Obscure service

Sometimes it is a challenge to keep an eternal perspective in the midst of our busy household. Today a friend sent me this story.I hope it encourages other hearts as it did mine this morning!!

Mary was studying her Bible quietly at her desk. A still, small voice began to speak to her.

"Mary?"

"Yes, LORD?" Mary had been walking with the LORD and recognized His still, small voice. Especially in His Word.

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to go to work for Me."

"Oh, yes, LORD." Mary answered anxiously. "To France, perhaps?" As she gazed at the globe on her desk, pointing a finger decidedly on Paris.

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to go to work for Me in an obscure place."

"Ah, yes, LORD." Mary sat dreaming while moving her finger down a bit. "Africa. The jungle..." Her mind wandered to the missionary stories she had read, "perhaps where Elizabeth Elliot worked."

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in an even more obscure place."

"Hmmmm...even more obscure. South America, LORD? Or innermost China? Or perhaps Indonesia? Is that what you mean LORD?"

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in a home."

"Ah, now I understand, LORD. A home for handicapped kids."

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in an obscure home."

"An obscure home? Perhaps a home for orphaned children in Mexico or South America?"

"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in your own obscure home?"

"Here, LORD? Here?! All I do here is scrub, vacuum, wipe noses, wash clothes, sing lullabies, pray with toddlers, change diapers, cook meal after meal, sweep and dust, stretch one income, mop and mop; oh, and then over and over the very same thing again. Sometimes more in one day that I can count. This can't be the obscure home You mean, LORD!"

"Yes, Mary. This is the home. Will you do it for Me? For when you do it for the least of these, you do it for Me. Will you do it for Me, Mary?"

Big sigh. "No one is going to notice it, LORD. Not even the ones I am doing it for. None of them really even care, LORD. Everything I do, they undo. And then I have to do it all over again. Don't you think Paris is kind of obscure?"

Big Smile. "Mary, I have chosen you especially for this work in this specific place. I have Leaders and Warriors being raised here. I have wives of Leaders and Warriors being raised here. Will you wipe these noses for Me, Mary? Will you bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD, Mary? Some day I may send them out to places like China, Indonesia, South America, Mexico, and yes, perhaps even Paris. Will you do this for me, Mary, in this obscure home of yours?

Spinning the globe gently, Mary bowed her head, "Yes, I will, LORD. Yes, I will."

"I'll do it through you, Mary. Keep coming to me for your strength. It is a very big job raising My Warriors and My Wives of Warriors; but I will walk you through it every step of the way."

Mary thought of her namesake, the mother of Jesus, raising her LORD and Savior in her own obscure home. "You are too awesome for me, LORD. You are too awesome for me."

I am thankful for the reminder that it is a privilege to to be serving in obscurity within the 4 walls of our home!
~Mama B~

Household happenings...

Odesco and Mercy 'earnestly' in prayer over the 'Jesus bread' in the trash can!
Odesco and his new school book :)
Who would ever have known Red Pepper flakes could create such joy!
Odesco and Mercy with "Boo-Boo" all dressed up for the day!
Mercy's creative hairstyling...only she could style a monkey's head!


Since Saturday, we have gone through 20 eggs!! Typically(as in before 12/2/06), a carton of eggs approached or went slightly beyond its expiration date before being consumed...those days are over! Some of those chickie eggs were used in a recipe but most of them were enjoyed by our 2 protein loving children. As I type, sweet Mercy says her gu is still not fu...(her gut is not full!). She has had 2 chickie eggs and a huge banana and she saw the chicken corn chowder thawing for dinner in the fridge and was wondering if she could have some now :) She is distracted now with the Leap Pad so I guess her gut is not too empty after all!
Odesco has eaten a half of a whole wheat bagel, 2 chickie eggs and a huge banana and is requesting another bagel half...you think they could be going through a growth spurt?!(just kidding!)
Last night at dinnner Mercy finished another container of hot red pepper flakes and was in her glory when I asked her to go to the basement to get the huge container of the same so I could refill the smaller jar.Odesco and Mercy make up songs/chants about whatever happens to be exciting to them at the moment.Once they get going, the other 2 littles love to join in as well...it can get pretty hilarious and incredibly LOUD as they perform for the rest of us! Last night it was about a big jar of red pepper flakes, last week it was about going with Daddy to the boys' soccer game or taking a bath ... just now I was reading the kids Big Backyard magazine...we learned about a pangolin...and so began the spontaneous chant initiated by Odesco and soon enough joined in by all 4 ,"Pangolin,pangolin-hello,hello, hello..."

