will be glad to know that "The Ordeal" will be over in less than TWO weeks!! Yes, two weeks! More on that in a future post and prayers are appreciated more than ever during the time that's left.

For now I thought I'd share what's been going on 'round our neck of the woods. This is our last couple of months in pictures. Enjoy!

We partied at the beach!

We partied at Easter!

We celebrated Forever Family Days:

(This is the amazing Waala family that joined us!)

And we celebrated birthdays!

.... and more birthdays!

We graduated Kindergarten....

and even got a trophy for being one of the top 5 readers out of 144 kids!!!

We've just been busy enjoying our Bouquet of Blessings!

OH!! And we're moving! Soon. Really. Soon. More on that in the very near future also!

So, I hope you come back and check in. I won't leave you again. I'll be back before you can say lickety split in Chinese!! :)

Promise.

Blessed!!

2010-04-21T11:05:00.004-04:00

I'm thinking this is just a Catholic thang, but thought I'd share it anway, since it's been a while I've dragged myself here.

It blesses me every time I hear them sing it. I hope it does the same for you!

(Please remember to scroll down and turn off background music.)

OH, HOW I LOVE THESE BABIES!!!!!!

Four years ago today...

2010-04-03T11:36:00.006-04:00

our lives were transformed. On a cold morning in a Civil Affairs office in Hangzhou, China, a teeny tiny little boy walked into our arms and never looked back.

Seconds after meeting our angel for the first time.

Kai, you have brought us more joy than we ever thought was possible. Just when we thought we couldn't love you more, our love blooms again and we find ourselves submerged in complete "Kai-ness bliss".

And we wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy 4th Forever Family Day, sweet boy! We love you as much as the whole, wide world...and back again!

For those of you that weren't there to share that magical moment with us, you can click HERE to read about the emotional rollercoaster we went on.

Our little man and with his very proud Mama right before leaving, earlier this week, to our first Mother/Son dance at school. ::sigh::

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

2010-04-02T09:23:00.006-04:00

"Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." - Luke 23:46

On a day over 2000 years ago when the world couldn't understand what was happening, God's plan was perfectly laid out.

Fast forward to Good Friday 2006, we stepped foot on American soil having come back from the ancient land of China, with one of the most precious gifts we have ever been given, our son, Adrian Wen "KAI" Bombardier.

Thank you Father God for the ultimate sacrifice, your beloved son, so that we may have eternal life.

May we remember and be thankful for this sacrifice today.

Our "ORDEAL" continues...

2010-03-29T23:24:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: I am saddened beyond belief that what I was hoping to be the end, indeed is not. I thank you all for your prayers and they are appreciated more than you could ever imagine. I will continue to keep you (as) posted as I possibly can. For now, we are looking at another almost 3 more months of uncertainty in our lives.

If you happen to think about us, it would be greatly appreciated if you could say a little prayer for God's perfect will to be done today, Tuesday. He knows exactly what is in our hearts and I pray that it coincides with His will. We are reaching the end.

Thank you dear friends.

Much love,

I Couldn't Love You More!

2010-03-22T10:33:00.012-04:00

Four years ago today, God blessed us with the most amazing gift, our beautiful youngest baby, AJ. He took us on an emotional rollercoaster that taught me humbleness and humility. But most of all, he taught me how a mother can have such a deep profound love for a child that was not conceived in her womb, but instead, in her heart.

If you've not yet had an opportunity to view our miracle baby's birth video, CLICK HERE!

Oh, how blessed you've made our lives, AJ!

One of my favorite pictures!

Happy baby!

Hurry Mama, before I fall over!

All boy!

An animal lover from birth.

Awww, Mama. He's so cute!

I'm driving...you want me to smile?

That ornery little look that I love!

Move over, Frankie. AJ's the new crooner in town!

Pure joy and love!

AJ, we love you with everything we have and thank God and your birthmom for the priceless gift of YOU!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:16:00.001-04:00

"Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me" - from St. Patrick's Breastplate.

Reaching the finish line

2010-03-09T07:32:00.004-05:00

I've succumbed to the fact that I'm human. I can't do all things, but I can stop and do the few things I can, well.

We are starting to see the finish line when it comes to "The Ordeal".

Prayers are still very much appreciated and immensely coveted.

Maybe one day soon, life will be back to normal and I can get back to blogging regularly on my beloved blog.

Although not vocal, I still pop into your lives once in a while and fill my heart with the jubilant joy of seeing what your families have been up to, especially those of you with such precious sweeties now in your arms.

Much love,

Adoption: The Heart of God

2010-02-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

(Please remember to scroll down and pause background music.)

a new little big boy to fill our hearts!

2010-02-05T11:46:00.006-05:00

Many years ago we had a beautiful Golden Retriever named Copper. Sadly, Copper passed away, taking a little piece of our hearts with him.

Well, Amanda's been ~~nagging us to death~~ asking for a playmate for Fred for a while now, a dog she can "call her own". As any parent can attest to when being hounded (no pun intended) for a pet, she's promised to bathe, feed, care for and do all the stuff that pretty much is work when it comes to having a pet.

We finally gave in and found this precious boy!

Meet Otis!

Otis will be 4 years old next month and was in foster care, rescued from a bad situation. He has lived most of his life chained to a tree with no shelter. When he was given up, he was nearly 35 lbs. underweight and covered in ticks, fleas and tested positive for heartworms, which he is being treated for now.

To say that Otis is sweet and loving is an understatement.

He loves being pet, snuggled and kissed.

He loves his new family, his siblings and has even won over the heart of his grumpy 4-legged brother.

And us? We are completely smitten with this gorgeous boy and so thankful for the many, many years we plan on loving on him.

YOU have the power!

2010-02-02T11:17:00.004-05:00

Having had a precious nephew with Down Syndrome, this cause is very near and dear to my heart. You have the power to bring in $50,000 to help Buddy Cruises produce a documentary that will promote acceptance and awareness to Down Syndrome.

All you have to do is click HERE and vote...and vote...and vote!

You can vote daily and voting ends Feb. 28. Right now they are ranked at #17.

So, what'cha still doing here? Click on the link above. Vote and help spread the word for these precious kids!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

a parent's prayer

2010-01-27T10:28:00.002-05:00

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet,
Far from the daily family riot.
May I lie back and not have to think
About what they're stuffing down the sink,
Or who they're with, or where's the dog,
And what they're doing with that log.

