Elijah & Ethan

I always worry that our boys will resent Randy & I because we are fostering. Last night my kids so wonderfully reassured me that they enjoy(for the most part) fostering and what it means to our family.
The boys were upstairs playing with the oldest(51/2) and they came downstairs so excited and having such a good time. Ethan said this is so cool. I like being a big brother. Fostering is pretty cool.
When we have bad days and think we just can't do it any more God brings a good thought or an encouraging word or deed that gives us the strength to go on.

Sing with me Elmo should be outlawed!

Sing with me Elmo has some problems. we were so sick of hearing him that I stashed it in my bedroom. This morning at 2AM Randy and I were awakened with "A,B,C,1,2,3, sing with Elmo"
It scared us half to death. Randy was grumbling if it wasn't the kids now it is stupid Elmo! I grabbed my scissors off the dresser and was ready to cut the battery pack out of Elmo and be done with it. Randy had a bit cooler head and got his toolman and just removed the batteries.
Elmo will not be getting his batteries put back in any time soon!

silence is golden

Ahhh! the sound of nothing. Never knew it could be so beautiful. Nap-time is a wonderful thing!
having extra's in the house has really made me rely totally on God and it has made me see a few things in a different light.
One thing I have learned is how gifted my husband is at counseling. Our new boys need a lot of help and Randy has been so good at talking with them and they are doing so much better. I am amazed at the wisdom God gives him as he talks to these little guys.
I can really see how Randy and I fit as a team. My gifts and strenghts are not even close to his, but we compliment each other and it works.
I'll up-date as I can. One thing I can give praise to God about is the fact that we are getting sleep. Now that is a beautiful thing!

5 Boys

We now are a family of 5 boys. We increased our family by 3 Friday night. Everything is going pretty well, but we could always use lots of prayer.
This is a more difficult situation and Randy & I are needing a lot of wisdom from God.
We already are seeing the effects of prayer.

The first night the youngest 2 (ages 3 & almost 4) were very scared of going to bed. They have seen way too much and were scard of boogey men, clowns and the bad man under the bed. They said they always have bad , scary dreams. We read stories and then we prayed. The next morning they said they had a good night and had good dreams about God. The middle boy said he talked to God all night and every time he takes a nap or goes to bed he says He is going to have a good dream about God.
That is so powerful to me. God is comforting them in this difficult time. he is being real to them and they are feeling His Presence. No matter what comes up God is fully able to handle it and He is helpimng these boys. He is so good!

My Beekepers

The Mighty Beekeepers

It is a beautiful thing to see a Dad teach his children. What a gift to teach something, to hand it down to the next generation. Beekeeping is a connector in our family. It keeps Randy connected to his Dad. It gives them a point of interest that they can spend time together and enjoy the same thing. Now it is a teaching and learning experience between Randy and his boys. It is a beautiful thing!