This and That

After two weeks of blogging silence, I finally have the mental energy to try to catch up. Darin has had a lot of traveling. Boo hiss! :(  I went away for the weekend with a group of adoptive mama's. Amazing! :) And we're on day 168 of our school year. Things are winding down in that department. Hooray! We finished our required testing last week and will wait for scores. ack! 

Some fun moments mixed in with our crazy... (and no I didn't take pictures of bad attitudes, 

tantrums, or an impatient mom which is so prevalent. I wonder what would happen if I did?) 

A trip to see a youth symphony to support a dear friend: 

Look at my blazer boys on the left. SO handsome. The kids loved listening. 

Well... as you can see Aaron was not as thrilled as everyone else. ;)

We had some cooking lessons while the older boys 

were at the homeschool academy. Irina loves her new apron. 

Science Fair and Showcase at Westminster Academy. 

Spontaneous trip to the botanical garden

These two were hilarious with their cameras. Running everywhere taking pictures together. 

 I never grow tired of the butterfly exhibit or beautiful flowers. 

 An unexpected rainbow... by the time I got my camera the double rainbow disappeared. 

And lastly, Luke's final project for his history class was a movie about the world wars. He chose to make a movie on music from World War II. The kids and parents voted his finished project 3rd place and he received his first Academy Award. He was beaming.

So much more has happened these last two weeks and I'm not even referring to the serious, thought provoking stuff which you know is swirling in my head. I'm too lazy to go downstairs and get my camera to see if I have any more photos to upload from our fun happenings. ;) 

Then there are the emotions of my biological first born turning 11 this weekend. oh my! I'll be back soon. 

Soccer JOY

Irina has played in her first two soccer games and she is LOVING it! 

She is flourishing. She is listening to her coaches and she is learning. (on the left)

 She's scoring some goals. (This photo is right before her first goal.)

 She has some natural talent, but what I am most proud of is her attitude. She is SMILING. 

She is happy. She is agreeable to try whatever the coaches ask of her. 

Irina has tried every position and last week she even tried out goalie. She protected her goal well. 

And now of course, there are two other boys in the house who have a sudden interest in signing up for soccer. ;) 

Toothless Cutie

Surely it is getting difficult to eat with all these teeth dropping out? 5 teeth gone! Oh my.

Relax

I haven't been here on the blog lately because Darin and I went to
a tropical beach for three nights and four days (including travel on either end).

Doesn't that look heavenly? Do you think there is a beach in heaven? Well, here on earth I think of the beach as a little taste of heaven. I LOVE the beach.  It was warm (mid 80's) with a wonderful ocean breeze.

Isn't it funny how much effort it is to get ready for a vacation? Getting the four kids packed for their grandparent adventure took a lot of brain power. ;). And then there is re-entry into REAL life once we returned from paradise. Let's just say that it's been a little shocking to my system. However, I can stop and see ways that God answered prayers.

The idea of the trip was was to celebrate our 40th birthdays. Two months ago I turned 40. In two months, Darin will join me in this new fantastic decade. I specifically prayed that I would be able to relax. I'm pretty uptight and knew we didn't have a whole week for me to figure this out. So thankful that I was able to relax the moment we arrived at the airport. No lists, no meal planning, no grocery lists, no schoolwork, no laundry, no refereeing sibling conflict. I didn't even feel tempted to "work".  I enjoyed the view above every morning feeding my soul. I was not rushed. No one was clamoring for my attention. I could take my time and soak it all in. This was a gift. I filled up my journal. 

The place we stayed was pretty quiet the first two days. We heard that was not the case the previous two weeks so we were thankful for our timing. Another answered prayer: good health! Two of the boys came down with the flu three days before our departure. My parents graciously loved on them through their illness. The two other kids didn't get sick and Darin and I remained flu free! Hooray! So thankful that the germs did not spread like I feared. 

It was Irina's first overnight without both Darin and me and she did GREAT! I'm so relieved and thankful. Answered prayer! The days prior to the trip were a doozy with her nervousness and fear of the unknown. (She likes predictability and a clear schedule.)  The last several days following the trip have been full of complicated behaviors for all four kids.  Isn't that usually what happens after days of fun with grandparents? They have to get used to our routines again. :)  I'm so glad they ALL were so pleasant and agreeable while we were gone. Thank you, Lord. But even so... it is still a lot of work to take care of them. Just feeding them (and they have huge appetites) takes quite a bit of effort.  