I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)

To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)
Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)

And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I've got the right to dream)

Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,
But as I look around I know,
I must have lost them long ago!

there are no words to describe....or are there?

2010-01-25T00:16:00.003-05:00

Neglect, carelessness, chaos, delay, delinquency, dereliction, dilapidation, forgetfulness, lapse, laxity, laxness, limbo, neglectfulness, negligence, omission, oversight, pretermission, remissness, slackness, slovenliness.

There's a few for ya.

Yep, those are words that appropriately seem to fit most how I have treated by beloved blog and beloved friends.

I could give you all a whole heap of excuses, but I'll spare you.

I wonder, are there even any of you left out there reading this?

I owe many of you emails, phone calls, blog visits and well, just owe you. Period.

I am really gonna try to get back on the blogging track. Really.

I miss it AND

I miss you!

an award with some fun!

2010-01-19T09:56:00.007-05:00

Thank you to my sweet friend and sister in Christ, Veronica from Luv My Quiver Full of Arrows for thinking about me and my humble little space in the blog-o-sphere (even if it has been terribly neglected). You see, Veronica nominated me for the "YOUR BLOG IS OVER THE TOP" award! Yippeee! I love it!

As with everything, there are some rules that go with this award. I am supposed to answer the questions below with only one word. Then I am supposed to nominate 6 other bloggers to receive this precious little award. They must also play along and answer the questions on their blog and pass along the award to their 6 favorites.

It really is so hard for me to choose just six, and since most of you know me as one to not always follow the rules exactly as I should, I am going to change it up a bit. So many of you have blogs that bless my socks off every time I visit that I just can't narrow it down.

So, I am awarding every one of my bloggy friends who are listed on my sidebar (I have lots of favs!) to join in on the fun. Let me know when you post it on your blog so I could go check it out!

Without further ado, here are my answers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Counter

2. Your hair? Straight

3. Your mother? Wonderful

4. Your father? Caring

5. Your favorite food? Mexican

6. Your dream last night? Scary

7. Your favorite drink? Sweet Tea

8. Your dream/goal? Heaven

9. What room are you in? Office

10. Your hobby? Blogging

11. Your fear? Unanswered prayers (sorry this one had to be a two word answer)

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Peace-filled

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren't? Dishonest

15. Muffins? Sometimes

16. Wish list item? None

17. Where did you grow up? Miami

18. Last thing you did? School with Amanda

19. What are you wearing? Jeans & sweater

20. Your TV? New!

21. Your pets? Fred (Maltese)

22. Friends? Blessings

23. Your life? Busy

24. Your mood? Hopeful

25. Missing someone? Always!

26. Vehicle? Mini van

27. Something you're not wearing? shoes

28. Your favorite store? Best Buy

29. Your favorite color? Yellow

30. When was the last time you laughed? Last night

31. Last time you cried? This morning.

32. Your best friend? Hubby

33. One place that I could go over and over? church

34. One person who emails you regularly? Mom

35. Favorite place to eat? Varies

a prayer for Haiti

2010-01-18T11:23:00.005-05:00

Dear Lord,

I just want to say thank you Father, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing. Because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister, my parents, need to be pulled out from underneath a pile of concrete. Because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water. Because this morning I was able to turn on the light. Because this morning I was able to take a shower. Because tonight I will have a bed to lay in and a roof over my head. Because I was not planning a funeral. But most of all Lord, I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti.

Father God, I cry out to You, the One that makes the impossible, possible. The One that turns darkness in to light. I cry out that You give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that You give Your strength and Your grace to those running to Haiti seeking to give help, in Your name. I pray that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye.

For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on. Lord, protect the children, especially your beloved orphans that have no family, and shield them with your power.

I pray all this in the name of your precious son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

being still and knowing He is God

2010-01-15T10:36:00.010-05:00

While I still cannot share openly what is transpiring in our lives, I must say that God is moving in big ways through tough circumstances. He is being glorified. Sometimes that means not answering prayers. Sometimes it means that unanswered prayers are the answers, but we did not know it at the time. Sometimes it means giving us small glimpses of what the big picture, what will magnify Him before all, will be like.

I've learned in the past two months that although we are put into positions where we feel we must take immediate action, actions which were intended in our minds to bring us relief of some sort, can instead be the gas that ignites the firestorm.

In this, I know the Lord allowed the storm. Much like he allowed the storm in order to tests Peter's faith. Wasn't it during the worst part of the storm that Peter walked on water?

He.Walked.On.Water.

A feat that a mere human, without Christ, could never accomplish.

Why was he able to? Because His eyes were focused on Jesus. The second that he looked around at the world, he started believing that the storm was going to defeat him. He lost faith. He took his eyes off Jesus, and he began to sink.

Nothing in my life brings me more joy than feeling God's peace. God's peace is the absence of a troubled heart. It awes me because it is when I am resting in His peace that I most trust Him, especially when it goes against my circumstances.When I am peaceful about something that normally makes me anxious or fearful, it is then that I know that I am walking in His will.

In this situation, my actions have brought forth results that I pray almost constantly will not have irreversible consequences. Yet,with the exception a few select people, my prayers seem to be very unpopular around those that surround me.

Do I take the easy road out and let the world's view lead my heart and my decisions or do I stand firm in the convictions and peace that God, and God alone, has placed in my heart and affirmed time and time again? ("Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27)

Although it is the unpopular decision, I choose to stand firm in God.

He is sovereign. He can use anything that happens to us to accomplish His will. He does not make mistakes.

I don't particularly like the idea of of being persecuted and judged by those around me, but it is my Father in Heaven whom I will be standing before and whom I will be judged by. God allowed the circumstances, but He is far more concerned with my heart and my character than with my circumstances. In fact, with me, I believe circumstances are one of His favorite tools to mold me. He has me grow by putting me into situations where I have to apply what His word says. Am I just talking the talk or will I walk the walk, as unpopular as it may seem to society and the world around me?

I trust in Him with all my heart. I trust that He loves me, my children, my family with a love that I can't even fathom. A love that is unimaginable. Why? Because God is sovereign. He is omnipotent. He is able to turn the most difficult of times around and cause them to work for good, in order to accomplish His will. Every event under the heavens is subject to His scrutiny and nothing escapes His notice. Because of God's sovereignty, Satan's attempt to destroy and create chaos, hatred and havoc have been stamped out. God is slowly taking what was meant for evil and is using it for good.