Today the big boys and Daddy are skiing again with our homeschool group. So, after completing our little preschool program ( we're up to the letter "C" and the 4th Commandment~), we ran errands this morning. On the way home, Mercy and Odesco fell asleep and we sat in the driveway for 45 minutes to finish listening to the latest Adventures in Odyssey cd set we borrowed from friends. I fell asleep for a bit and thank God for the power nap needed to keep up with this active brood :) After dealing with a tantrum (but it resolved much more quickly...small steps, small steps!) and making lunch, I called my mom who just returned late last night from the Honduras visiting my SIL/BIL and their kiddos. I left the 4 littles at the kitchen table with their lunch and escaped to the next room so that I could hear my mom ...next thing I know, 2 of the kiddos are running around with water bottles (not their own!) and L is crying that his is missing in action. Seems one of our little angels ( I won't tell you who!) took his water bottle and threw it behind our entertainment center in the family room. Even L's tiny frame could not squeeze back there...now we have a problem. Not daunted by the challenge, this gang put their heads together. They awkwardly used the big broom and working together somehow managed to push the water bottle to where it could be reached. I stood by to make sure they didn't destroy all the wall hangings, family pictures and candles in the process. To my surprise, they did retrieve the missing bottle and they found a few other missing items as well. Phew, crisis averted...for the moment anyway :)

One thing I am noticing with all the sibling conflict...these guys are having ample opportunity to practice the skills of reconciliation. Just today Odesco asked forgiveness from one of his siblings without a major meltdown- another huge evidence of God's grace at work in his heart. At times I will hear spontaneous apologies ...and observe hugs given as they complete the process. Of course there are many times this isn't the outcome and they need lots of coaching to work things through but I don't want to take any of these little steps for granted!

I was holding off starting any school with Odesco until he showed genuine interest and yesterday he asked where his books were.So, off I went to my overstuffed basement cabinet where I have all my school books stored. He was thrilled to receive his first book and worked well with me, for a few minutes anyway. While down in the basement yesterday the kids discovered our Monkey puppet...he even makes real monkey noises! Odesco and Mercy of course named him "Boo-Boo" after the AOH chimp. They proceeded to dress him and Mercy even 'plaited' his fur to the best of her ability. (Creativity is one of Mercy's strengths!) Later in the day Mercy and Odesco spotted the freezer burned 'Jesus bread' I had thrown away because it was grossly unedible...these two knelt down in front of the trash can and began praying...remember the silly prayers I mentioned the other day? These 2 went at it for quite a few minutes 'praying' that the Jesus bread would come alive so they could eat it....never a dull moment with these two blessings!

This is the verse I am trying to commit to memory in the next week or so...it is so encouraging for any season of life but especially speaks to my heart in the midst of our continued transition and the intensity it often entails.

God is able to make all grace abound to you
so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times
you may abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

God truly is sufficient in all things and I am grateful for His abounding grace...I shudder to think where I would be without Him!!
Love,MamaB

Sweet Surprises...

Two princesses and their dashing prince!
Friends galore :) Like the plaiting Mercy did?!
Our newest 'blues' style!
Our own little cleaning company...2 eager beavers-at least for today!!
An eager student :)
"See-saw up and down" was the song heard as these 2 played together at coop...this was also a favorite activity at AOH minus all the winter gear and shoes!
Our Liberian Blondie :)
Odesco-in some goofy outfit he found in the dressup bin!
Little Buddy bonding time at coop...L, Odesco and Jenkins



Some times just the absence of challenges I am used to dealing with on a daily basis give me reason to celebrate. So, join the party as you read along!!
* On Wednesday morning I asked the girls to sweep the kitchen floor after breakfast...they were enthusiastic workers! They did not bicker over whose turn it was to use the 'big' broom and they went to town...not only sweeping but pulling our rolling drawers out and diligently cleaning under those areas,"beating " our small rugs, sweeping under the stove and the crevices beside the refrigerator. Soon enough, it was time to transition to school but these 2 were cooperating and working so well together (and truthfully doing some pretty fine work for Mommy :)) that I let them continue on. Next, at Mercy's initiative they both dampened washcloths and began scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees! Mercy exclaimed,"This is just like at Acres of Hope!" Not only did they serve me cheerfully they also did some of their big brother's Wednesday chores without realizing it!

