2 Months old!

E and A are two months old today!

South Africa!

We are so excited that Joshua and Todd have been selected to go on a mission trip with RockHarbor Church.  They will be headed to South Africa this summer!! One other person from our church, Keely, has been selected to go on the trip as well. They will be joining with 15 people from RockHarbor. RH has been a great support to our ministry in Watts and we are thrilled to be sending 3 people from PowerHouse with them on their trip. The team will be working at a school as well as in a township there. If you would like to receive Todd and Joshua's prayer/support letters please leave a comment or send me an email.  Please pray for Joshua, Keely and Todd as they prepare to go and serve our King in South Africa!

Fun Outings

Since we got the double stroller with attaching carseats, we have found ourselves to be quite mobile. We have had some fun outings over the last few days.  On Saturday I took the kids to a Farmer's Market.  I put one baby in the sling and put the other in the stroller and we were off.  We had such a blast...tasting all kinds of different fruits, sampling yummy delicacies (maple syrup pecans...cilantro and jalepeno hummus...lemon herb baked pita chips), sniffing fresh flowers and enjoying the  beautiful day. I would buy some veggies and fruits and Josh would figure a way to tie them on to the stroller as we rolled along.  We even got some very fresh eggs.  Being at the market gave me a chance to explain growing seasons. Josiah could not figure out why so many stands had fresh strawberries, but none had the grapes he desired.  We really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely go back again soon.

On Sunday evening my friend Virginia and I took the kids to Valencia to see a concert by the Children of the World choir. It was great.  The kids sang so beautifully. Our kids really enjoyed it. It was especially neat to see the children in their native dress since we have been studying Children Around the World in Social Studies this year.  They shared some staggering statistics about water usage and the lack of clean water in many countries.  It sure makes us appreciate our tap water...even if it does run brown for a day every once in a while.  Our ES from our charter school invited us to her church for the concert. Thanks Suzzan! We really enjoyed it.

This evening we hit the beach. Todd and the older 4 kids played football and flew a kite..but the babies were restless so I took them for a brisk stroll along the beach. The fresh air felt wonderful...there is nothing like being beside the mighty ocean to help one's perspective adjust.  When I got back from our walk, and we were getting in the car, I noticed the kids were graduated levels of wet...the younger they were...the wetter they were... from ankles all the way to the waist. I think that might be a law of nature..."The younger the child is, the wetter he shall get at the beach."  Definitely some direct proportionality going on there.

Yep...loving the double stroller and loving being out and about.

My Prayer...

Today I pray for your will to be done, Father. You have a plan for them... far greater than I can ever hope or dream.  I submit my will to yours and pray that all that is done in court today...every decision..every word...every judgement will be directly under your control.  I pray that you will be glorified in all that is said and done concerning our precious E and A. I thank you that they were given life. I thank you for the privilege of nurturing and loving them in our home for as long as you grant. Above all, I pray that they will come to believe in you as their Lord and Savior, and will follow passionately after you all their days.  I know that you love them more than we ever could and I thank you that they are in your hands..hands that created the canyons and mountains and the tiniest sea creature and the mighty whale...your hands hold them...hold us... hold me.  Your kingdom come...your will be done.

Happy 7th Birthday!

Having just traveled through South America in our Children Around the World studies with WinterPromise, Josiah chose a rainforest theme for his birthday.  We had a great day together celebrating his life! We are so thankful for him and the joy and laughter that he brings each day.

Spring Break...Aquarium of the Pacific

We had a great start to our week of Spring Break. We visited the Aquarium of the Pacific. We purchased the year membership...since it was only $2 more than the price of admission for one day for our size of family!  We really enjoyed the aquarium...and look forward to visiting it often through the next year.  They have sting ray touch tanks, and sharks, and seals,and aquariums that show different types of oceans and inhabitants.  Even the babies loved watching the tropical fish swimming.  The tank that Josiah is standing by reminded us of The Night of the Moonjellies book we did in Five in a Row last year. During our visit Josiah was walking beside me and looked up with a huge grin, "This is sooo fun! I'm so glad God made so many different animals!"  I couldn't agree more.  I'm ready to go back again!

Happy Resurrection!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our Savior's resurrection.  It was, of course, E and A's first Easter. We pray with all our being that one day they will come to love Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  We had special visitors this weekend as well. My cousin and his new bride came for a visit. What a joy to see them... and to meet her for the very first time. It was so special to have family for Easter dinner.  The girls danced with their team to "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin during the Easter Service.  It moves my heart soo deeply to watch them worship the Lord through dance.  Thank you Lord for suffering and dying for me...and what joy fills my soul to know that the power that raised you from the dead is the same power available to us for living day by day!