We are still probably months away from resolving this, one way or another.

Where do I want to be when all is said and done and the dust has settled?

On my knees, humbly bowing to Him as I tell him that I wanted nothing more than to be standing in the center of His will. I wanted nothing more than to know in my heart of hearts that He was smiling down in approval, knowing just how badly I wanted to remain a faithful servant throughout this trial.

I know this post again sounds very cryptic. I apologize. I am struggling to find the words that will give you a sense of what we're going through, without divulging too much information. Someday I hope and pray to share the entire story and God's miracles throughout it.

I do ask for your continued prayers for our family and for all those involved. Prayers for healing and for God's perfect will to be done!

Much love,

are you counting the days...

2010-01-11T23:25:00.005-05:00

...until Jack is back?

I AM!

Season 8 of "24" starts this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST.

P.S. Thank you so much for the prayers. Things are slowly moving along. I have many emails to return and I will...I promise. You guys are too good to me.

'the ordeal" continues

2010-01-06T13:42:00.003-05:00

When two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them. - Matthew 18:20.

Prayers humbly coveted and greatly appreciated the next couple of days.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T09:35:00.010-05:00

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go into the darkness & put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way! - Minnie Louise Haskins.

Let us all step into 2010 reaching for God's hand and believing that He will fill our lives with more joy, peace, health, love and laughter than we could ever muster.

We are off to Miami to see my big boy, his new bride, and the rest of my family whom I miss so much!

Stay safe, God bless and have a very, Happy New Year!

The Best of Christmas 2009 - PART II

2009-12-28T21:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

From our home to yours...

wishing you had a spectacular Christmas!

The Best of Christmas 2009 - PART I

2009-12-26T15:16:00.012-05:00

The Preparations

The Photo Shoot

The Giggles And Visiting Santa

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

2009-12-24T10:16:00.004-05:00

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

We worship and adore you!

and a very, merry Christmas to all of my wonderful friends!

spreading Christmas joy!

2009-12-22T09:20:00.003-05:00

It's been really chilly here the past couple of days, putting us even more into the Christmas spirit. We've been talking daily during Advent not only about the reason for the season, the birth of our Savior, but about Christmas being a time of giving.

Yesterday morning, the little ones along with my big elf Amanda, made special Christmas cards. Baked some Christmas cookies and packaged them up to deliver them to our local firemen.

Not only do these men work very hard to protect us, but they are so great with kids. The little ones walked in with their packages and loudly wished all that they encountered a "Merry Christmas".

The firemen oooohhed and aaahhhhed over how much they loved cookies, and the little ones beamed with pride when they told them that they had been the ones to bake them, not Mama.

One of the men asked if they wanted to go inside the trucks. It took all of .5 second for them to yell out, "YEEEESSSS!"

We spent a half hour there asking lots of questions, getting lots of answers, and putting little hands into motion as they tried out every gadget they could reach.

Finally, they left as official firefighters with badges and hats. But more importantly they left with little hearts filled with the knowledge that when you give, God blesses you tenfold, even if it's through tours of firestations!

got the news today!

2009-12-16T14:53:00.004-05:00

Yes, I did!

Big praises to the Almighty!

I did not have a heart attack!

Yea, I certainly had high blood pressure, which I'm now under treatment for. After a full day of tests yesterday, the ole' ticker is still going strong! "No evidence of clogged arteries. Blood flow appears normal. Muscle is intact and working as it should." Yipppeeee, Jesus!

BUT....(there's always a "but")

They did find I do have "several gallstones". This could definitely be the reason for chest pains, since sometimes gallstone pain is masked, according to the doctor, and mimics pains similar to heart attacks.

I am so very thankful for this news! Thank you my dear friends for your constant prayers and most of all, thank you Jesus for loving me, protecting me, and keeping me around for my family!

Much love...

Tick...Tick....Tick

2009-12-14T21:56:00.011-05:00

Are you wondering what that is?

It's the sound of my heart. Yes. My heart has been the topic of lots of conversation around here lately (and on my FaceBook page if you happen to be a friend on there, too).

You see, it all started with those pesky migraines I seem to get more often than I want. A doozie came on last Wednesday. It pounded my brain for three very long days, bringing along with it vomiting and just a feeling of wanting to crawl under a rock.

Friday morning at 6 a.m., I slowly opened my eyes. The right eye first. Clear. Then the left. DANG!!! It was still there. Like an unwanted guest that just won't go away regardless of how hard you try.

I felt so bad that after dropping the little guys off at school, I pulled into a Fire Station not far from my house. I sheepishly walked towards a small group of firemen and asked if they would take my blood pressure. Immediately, they moved in on my request. The results 169/114.

I had a feeling it would be high. I've been dealing with a bit of high blood pressure (HBP) for a ~~2 years~~ little while now, but as all things concerning me, put it on the back burner without ever seeing a doctor about it.

The firemen told me I really should get to a doctor since I'd had the migraine for 3 days, and the high blood pressure...blah..blah..blah.

This time I listened. I went to the local urgent care center where they checked me out, attributed the HBP to the pain from the migraine and ordered a brain scan for that afternoon to rule out an aneurysm or bleeding in the brain.

At 4:00 p.m., I did the brain scan. When it was over, I heard the typical, "Don't call us, we'll call you." So, off I went not knowing if I was a ticking time bomb.

That evening, I was making dinner. I could once again feel my BP rising. I felt my face quickly get flushed and the pounding on the forehead began. But this time, I was feeling different. At first, it was just a feeling of light-headedness. Then my right arm began tingling, all the way down to my fingertips. My heart was pounding, but I attributed it to nerves. I was getting scared. I mentioned it to Scott and he told me I just needed to go rest. He finished dinner. Almost immediately after eating, I was very nauseous. The fast heartbeat turned more into a pressure pushing down on my chest. I could feel my head pounding now. I knew that my BP must be high.

I get dressed and announce that I'm going down to the local drug store to take my BP. Amanda puts on her shoes and goes with me.

As we're driving, I tell her that if it's over 160, I'm gonna go to the ER because I just didn't feel well. A few minutes later, I'm nestled into the stiff chair with my arm in the cuff. It begins squeezing my arm. Hard.