*Yesterday M took off work to bring Odesco to a dentist for his first visit . We suspected he might have some cavities because he was complaining of mouth pain and our regular dentist referred us to a pediatric dentist due to Odesco's age. We have been talking for weeks about "Mr. Tickletooth" , reading the Bearstein Bears book about going to the dentist and Daddy had demonstrated with a flosser (as Odesco reclined in his lap) ,what the visit might entail. I wasn't there to witness it but Daddy and C (who went along with his little brother for moral support!) said Odesco was so brave and compliant :) Of course viewing Curious George on a wide screen during the cleaning, scraping,xrays and flouride treatment didn't hurt in acclimating Odesco to his first visit to the dentist! And there were no cavities or signs of decay!! His already beautiful smile is even more stunning now that his teeth are rid of all the plaque buildup. Mercy keeps asking when her turn will be...I think she might be just a bit disillusioned since there is no wide screen tv or high-tech perks at our regular dentist!-Hopefully the treasure chest of prizes to choose from and new toothbrush/toothpaste will make up for not watching Curious George during her dentist visit :)

*Today, we all went to our Homeschool coop....our first regular one since before Christmas. We made it all the way through with only a few storm clouds brewing in our little man's heart and they were easily chased away- Thankfully, there were no major incidents until we closed the van door for the ride home- then the floodgates opened!

*I have seen some major evidences of sincere empathy in Mercy's little heart. After coop, L fell asleep on the couch.Mercy quietly got up from her own cozy resting place and gently covered and tucked him in with a blanket :) Earlier, she had asked me to make her "chickie eggs"... I called her over to retrieve them when they were cooked and Odesco politely made his request for the same. Without any suggestion from me she willingly offered hers up and waited patiently for me to cook some more!

* The other night when I came home from a BJ's run, I was greeted at the door by 3 giddy kiddos in dressup attire...check out the pictures !

* Hair! I am getting just a wee bit quicker in doing Mercy's hair and used a new product that seems to help hold the twists in place. Also bought2 bead organizers to make finding what I need a bit easier than searching for the beads/snaps with goop on my fingers while attempting to keep hair parts in place. Probably the best $5 I've spent in a long time!!

* I ordered and received Mercy's first Handwriting book the other day. It is the same curriculum/different level of the books I use with C and G...this made Mercy feel rather grown up , I think and she was pretty thrilled. I try to work 10-15 minutes per day with her doing simple math and handwriting and this seems to be just about all she can handle at this time. She generally remains an eager learner - I am grateful for that!!


* On Thursday , a few friends came over for a visit.Mercy generously plaited their hair using her beads and sent them home with lovely locs!

So as insignificant as these happeningsmay seem to the outsider, they were definate joy bringers and reason to celebrate once again for God's goodness to us! The challenges are "plenty" (to borrow a Liberian phrase) but so are the blessings!
Oh, almost forgot:
New expression for the week~
'junk it'...after using a paper cup in the bathroom Mercy will ask," Mommy shou I junk it?"...(ie: should I throw it away?-) guess you could figure that out all by yourselves!

Rejoicing in the tangible evidences of His care and grace upon our family!!
Love,
MamaB

A blending of cultures...

Silly boys!
Mercy loves music...here she is listening to bible verses on tape and trying to follow along with the illustrated book. Odesco falls asleep in the oddest places and positions! Here he is as "Baby Jesus" in a wicker basket ('manger')-courtesy of his big sisters! Soon after this picture was snapped, he groggily tipped the basket, dumping himself out onto the floor....he crawled over to the couch and slept standing up but with his torso bent over on the cushions!
Here he is snoozing away with the stair leading up to the kitchen for a pillow!
Here is our little guy asleep at the table after a rather exhausting meltdown...

