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!

Birthday Slumber Party

Grace celebrated her 11th birthday with a slumber party this year.  Hence, the bed cake.  I tried my hand at fondant for the first time.  I know, you're squinting at the picture saying, "I don't see any fondant on that cake."  Well that's because...there isn't any on there...Let it suffice to say I need a little more practice making fondant before attempting to put in on cakes. :)  This is a miracle cake because I really thought the whole thing was going to end up in the trash. I'm just thankful it stayed together in one piece until the candles were blown out.  Throughout the day I was continuing to patch the San Andreas Fault that kept reappearing in the center of it.

Despite the cake difficulties we had a wonderful day. Joshua (with assistance from Josiah) built a wooden couch as a surprise for his sister's playhouse. Someone gave the great playhouse to the kids and Grace had been trying to create furniture from cardboard boxes, and they just weren't sturdy enough. So Josh used some spare plywood and built one awesome couch for her. She was ecstatic with her new furnishings. (He borrowed a comforter until we can make some cushions..and Josiah donated the pillow off his bed to make it cozy.)

Then the friends arrrived...and we ate the cake that was still standing (ahhh...sigh of relief)...

After cake and ice cream, Grace opened her presents. Thanks everyone!!

The adults took off, and the girls from her church dance team stayed for the sleepover, which turned out to be quite an oxymoron because while they did come over...there wasn't too much sleeping going on. :)  They played with dolls...

...made personal pizzas...

...sang Karaoke...

...had snacks and watched a movie...

...painted nails...

...and I made them donuts the next morning!

(They really did sleep between the nail painting and the donuts, I just don't have pictures of it!)

I'm so proud of Grace, and we enjoyed having her wonderful friends over sooo much. 

Happy Birthday! We love you!!
(Now I'm off to take my nap!)

Baptisms at PowerHouse

This Sunday we were thrilled to have two ladies get baptized. During the church service they shared what God was doing in their lives and at the end of the service we all went outside to witness their public declaration of the change God has brought in their hearts.  It was especially joyful to me because they are active in our Women's Bible Study and it has been such a privilege to watch them grow in their relationship with Christ.  We were also blessed to have Larry and Carol Vaughan (C&MA missionaries to Indonesia) with us, and Larry joined in praying over the ladies after their baptism.