My chest continues to hurt.

My arm continues to feel like it's asleep.

The numbers on the digital machine continue to rise.

Finally, it stops!

It read: 205/115

I knew it! I knew there was a reason I was feeling so, well...crappy!

We head back to the car, drive the couple of miles home, Amanda and sweet hubby change places (she stays with the little ones who are now asleep and sweet hubby gets into the driver's seat) and off we head to the ER.

Immediately, I'm thrown on a gurney and they start asking questions as they slap those little sticky tabs all over my chest to hook me up to the EKG machine.

Final result?

"You've had a small heart attack."

A WHHAAAAA????

They send me back to have another CT scan of my brain looking for an aneurysm, since we didn't have the results of the earlier one. Two in one day. Impressive, huh? Not!

The results of that were, praise God, negative.

My blood pressure begins to stabilize. Pains meds, HBP meds, and heart meds are administered.

By 1 a.m., I am an official resident of the local hospital. I beg sweet hubby to go back home, assuring him I'll be fine. Reluctantly, he does. I am given a shot of Benadryl (still not real sure why) that literally knocks me on my butt. I could barely understand the nurses as they come in every hour or so just to make sure I don't sleep. Okay. Maybe that's not why, but it sure felt like it.

Morning finally arrives. I'm informed that the enzymes from the blood drawn every 4 hours came back negative. I asked what that meant. She said, "It contradicts the EKG. You may not have had a heart attack." Hmmm....so did I? Did I not?

A few hours later, I am discharged and released into sweet hubby's care, along with a pile of prescriptions that include HBP treatment pills.

Three days later, my blood pressure is under control. I've had very minor chest pains. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, I will be undergoing a battery of heart tests, including a nuclear stress test, EKG, and ECHO to determine if a) I did or did not have a heart attack b) how my heart is now.

It's been a real wake-up call that you can't mess with high blood pressure.

As always, your prayer are coveted that all I needed was my HBP treatment and all is well.

And of course, as always, thank you's going your way....wrapped in love!

you've come a long way, baby!

2009-12-08T23:08:00.010-05:00

I've been pondering what to blog about tonight and went back and forth on a few topics right before going to check in on the little ones for the last time this evening.

I went to each one of my sleeping angels and as customary, pulled their covers up around them, tucked their sleeping buddy (i.e. baby pillow, plushed animal,etc.) into their limp little arms, and gave them one last kiss goodnight.

My little miracles. Words cannot ever describe how madly in love I am with these babies.

Every single one of them hold such a huge piece of my heart.

But tonight, it was my beautiful Chinese princess that stole my heart.

As I tucked her in, she quickly reached out and in her sleep, held my hand, opened her eyes and smiled when she saw it was me. Then, just as quickly, she immediately closed them again and fell back to sleep.

My heart swelled.

As every orphan, her little life before coming into our family was very difficult. Then, probably around the time she was just getting accustomed to that life, strangers appeared and whisked her away into a world where everything that she had ever known was now gone. People. Language. Smells. Food. Everything imaginable in her life changed, in a heartbeat.

As I sat on the edge of her bed, listening to her rhythmic breathing and as always, in awe of her beauty, I thought back on the last 30 months of our lives with her.

I thought about how the miracle of adoption, which started with us wanting to give to an orphan a life they wouldn't othewise have, resulted in us being the recipients of the most amazing gift we could have ever imagined.

I thought about how my precious girl has come such a long, long way.

I thought about how normal our lives are becoming.

She no longer is the little girl that used to stand in the corner of the room waiting to see if she would get invited to join in on the pillow fight or the tickle fest or the stories being read. No, now she's usually the one that initiates the fun or is the one to come running with a story book and ask for me to read it.

She is no longer the little girl that would smell cookies coming out of the oven but refuse to ask for one or accept one because of the fear that an act of kindness may tear down the wall she worked so hard to build around her. No, now she's the one that not only asks for that cookie, but asks for seconds or thirds and walks away pouting (something she'd never do because that would show her feelings) when she's told, "Two cookies are enough."

She no longer is the little girl that would look at me with piercing eyes that reflected a combination of fear of abandonment and a desire to love and be loved. No, now she's the little girl that loudly proclaims, "You the bess Mama in the hold wirl." or "We a family fohevah!"

She's a happy, confident, thriving and loving little girl.

As I sat there, for a split second, I wanted to wake her. I wanted to look into her eyes and tell her how very blessed I am to be her Mama. I wanted to cradle her in my arms and rock her to sleep again. I wanted to make up for the first 26 months of her life that she didn't have a Mama's arms to hold her when she was tired, or scared or just needed cuddling.

But I didn't. Instead, I let her continue to sleep and whispered to her how much I loved her. I softly told her I was the luckiest Mama in the whole world. Then I pulled her covers up to her neck, gently kissed her soft cheek and walked out of the room thanking God over and over for having chosen ME!

Yes indeed, I am the luckiest Mama in the whole world....six times over!

my letter to Santa

2009-12-07T10:50:00.012-05:00

Dear Santa.

I've been a real good Mama all year.

I've fed, cleaned, and cuddled my four children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, dispersed more antibiotics than our local pharmacy, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to provide uniforms for the Amanda's softball team, and figured out how to outwit three preschoolers all at once.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmas', since I had to write this one with AJ's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next fifteen years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere during the last of our three adoptions.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like a new mini-van with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone, and a bathroom with an invisible door where I can go potty without someone knocking and saying, "But, Mama! It's important", only to find out that the emergency was that Amanda couldn't find her brush, that the Dora show ended, that Anna Grace was not AJ's best friend that day, or that Kai wanted a snack.

