Two Year Anniversary

On Sunday, we came directly from the marriage conference and met my parents and the kids at a local performance of Mary Poppins. It was a surprise for the kids and a great way to celebrate being a family of six for two years. Two years ago on Sunday, the judge signed papers officially declaring Irina as our daughter. Mary Poppins is one of the first movies we watched together with Irina after returning home from Ukraine, so it was a fitting way to celebrate.

Can you believe how much Irina has changed? I'm not shrinking... she's growing like a weed. Almost 5'2" now!! The chilly day on Sunday certainly reminded me of weather we experienced in Ukraine two years ago. Brrr...

Two years ago

Sunday 11/22/15

Following the performance, we came home and ate a Ukrainian meal that I had prepped before the weekend. I didn't have time to try something new, so I stuck with a similar menu as last year. Seen HERE.   (vareniki, zazharka, chicken kotleti, and honey cake) We were happy to have my parents join us after they served us over the weekend keeping the kids. 

It's hard to process all the twists and turns of the past two years. I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words in a clear way. We've had triumphs and despair; smiles and tears. No matter what our path, there have been lessons to learn along the way -- some clear and some not so clear. Life in our house is constantly changing, but the best news is that God does not change. His love endures forever. His faithfulness endures forever. I can lean on Him through the ups and downs.

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you." Psalm 118:28

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just the two of us...

Last weekend, Darin and I had the PRIVILEGE of a weekend away attending Family Life- Weekend to Remember - Marriage Conference. After our personal relationship with Jesus, our most important relationship is with one another. It's too easy for that to get overlooked with the needs of the kids, schooling, work, and taking care of a household. A favorite quote from the weekend was, "If we don't pursue oneness in marriage, we will naturally drift into isolation." We're choosing to pursue love and friendship. Together forever!

My crafty Ethan decided to get us into the spirit by making and hanging mistletoe around the house the week prior to the conference. When we called to check in, one of his first questions was, "Are you doing lots of smooching?" !!!! Funny boy!

I'm thankful for 17 years of commitment. 

With God all things are possible!

Getting away would never have been a reality without my parents willingness to take on the responsibility of the kids. (which is a LOT!) I'm so grateful that the kids blessed my parents by choosing to help rake leaves joyfully. A great balance of work and play! And my parents blessed them by treating them to lots of special treats!! They made some special memories together. 

If you've never attended a family life marriage conference, I highly recommend it. No matter how long you've been married. There were engaged couples, newlywed's, and a couple married 48 years!

Fall Soccer Finished; What's next?

Irina and Aaron finished up their fall soccer season. Phew! It was a great experience for both of them even though they didn't have winning teams. Irina really settled into enjoying goalie. Her fight instinct is perfect for that position and I'm amazed by her fearlessness.

 Every game, she would be sure to smile and wave at her soccer fans. 

Her reputation on the soccer field was definitely "HAPPY GIRL!"

Aaron has natural speed and athletic ability, but I was surprised by how timid he 

could be on the field. He plays much differently with his siblings! 

 A perfect ending to the season was his first goal during the second half. He was so excited!

I loved seeing the kids play and learn, but being a spectator at soccer games wore me out. And I was just watching from the sidelines! The challenges of being introverted. ;) Thankful for great coaches who commit to teaching these kids.

I'm a little relieved for some respite from sports. (Well, for a couple weeks anyway!) For now, we've decided only 2 kids can play a sport each season. Next month, Aaron starts basketball and Ethan will do swimming.

(Thanks for these pictures Poppy!)

Hooray Luray!

Last Friday, we ALL took a field trip to the Luray Caverns. It was quite a drive, but it didn't matter because it was so great to be all together. Bonus: discounted homeschool day tickets made it worth our while.

It was hard to photograph, but quite amazing. You can read more about it HERE. 

Stalagmites, stalactites, limestone, calcite... there was lots to learn. 

I only felt a little claustrophobic being down below in a cave. yikes! ;)

In between tours, Darin had to work some. His job doesn't afford him the opportunity to 

ever be fully out of the office, but nonetheless it was so good to have him with us on a Friday. 

The kids convinced us to buy a bag of what looked like dirt so they could mine for gems. 

We were a little skeptical, but they found some cool gems after their sluicing and sifting. 

Gorgeous, crisp, fall day in the mountains combined with learning! Fills me up. 

Days

There are some moments of our days I'd rather not remember. Why is it that those tend to be the moments I DO remember?? The failures, the disappointments, the angry words, the foolish choices (mine and the kids)... those are the things that tend to run through my head again and again. I don't even have to take a picture of those moments for them to be embedded in my brain. Why is that?

What I really WANT to remember is the Lord's kindness to me and to my children. Why do I choose instead to bathe my mind in the dirty messy muck of my sin and the sin of those around me? I want to be a sweet aroma of Christ, so I need to CHOOSE (and pray for help from the Holy Spirit) to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  These words from Philippians are such good medicine for me today. It matters what I think about!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

The rest of this post is sweet smiles that remind me of God's goodness to me.