E and A

Though many of you already know by now...I'll announce officially that we have two new members of our family.  E and A came home March 12, when they were just 2 weeks old.  They are a month old now, and we, of course, have fallen in love with them.  I haven't blogged about them because #1...newborn twins don't leave much time for bloggin'! and #2 my heart is so full of emotions that I didn't, and still don't, know how to capture with mere words.  So for now, I'm sticking with the facts...E and A are precious beyond belief...a little boy and a little girl...they keep us up at all hours of the night, and they bring us such amazing joy.  The older 4 children have been troopers...not once have I heard a complaint.  They are protective of E and A, and watch over them like hawks.  We do not know how long E and A will be in our home. But while they are here we are loving them as if they will be here forever.  And I am learning to trust Jesus in  new and painful ways. Since they have been with us, I have not made it through a worship service without shedding tears.   I would move heaven and earth on their behalf if I could, and yet my hands are tied...I can do nothing but wait for the courts to decide. My Heavenly Father knows the future, He knows what is best for our babies, and that has to be enough for me. So we wait, and we love them, and we treasure each moment...and I learn again each day to trust our King, for they are His more than they ever will be mine, no matter what the court decides.

Gramma's Handiwork

Anyone who knows our oldest daughter, knows how much she loves to cook.  She truly enjoys finding new recipes, and tweaking ones she has already tried.  So Gramma made her a very special gift...her very own cookbook with apron, oven mitt and pot holder to match! Gramma even put in some special family recipes to get her started.  Thanks Gramma! 

And while we are on the topic of her cooking...here are her first cake decorating projects with the new Wilton tips from her Auntie and Uncle and cousins!

Wedding #3

One of the things we notice in our community
is that there aren't very many married folks.  Weddings don't happen very often.  We know teens and young adults who have attended quite a few funerals, but who have not ever witnessed a marriage ceremony.  So you can imagine how excited and thrilled we are to have weddings at PowerHouse.  This past Sunday we got to host our 3rd one in about a year!  Personally, it always makes my heart skip a beat to hear my own hubby publically declare the value and holiness of marriage, and when he has them repeat their vows after him, I can't help but smile from my soul, remembering how we spoke them to each other almost 19 years ago....I love him so!

The Bride...

                                                 

The congregation praying for the groom...

The wedding party...

Pledging their vows...

Mr. and Mrs.

The Family

The wonderful cake...

United as One

Pray for this precious couple as they strive to follow Christ together.

This week

This was a really full week for me, and I'm thankful to be catching my breath...and catching up on the blog.  We had a wedding at church, an inspection of our home for the adoption process, and my homeschool reports were due...plus our regular events like Bible Study and Bible Club, ice skating and school.    By Thursday night I was completely spent, but I still needed to teach Bible Club. I am so thankful for the strength Jesus gives. He filled my heart with His joy and provided in wonderful ways.  I was so blessed to have almost all the girls (17) at club and we had a great time learning together.  Today the kids and I  got to have lunch with some new friends...that I met in the grocery store.  I love those special blessings that the Lord graces our days with as icing on the cake.  He knows just what we need, when we need it. This week our Bible Study was about belief and trust from John 20.  I'm so thankful that we can trust our King.  I'm so thankful for the strength He gives.

Ice Skating Lessons

One of the benefits of being a part of our homeschool charter school is that it provides funding for learning activities. This semester the kids enrolled in ice skating lessons. They had their 2nd lesson today.  For Josiah, it was his first lesson. Here are some snapshots of their time on the ice.  Some of the pix are slightly out of focus, or have glare because I'm shooting through the plexiglass that surrounds the rink for hockey games.

It's hard enough to get everyone to line up for a picture, let alone when they have skates on...

Ok..whew...that was hard work...but they got themselves all aligned.  It's hard to believe they are all around 2 years apart.  The growth spurts do amazing things.

This is Josiah's first attempt at letting go of the wall to which he had clung so dearly. You can't see her,  but the teacher is out on the ice motioning him to come to her. (When he saw this picture later in the day he said "Oh yeah, that's when it was hard before I knew how to skate.")

                           

He let go and started skating...whoo hoo!

He did so well, they moved him up to the next level of class. I'm so glad he inherited his coordination from his Dad and not from me!

Grace is a go getter...she wore lots of extra layers today to she wouldn't have to worry about falling. However after class she decided they didn't help. She declared, "You're going to fall, and it's going to hurt!"

It's not easy to learn a new sport...but they are all working hard.  And we have a whole new appreciation for the Winter Olympians!