On the practical side, I could use a talking Kai doll that says, "Yes, Mama" to boost my parental confidence instead of thinking I have a five-year old lawyer at home, along with a teenager that can do the dishes without having to be asked five times, three kids who don't fight, two pairs of jeans that zip all the way up without the use of power tools, a button I can push at the dinner table that says, "Anna Grace please swallow your food" so that I don't have to repeat myself incessantly, and lastly, a secret hiding place where I can put things that AJ will never find, since he seems to have a radar for finding and ~~breaking~~ playing with all of my things.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "Don't touch Mama's things", "Clean up this room" and "Take your hands off your brother", because my voice seems to be out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

And please, don't forget the Play-Doh Travel Pack, the hottest stocking stuffer this year for mothers of preschoolers. It comes in three fluorescent colors guaranteed to crumble on any carpet and make our van look like it just came out of a 60's flower power party.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if Kai didn't look so cute sneaking behind the couch to eat contraband cookies in his pajamas at midnight that he snuck from the pantry.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and AJ saw my feet under the laundry room door and wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch a cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet. If you do, you can always call our puppy, Fred, over to you and he'll clean up the mess right away. I do ask a favor though. Will you kindly clean up the throw-up afterwards? His tummy is quite sensitive due to all the snacks the kids sneak him that for some reason seem to cause that effect. I'm not sure why, but Captain Crunch and Oreos don't sit well with him.

Oh, and one more thing Santa; you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in you.

Always,

Mama

do you think...

2009-12-04T18:17:00.004-05:00

that if maybe, I were as cute as this little guy, and I brought you a rose, you could pretend like it's not true that I haven't been on here in over a week?

Yea, I know. I don't deserve it.

But I got excuses. Lots of 'em. Some are pretty ~~lame~~ believable, too!

Like the night before Thanksgiving, my little man, Kai, had his third sleep study this year. Yep. He sure did. And we all know that's true, 'cause I'd never fib about my kiddos. I'll even share the results with you. When I get them that is. Oh, when is that? Waiting for them to call me to tell me that the results are in. So, we still have time left to pray that his OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) is thing of the past. Although, to be honest, he's been snoring a lot lately and having full-blown conversations in his sleep at night, so I don't think that's gonna be the case.

Then, there was Thanksgiving, albeit nowhere near what our traditional Bombardier Thanksgiving is like, it was very nice and quaint. We had almost all the fixins' we usually have and they were just as delicious. Lots to be thankful for.

Hmmm....what else? Oh yes.

We took another 200 mile each way trip to Shriner's Hospital. Anna Grace still has one more surgery left on her little hand with syndactyly and I was praying hard we could schedule a date during our visit. Alas, it wasn't in the plans. You see, one of the two fingers we were hoping to separate is still pretty small. The Dr. described the bone to be as thick as a pencil lead. With it being so thin, there may be a risk that the blood supply to that finger would not be enough. If that happens and the finger dies, we'd have to amputate it. So, we decided to put her on the "non-emergency" waiting list for surgery. What does that mean? That means we'll be called sometime in the next 11 to 12 months to schedule it. She was bummed. I was bummed. But we know that the best thing to do for her is wait.

I also had Anna Grace and Kai's annual individual education plan (IEP) meeting at school. They're both doing great. Anna Grace no longer qualifies for speech services, but will continue with language and occupational therapy for the next year. As to Kai, he's also doing very well. We'd say he's probably 80% intelligible in speech now, and although he still needs quite a few years ahead of him, he's moving right along with all the other kids that don't have any special needs.

I've also been working hard at the homeschooling with Amanda. We've now settled into a routine and I'm loving the extra time I spend with her. She's got it down pat and is taking four honors classes, along with 2 electives. She studies hard and it's reflecting in her grades (all A's so far!)

Last but not least, Mr. AJ. Oh yea, the boy's got me wrapped around his finger. I am thinking about starting preschool homeschooling for him in January. He's very anxious to learn and I think he's definitely ready for it. I guess I've been putting it off because my last baby starting school would mean that I have no more babies. ::sniff:: But I know I can't be selfish and that there are wonderful stages of growth and learning at every age.

So that's about it. Now that I've caught you up, I promise to be on here more often. I have lots more to share including my new super-duper, leap into the world of technology and our Christmas plans. Pictures full of cuteness coming soon, too!

I miss my blog! I miss my friends! I miss my friends' blogs!

It's time to get back to my new normal life!

P.S. Thank you for all of the emails from you wondering if I'm okay. I am. If I have not responded to your email yet, I will. Soon. Very soon!

a bushel of blessings

2009-11-26T01:28:00.004-05:00

I have so very much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, starting with my Savior, whom I would be nothing without. I thank Him for my beautiful family, for my friends, for us being able to have food on our table every day, a warm bed to sleep in every night, and for being able to live in a country where I am free to worship my God publicly and free to speak my mind. We are thankful for our military and their families, especially those in harms way, that sacrifice so much to allow us those freedoms. May God bless you and keep you safe.

To my friends that come on here to check on me, even when I spend days without writing, I wish every one of you and your families a very blessed Thanksgiving.

he walked in

2009-11-23T09:57:00.002-05:00

Twelve years ago today, he walked into my life, (actually "typed" into my life since we met online) and forever changed it. He has since become one of my greatest blessings. Ever.

On that late night in November, never did I expect the stranger I had just met to not only become my husband and prove to me that soul mates really do exist, but not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that God would use him so powerfully to bring me back to my Savior.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that we would not only add one, nor two, but three precious children to our newly blended family.

Never did I think I would become the happiest woman in the world by saying "I do" to this stranger.

Never did I think he could wipe my tears away and make me laugh hysterically in the midst of a pain and sadness.

Never did I think I would find myself standing in awe of him as I watch him fulfill his role as an amazing father, playing with our kids and leading them by example.

Never have I felt what love truly is, until I felt it through the eyes of this stranger.

Am I ever glad that I really believe in never saying never!

Happy 12 years together, baby.

I love you with all of my being.

Psstt...wanna do something really cool?

2009-11-16T13:46:00.017-05:00

UPDATED 6:25 P.M. Just got home to over 40 different families requesting addresses....YAAAAYYY, GOD! I think I have sent the address to everyone that has requested. If you have not received an email from me, then I didn't receive it. Please let me know. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

PS. Some of you have asked if you could share it with your families or friends or post a link on your blog or FB, etc. That would be great. PLEASE REMEMBER NOT TO PUBLICLY POST HIS ADDRESS ON ANY SITE!

I can't wait to hear Holly's report from her hubby when they start pouring in!

I have been blessed by an amazing adoptive, homeschooling, God-loving, military wife, and Mama to participate in a very cool project . Her name is Holly from Purpose Driven Family.

You all know how much we appreciate our military troops and their families. So, when Holly wrote and asked if we could do this, I not only said, "Yes!", but immediately asked her if it would be okay to pass it on!

She said, "Yes!"