A morning walk in the rain before school. Super fun, but note to self... four umbrellas is too many for a walk. ;) We were quite a scene, but I love taking a walk with these kiddos in the morning, whatever the weather.

 Mid morning bike rides in between school subjects! I love it! 

 "Let's pretend like we are falling," exclaimed Aaron. Oh dear... looks a little too realistic. Ethan don't flip over the rail! You can't tell from this picture, but it is a long way down from this bridge. Ack!

Afternoon therapy... cleaning out a very messy room. It was gorgeous outside and the kids were playing happily outside. Being alone and cleaning was just what I needed. QUIET! Plus, I could hear them pretending right outside the open bedroom window. I filled some large bags for trash and recycling. (They won't even know some of their accumulated junk is missing!)

 We spent a couple Saturday evenings in the country with friends. 

Bonfire, burgers, woods, trees, s'mores, and great fellowship...so much fun!

My phone camera pictures are terrible, but I had to capture it. 

 Once a week, I get 45 minutes alone with this guy below. (Irina has tutoring and the other boys are at art class.) He has been craving some attention and doing anything to get it. It is an understatement to say he loves this time. We've gone on walks, run a few errands, set up obstacle courses, and just played. Last week, he kept saying, "Take my picture, Mumma."

Last week: "Can we rake the leaves?" "Of course!" Teamwork, laughter, JOY! priceless. 

Change in plans... ZOO

A couple weeks ago, we were at the end of a two week stretch of a traveling Daddy. ugh! We'd been working hard on school work and keeping up with activities, but all of us were just plain grouchy with one another. I knew we needed to "reset" before starting another school week. That Friday, I decided to scrap our lesson plans. After an abbreviated school morning, we packed lunch and zipped off to a nearby zoo for a field trip. It was a surprise for the kids and just what my heart needed. 

As soon as I told the kids we were going on a field trip, they changed so they were matching. They are so funny! Irina wants a VT shirt!! She had her pink VT baseball cap, but it wasn't quite the same. 

I love to see the giraffes, but would not want that long tongue touching me! Doesn't phase Ethan. 

Reminds me of this picture above from when he was only 5. 

He's always been my animal lover. 

Camels will always remind me of my experience riding 

one when I was in Northern Africa one summer. Great memories!

 The weather at the zoo that day was perfect. It was not crowded and we ENJOYED one another. 

Ethan and I rode the sky ride together. I was so afraid to drop 

my camera or my shoes on the rhinoceros below us. Seriously, my heart was racing.

These three were right behind us. 

It was the perfect end to a couple long weeks. 

It's hard for me to abruptly change my plan, but I felt a nudging and I'm so glad I listened. 

A trip to the zoo was definitely God's plan for us that day. 

What's Up

We are here living this busy life with four kids trying to make sure to keep the main thing the main thing... it's a challenge! 

With the addition of fall sports, this season has seemed more FULL then previous falls. Haven't yet squeezed in the yearly trip to pick apples, pumpkins, or take a trip to harvest festivals. Our downstairs painting and minor renovations have kept Daddy busy around the clock. He's very thorough and diligent. So far the change in paint color has made my downstairs feel so much more peaceful (even with the less then peaceful kids! Amazing!) Can't wait to get to the end of the project and have things back in order. (almost driving me completely crazy...)

Here are some snapshots of life this fall:

 Last trip to see the butterflies at the botanical garden before the exhibit was moved. 

The kids have two Grandpa's born the same year exactly seven days apart. We were able to celebrate belatedly with my dad and send birthday wishes to my father-in-law through the phone and mail. 

 Life being spectators at soccer games... Oh dear.  

One minute they are calm and the next minute poor Luke was tackled by his brothers. 

Highly distracting for the serious spectators! Good grief. 

Years ago, we were avid Music Together fans. The boys all participated when they were under 5. Aaron has been on a kick listening to all the old cd's and we have heard them ad nauseum. Last week during rest time, he moved his desk closer to the cd player so he could control the songs easily while playing with play dough. I love that they are making him happy and love listening to him sing along.

 A Sunday afternoon bike ride with the family

The bike helmets came in handy when we took a break to swing on the rope swing. 

 Irina had no interest in the rope swing this time and was happy on the sidelines.

 Our strongman clearing the bike trail

After the annoyance of an eye infection and resulting trip to the eye doctor last weekend, I was not thrilled to wake up with a fever early this week. No substitute teachers here. I stayed in my pi's until lunch and we still worked on school. So thankful the fever was short lived. Life goes on...

This sight below was SO encouraging to see after breakfast! 

Cooperative workers! It's the little things...

We are making choices and thinking about our priorities. 

I don't prefer life feeling so full and frantic. 

Some tough decisions ahead.