Long walks, relaxing, reading, and bike rides (aren't we safe in our vests and helmets?)...time alone is TREASURED. We haven't done anything like this in nearly 12 years and the scenery then was not quite as spectacular as this trip. 

(Our trip to Ukraine alone was MUCH different and not nearly as carefree.)

Thank you, Darin, for planning such a special trip for us. 

Thank you, Grammy & Poppy, for loving and caring for all four kids while we were gone. 

(And for continuing their schoolwork while we were gone too! Above and beyond the call of duty.) 

I know where you can go if you want to get away and relax from all the commotion. :)

Surely it's too quiet at your house now. 

Walking

The pictures below have nothing to do with this post. I'm sure you don't mind. ;)

They just happen to be from a trail walk the kids and I took on Monday. 

I'm loving the "She Reads Truth" online devotional. 

You can sign up to get email notifications HERE. 

 Today I was reading in Luke 24:13-35 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Read it!

 Love this quote from the devotional that went along with the scripture: 

"Do our hearts burn within us when we encounter Christ? Do we welcome His presence and listen as He reveals Himself to us in His word? Do we continue down the road a different person because we walk with Jesus?"

I hope and pray that my "walking" with Jesus changes me. SO thankful for His word. 

So thankful that He is ALIVE and can make all things NEW. 

Laundry Discovery

Okay... I may be way behind here, but I recently realized something that has brought me much relief.

MY CHILDREN CAN FOLD THEIR OWN LAUNDRY AND PUT IT AWAY! 

You may be scratching your head and saying, "duh!" Perhaps you already know this?? Why have I been in the dark?

Here is what I WAS doing... I'm very routine oriented. Monday is kid laundry day. Luke usually helps me sort out the colors and get it started Sunday evening. Then I finish up during the day on Monday and fold about 5-6 loads on Monday evening. Sometimes I would even put all their laundry into their drawers for them. Seriously... this madness needed to stop. If I had an evening commitment on Monday, I would feel anxious until all the laundry was folded and put away. I greatly dislike having unfolded clean laundry sitting around in baskets. It literally gives me stomach aches. 

Now? Ahhh... the relief. I run the loads through the washer. No problem. Then Monday evening, I spend a maximum of 15 minutes separating the laundry into four baskets. (The only loads that are really a mixture are the load of whites and 1 load of pink/red. Other then that the laundry is mostly separated by kid when it is washed.) I deliver the baskets to their room Monday night and VOILA! They fold it and put it away. 

Irina and Luke are very diligent. Irina hangs up most of her shirts inside out, but that doesn't bother me. She can turn them right side out when she wears them. Aaron (age 6) and Ethan (age 8) need a little coaxing to put it away, but even with that this new system is saving me at least an hour (if not more) per week! Does anyone have any more laundry time saving tips they want to share? I'm all ears. 

Easter Memories

Hallelujah! He is Risen! 

It's been a bitter sweet Easter season this year and I don't take this closeness with God for granted. Instead of running myself ragged doing lots of Easter teaching activities and crafts with the kids, we kept it simple and that was just right for us this year. (no guilt that I didn't DO all that I wanted to DO.) We read scripture together and worshipped together at church. I'm thankful that the truth of the season was in the forefront for me this year, which is not always the case.

Easter Sunday was a day for celebrating NEW LIFE, and God's promises kept! 

 We had a quiet and pleasant afternoon with my parents who live nearby. 

I made the traditional Ukrainian Easter bread, but learned of a new recipe that looks quite different. I'll have to try that next year.

The kids still get excited about hunting for Easter eggs. (even when half of them are empty!) 

I asked my mom when they would outgrow enjoying this tradition and she said, "I haven't." :) 

 They dyed eggs outside in the beautiful weather. 

Just a lovely quiet day... Thank you Jesus!

(We missed seeing all our other family - siblings, other grandparents, etc.. 

However, it was so good for us to have a relaxed schedule with no traveling.)