I am so excited! I just know that you, my readers, would love to join in, but would also help spread the word so that her hubby, Tony, who is in Iraq serving our country, will not only be flabbergasted because it's his birthday, but will know (as if he didn't already) how crazy in love his wife is with him and how special she wants this birthday to be.

You see, last year during his birthday, this family was going through one of the most difficult trials God has ever placed before them. Tony and Holly spent his birthday in tears and prayer. No air of celebration.

This year, as God would have it, although there is peace in their hearts, they find themselves thousands of miles apart with Tony celebrating his 36th birthday in a war zone.

Now here's where YOU come in!

Holly has asked for help by "blessing him with cards!"

She wrote, "Like in the mail kinda cards! They can be cheapy blank cards...no need to spend big bucks. I just want to surprise him...letting him know that people all over the place CARE about his service and want to bless him on his birthday.

His b-day is Dec. 8th and while his APO address will allow you to send the card with a simple stamp just as if you were sending it within the US...it still takes TIME to get there...so the cards need to be send by Nov. 21st to be safe!

Some will show up early and some late...so it will be an ongoing blessing :)

If you don't know Tony personally, you can just say "I'm a friend of your wife's and wanted to say thank you for serving and our family just said a prayer for you"
or something similar!

If you have kids and they want to draw in the card or something...that would be great!

You can include a family picture or your blog site if you have one...I just want him to be floored that so many people actually really do CARE about his sacrifice!

December was such a painful month last year...I want it to be a month of BLESSINGS this year even if we can't be together as a family!

So- please....send my husband a card and a word of encouragement for his birthday!

Pretty please!! And Thank you!!

Can't wait to see how God moves through YOU."

So friends, how about we blow the socks off this soldier and show this family how much they mean to us and how much their sacrifice is appreciated?

If you'd like to participate, please EMAIL ME and I will send you his address right away. How cool would it be for him to receive hundreds of cards from all over the world?

SURPRISE!!!!!!!

OMG! He rocks my world!

2009-11-13T10:24:00.014-05:00

The words I type can in no way show the excitement in my voice or can allow you to see the tears streaming down it.

TEARS OF JOY!

TEARS THAT AFFIRM WHAT I ALREADY KNEW!

MY GOD ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just don't understand how people can live without God in their life!

WOW!

DOUBLE WOW! I sit here in complete awe!

Ok, I'll stop rambling. Here's what happened.

Remember "The Ordeal" I keep speaking about that has changed our lives? The ordeal is so complicated and twisted that it could truly be a best selling novel.

A few months ago, through our church, we purchased tickets to go see Casting Crowns. When "the ordeal" broke out, it greatly affected whether or not we could go to this concert for many, many reasons. Since again, my family is first and foremost, I didn't want to be put into a predicament that I would later greatly regret. For almost 3 weeks now, I've prayed and asked God, "Should we go?"

And for 3 weeks now, there's been no answer.

The concert is this Sunday. If I wasn't going to go, I needed to pass the tickets on back to the church to allow someone else to go.

My heart kept telling me that God is going to deliver a message to me at the concert.

But my head (actually satan) kept telling me that we are in huge financial difficulties, that we couldn't afford to go, that it would be disastrous and just add gas to the flames already surrounding "the ordeal".

I am embarrassed to say that as of 9:15 this morning, I was not listening to my heart, but instead was listening to my head. My sister called and we discussed what I was doing with the tickets, even after some encouragement from her, I had almost made up my mind that we wouldn't go.

I figured I'd try one last time and check in with God. I prayed. I told him I wanted to do His will, not mine because I knew that whatever He chose would be the right move.

Again, no answer. I got up from being on my knees frustrated.

I told Amanda we'd be starting her classes in a few minutes, served myself a cup of coffee and went to check my email.

A couple of minutes later, my phone rang. It was a strange number. The caller was from NY.

Hmmm....

I picked up the phone, still feeling frustrated about not hearing an answer about the concert and of course, depressed about "the ordeal".

ME: Hello

CALLER: Ohilda? Hi, this is T. from NY.

ME: Who?

CALLER: T. from NY I read your blog and am on your FB.

ME: Oh, hi! (surprised that I would be getting a phone call from someone who has never called me).

CALLER: I know this is strange, but I was just driving in my car WHILE LISTENING TO CASTING CROWNS, and had a huge urging from the Holy Spirit to call you. I'm not sure why.

ME: OMG! OMG! OMG! (Big tears now streaming as I am fumbling to speak).

Finally, after about 10 seconds and probably T. thinking I was absolutely crazy:

ME: T! You have no idea what you've just done. I feel like it's God calling me Himself. You didn't say, "Ohilda, I had a huge urging from the Holy Spirit to call you". Because if you would have, I would have just thought that the Lord wanted me to ask you to pray for us. Instead, He used you totally and completely. You said, "....WHILE LISTENING TO CASTING CROWNS, and had a huge urging from the Holy Spirit to call you."

CALLER: Thank you, Jesus for using me as your vessel.

(T. feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. This is as accurate as I can recall the conversation through my tears and screaming in your ear!)

After that we chatted a bit, I explained my crazy response and thanked her profusely for allowing herself to listen to Him and following through on the "urge". Many people I know, probably myself included, would not have looked for a phone number and picked up the phone to call someone you don't really know, without a reason and simply say, The Holy Spirit asked me to. What an amazing servant you are, T. He uses ANYONE who is willing to serve Him. Even strangers who live thousands of miles away. In this case, He chose someone who He knew would be obedient to His "urge". He needed His message delivered, "GO TO THE CONCERT!"

He answers prayers. Everytime.

Sometimes they may not be the answer we want or expect. But our prayers never, ever fall on deaf ears.

His word is filled with affirmations of this.

Jer 29:12........ "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you."

Job 22:27...... "You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you..."

Jn 15:7.......... "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

and there are so many more!

What a way for me to show my daughter that God DOES answer prayers. And what a way to show her that when you surrender to the King, and allow yourself to be used, He will use you in great ways. T. did just that and I pray that He bless her tenfold for it!

Yes, I am excited because we will be seeing Casting Crowns on Sunday, but I am BEYOND ECSTATIC that I serve, worship and adore the one, true living God who's got my back! I know that I will be going to the concert and indeed receiving that message and He will be there, right by our side!

I LOVE YOU, JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"thank you" isn't enough...

2009-11-12T10:59:00.005-05:00

but it's the least we can do when we see a member of our military.

(Please scroll to the bottom to turn off background music.)

apologies

2009-11-10T13:26:00.008-05:00

I have so very much to be thankful for.

And I am.

God has blessed me over and over and over and then He's blessed me some more.

Yet, I feel that I'm constantly coming on here to ask for prayers. I feel that I've created it to be the place readers come to when they're in the mood for doom and gloom.

I apologize.

Truly.

Sincerely.

I don't mean to, but it's my escape. It's the place I come to share my heart. The same heart that rejoices in His word, but can just as quickly be broken at thoughts that I wish wouldn't enter the deepest creases of mind.

It will be like this for a while.

I'm sorry.

thinking out loud...

2009-11-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

Tough day today.

I was struggling in my mind after an emotional day. The thought came to me to ask God for a message by flipping the bible open to any page and reading the first thing I laid my eyes on.

I did.

My eyes immediately became fixated on the words that appeared before me:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Romans 8:18

Thank you, Jesus! I wait with hope and joy for that glory to be revealed.

Orphan Sunday

2009-11-08T12:20:00.003-05:00

Today is National Orphan Sunday. Please pray for the 147 million orphans in the world who are waiting for their forever families.

Also pray for the families considering adoption.

Over one third of Americans seriously consider adoption, but only 2% actually adopt.

Every orphan needs a forever family.

Psalm 68:6 - "God sets the lonely in families." Could you be one of those families?

We are forever thankful for two very special little orphans that God placed in our hearts.

Maker. Forgiver. Reedemer

2009-11-06T10:19:00.019-05:00

Yesterday's post discussed why I've decided not to go private. In a nutshell, it's because I've asked God to use me to minister to others when He feels I should, but most of all for His glory to shine through. He has without a doubt shown me He has done just that.

Back in March when our year began the huge snowball downwards, one of my readers sent me an email. An email I never realized I had received until months later. Somehow, someway, it got lost in the shuffle of thinking my little man might die on us. Time went by and the email became lost in the abyss of thousands of emails I have.

In August of this year, as I was sifting through old emails in my inbox, I came across it. It was unopened. I was flabbergasted when I read it and saw the date on it. Basically, the author stated anonymously that she had something to share that's been breaking her heart for the past 10 years. She told me she had never shared it with anyone and that she had felt, through my blog, that she wanted to share it now. She asked if I would do so. The topic? Abortion.

I immediately thought, "Man! Satan knew that I'd be completely wrapped up in Kai's situation and what a great time that would be to ask me to do something for God."

After reading the email, I quickly wrote back, profusely apologizing for the fact that it had taken me literally five months to respond. This time, it was I that did not receive a response from the person. I was angry at myself that Satan had gotten away with it. Whatever the "story" was, I would never know. But worse yet, God's glory wouldn't be able to shine through it.

Fast forward two months.

The "ordeal" we are going through in our family began October 24. Our world has been crashing down around us since. A few days after the "ordeal" began, another email arrived in my inbox. It was the same person. Once again, she was asking if I would use her story. This time, I wasn't letting Satan get away with it. In the midst of my sadness and loss, I wrote back and said I would. She then explained that she was an abortion survivor. She has considered taking her own life, after willingly taking her child's. But God in His goodness, in His mercy, one day picked her up and showed her that He is a forgiving God. He is a loving God who died on the cross for our sins. The ransom for our sins was paid over 2000 years ago.

She stated to me that although she "has received forgiveness, the pain has never dulled, but she wouldn't want it to either".

To the author of the letter:

You have the living Jesus in your heart. God has kept each of your tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). He will show you that bottle one day and remind you that as each one was being shed and you felt so alone, He was right there, wiping them away.

Although we've never met, I pray that someday when we are both in His kingdom, I am able to see those tears streaming down your face. The difference will be, as we both know, they will be tears of joy. I continue to keep you in my prayers and ask God to bless you. May He fill your heart with His peace until the day arrives that you will hold your precious child.

Here is her story, in her words:

Abortion

Walking slowly to the entrance, Faces Flash
Screaming, all I heard was "don't do it".
Comforted by familiar voices, I sit down and fill out paperwork.
Time passes, I sit and wait
My heart sinks into my womb as they call my name
Time passes, I continue to wait
Young and old walk out barren in womb and soul
but smiles and contentment on their faces
Invisible tears stream down my face
My heart races as another name is called, am I next?
Finally my turn comes
I walk emotionless into a room
and I am prepared for the death of my very own child
Half of my body is stripped
As I feel a soul wrenching chill in the pit of my stomach
I lay down, legs wide open
I accept the fear with tears
Scared, lonely and uncontrolled emotions fill the room
It has begun
A life lasting torture
Stitched into my heart, womb and soul
Pain fills my body
As I let out a silent scream
I felt everything
EVERYTHING
Five minutes later and it was done
I was brought into a room
With others who had just joined me
In killing a small silent miracle, sent by God
I sit there in pain, trembling
My eyes are so filled tears, I can only see fog
I run to the bathroom, I am sick
Very Sick
I cannot move off of the floor
They come in
Pick me up
Clean me off
and send me home
With a bag of pills instead of my baby

Familiar voices tremble
as they help me into the car
They are silent

Days, nights, weeks and months
They pass me but I do not forget
The pain, the shame the forgiveness

A lifetime to finish out the labor of pain and love
For a lost child
A mother without her child
I become lost in a cloud of pain
and all I can say is Don't Do It!

For my precious child, I love you and I am very sorry
you are forever in my heart and soul

going private

2009-11-04T19:21:00.008-05:00

Hang on.

Before everyone starts flipping thinking they will be left out of the scoop, I need to explain.

First of all, I am not going private.

I confess.

Lately, I've thought about it. A lot.

I've prayed about it. A lot.

Those who know me well, know that my life is pretty much an open book. My blog for the past almost 4 years has been a synopsis of what goes on in my head, and many times in my life.

Of course, like any parent, I protect my children and family and that's always at the forefront of my mind.

I've had many friends, especially lately, jump over to private blogs. I completely understand and support them. For me? It's not where God wants me yet and I know why.

Although this has been an extremely tough year for us, somehow I've managed to keep God front and center. In the midst of the storm, as I'm gulping water and kicking as fast as I can to reach the surface to take a gasp of air, I almost always praise Him. By no means am I saint. By no means am I perfect. Do I question Him? Way more often that I should. But again, I'm human.

When all is right with the world, it's so very easy for me to turn every blessing into praise. I think it is for most Christians.

But, how well do we do when the storm is feeling like a category 5 hurricane? What do we do then?

With each trial and tribulation, I've really learned that somewhere, somehow, the light will shine through the darkness (John 1:5). That light is His glory.

Throughout the past 4 years, I've received countless emails and comments from readers letting me know that something that I've said had affected them and/or whatever cross they were carrying at that time. That was all God.

I think about those times and am still dumbfounded. God used me, a simple, ordinary housewife and Mama, to touch someone's heart, or even to lead them to do His will. Some people I've known, others have been completely anonymous, including one I will be sharing about very soon. And that's perfectly okay because I don't need to know. God already does. But he takes the simplest of people, the ones who are completely unequipped to take on such a huge role, to do His work.

As I was pondering the huge ordeal our family is suffering through now, I decided to go through some of my archived files. I came across this one. It was written in July 2007. God immediately hit me with the answer to my question, "Should I go private and "share" what's happening with my faithful prayer warrior friends?" The reply was in a short exchange with Amanda, then only 12 years old.

Amanda: Mom, why do you blog and tell everyone about your life?

Me: Well, I don’t tell them everything about our life, but I do share whatever I can when it can be used to glorify God.

Amanda: Yes, Mom. But anything, technically, can be used to glorify God.

Me: Aaahh….exactly. That’s why I blog.

So, as much as I'd like to right now, I'm not going private.

But I do know that, although hearts are breaking, this too will pass and that the light in the darkness will shine brighter than ever. It will be then and only then that I will somehow be able to put into words the cross we've been bearing and continue to bear for the next few months. But we will rejoice with full hearts when at last, we will be able to testify to how the King of Kings carried us through the fire, unscathed. We will glorify Him as we share about when we were in the midst of the flames He taught us compassion, unconditional love, and forgiveness. Everything that encompasses what our Savior truly is.

In the meantime, I will continue to ask for your patience and most of all for your prayers, as you endure through reading my obscure and cryptic posts regarding this situation, that goes beyond our immediate family. Please pray for all involved.

I've asked over the years for God to somehow use me and my little, tiny corner of cyberspace to bring Him glory. I believe He has, even if just in a small way. I pray He continues.

Changes

2009-11-02T13:03:00.010-05:00

Major changes continue to roll through our household. God is slowly, but surely, making His presence felt. He is moving mountains and clearing cobwebs out of hearts that have felt pretty broken and untouched for quite some time.

One of the biggest changes taking place is that I am now an official homeschooling Mama! Talk about being nervous and wondering how I could botch up a child's life in record time.

But, I know that it is God's will and somehow, someway, he will equip me to do the job. Just as he's equipped me to handle every other circumstance he's thrown my way that I have felt like throwing back and saying, "But Lord, you made a mistake. Look...it's me! You've chosen the wrong person for the job." It is only when I shut up long enough to listen to Him, that I realize that He knew from the beginning that I would be unsure of my abilities and He also knew that I would need Him to get me through it. He patiently waited for me to get over my tantrum and work my way back to Him. In the end, that's all He wanted. We make it through, and He deservedly receives the glory for being the One to have given me the strength and hope to get to the other side. Alone I am nothing. With Him, I am everything.

Homeschooling will be no different. After much prayer about homeschooling my kids, He answered. It was the right decision. But instead of making it easy for me and starting with a preschooler or possibly even a kindergartner, God decided to stretch me even further and throw a high school student for me to homeschool first. Yep, that's God for ya!

Now onto another topic. Our situation at home. It remains. No answers have been revealed as of yet and we continue to struggle. But we serve a very mighty and merciful Lord, whom without there would be no hope. We have Him. We have hope. Eternal. Hope.

In the end, I know with every fiber of my being that He will be glorified. We just need to hang on to His word, His promise, His faithfulness and His unconditional, never-changing love and we will get through it, together, for His glory.

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12

He IS my strength.

2009-10-30T08:31:00.012-04:00

I thank the many of you that continue to comment, email, call and pray. He has used you to be my strength at a time in my life that is truly needed. I'm beginning to feel a little bit like Job.

I am taking a short hiatus to resolve or try to make sense of some family issues that have come up.

I miss my blogging life, but of course, my family comes first. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

I will post every few days whenever possible.

Love you all.

And Lord? I will continue to praise you in the storm!

I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

- Casting Crowns

"The Ordeal"

2009-10-26T17:37:00.003-04:00

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

I'm wondering why is it that when you ask God to push you to the limit, it always ends up being over the cliff and leaving you to have to trust fully in Him?

a picture's worth a million words...

2009-10-21T23:38:00.009-04:00

or is it a million pictures are worth....oh forget it!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't decide which pictures to post, since I have over 400 pictures and I like so many of them. I decided to choose a few of my favorites from the church and post them tonight. Tomorrow I will post the reception and party pictures (FYI: There might have been alcohol involved at the reception. If so, I am now apologizing for any pictures that may look like we were having just a little too much fun!). Enjoy!

Tito and Gloria, may God always be the center of your marriage and may you be blessed abundantly for a lifetime. We love you both so very much!

Getting ready to leave to church. I just love AJ's little face here! By the way, my sweet Kai had a temp of almost 102 in this picture.

This is my favorite of all the pics! I am truly, truly blessed and give God all the glory for pouring down upon me such an amazing 'Bouquet of Blessings'.

Our beautiful Amanda was a bridesmaid.

Happy parents with one beaming son!

Another happy parent...Tito's Dad.

Waiting with his awesome brother and best man, Adam.

Such a proud Mama. Oh, how I love my biggest baby boy!

I may be biased, but don't you think they looked adorable?

The radiant bride walking down the aisle holding her Mama's hand. Doesn't she look beautiful?

(Sorry for the "arm" in the picture).

Kneeling before God.

Stepping down from the altar after having signed the marriage certificate.

Officially husband and wife!

"Hey Mom, look at me! I'm married!"

The beautiful and happy couple!

Our girl was having a great time!

With Tito's aunt & uncle, Herb and Ily and cousins, Anthony and Seth.

All this wedding stuff is exhausting!