An interesting thing is happening in the B household...our homegrown kiddos are becoming a bit "Liberianized"! The other day I was listening as G and Mercy played a counting game, I smiled as I heard G counting ...one, two, tee-dee, four.( Both Mercy and Odesco pronounce "3" so that it sounds like "tee-dee". )I have also heard G refer to stars as "far-sky" and the entire family(except Mercy!) now calls Liquid Bragg's "doup"...Odesco's version of "soup" -the word used to describe any liquid poured over rice, eggs etc. The words "plenty and small,small" are utilized quite frequently by all the younger B's. Of course, there are now shaking bodies whenever lively music is played and doll babies are no longer cradled in arms but swaddled on backs~ African style :) I am so grateful Mercy and Odesco are old enough to share their past with us- (most of the time inadvertantly)...it is opening our eyes to the world around us -quite literally!
On the flip side of the cultural blending, Mercy is still adjusting to the necessity of dressing appropriately before heading outside in the middle of winter. Yesterday, as the other kiddos were donning snowpants, winter coats, boots, mittens, and hats, sweet(and impulsive!) Mercy darted outside- no coat, no shoes...by the time I raced to the door she was on her way back inside-loudly laughing with snow covering her entire back,bottom and legs! Seems she just couldn't resist the urge to make a snow angel before piling on all the winter accessories. She was not a happy camper when I told her to head upstairs to put new dry clothes under her snow gear and was even more perturbed to see and hear her siblings frolicking in the yard before she was! Do you think this might help her remember the next time this temptation seizes her?! I'll keep you posted :)
Recently, Odesco and Mercy have been playing "Acres of Hope" with our dollhouse set. They set up the rooms like the orphanage, name all the Fisher Price people in honor of their little friends, the nannies etc.What a blessing it is that their orphanage memories are a bright spot in their little lives! A day does not go by without some reference to AOH or Liberia. The other day, we viewed the AOH dvd we had purchased as a fundraiser several months back. Seeing it for the first time months ago when our hearts were sorely yearning to have Mercy and Odesco home was quite gut wrenching...especially when we realized they were actually in some of the footage!!I remember being in tears as we paused and and rewound the dvd multiple times just to be sure it was them.I was blubbering and waving wildly at the images of Odesco and Mercy(as if they could see me!?!) -what a sight , I'm sure. (Our 4 older kids are used to my tears by now!)
Now as we watched there was quite a contrast... Odesco was perched safe and snug on my lap! He and Mercy had such fun shouting out the names of"Grandma Patty", their friends, and nannies.They were even singing along with the songs. (We did skip the war footage, though!).

I am taking an online seminar on the importance of Lifebooks for adopted children(from Adoptive Learning Partners for all you fellow adopters)...all of these happenings make me want to write everything down as I am sure someday the memories will fade . As important as it is for Mercy and Odesco to be acclimated to life here, I don't want them to lose this piece of their lives. It is a significant part of who they are. I also want to be more purposeful about videotaping them speaking as their accents will likely wane over time...that makes my mommy heart a wee bit sad :(
Every day I say to Odesco,"Who loves you soooo much?!" He answers, "Daddy and Mommy"...then I ask him,"Who loves you even more than Daddy and Mommy?"
Odesco answers,"Je-dus" When I ask him how he know this he declares,"Because he die on da cro for ma si!" He usually demonstrates this by outstretching his arms. These moments are oh, so encouraging in the midst of our daily issues :)
Last nite' during our bedtime routine, Mercy prayed out loud for the first time. She often does this during times of play...she will pray loud emotionally charged prayers over her food or thanking God for some other thing that has struck her fancy. She is obviously imitating prayers she has heard...although I'm sure those prayers were not over a jar of red hot pepper flakes! Her prayer last nite' though was different...she was serious-her eyes were closed and her hands folded (...if you have had the privilege to meet our spicy girl , you know why this is a surprise-she loves to tease, joke and be silly!) She thanked God for Acres of Hope," Grandma Patty",for the nannies,a few of her little friends ,and then she thanked God for each one of us! It was a precious moment!

Today, the big boys and Daddy went skiing with our homeschool group.This morning at around 6:30 am,P asked if he should go in and kiss all his siblings goodbye before leaving for their outing...sweet thought, but NO...don't wake them now, please!! The little boys were up on their own a few moments later,anyway so P and C were able to give out ample hugs and kisses to their little brothers who were quite sad when they left:( Both P and C are very affecionate with our newest charges (and with L and G too-!). The other day as we were watching the kids' homecoming video, C declared that he thought we should adopt again! Mark and I got a laugh out of that(definately not on our radar screen !) but I am glad to see that the intensity of these few weeks has not jaded his view of adoption and God's plan for our family!! P and C have been such a help to me! They are quite adept at getting Odesco especially out of his funky moods...they also help with the 4 carseats that need to be fastened before every trip out- On Sunday morning when I was on my own (since the big boys and Daddy go early for church set up), I realized I had not strapped them in since their homecoming! How did I know this? I fumbled around like a first time mom with the the buckle apparatus on our newest carseat-it took me a while to get it figured out!
L is having some challenges adjusting to life with 2 new siblings. He announced the other morning ,that" it just wasn't fair...Odesco is younger but he is bigger and stronger and it's not supposed to be that way! "I am grateful he is vocalizing his struggles but it does make the days a bit interesting!(I'll leave it to your imagination! :)! We talk about God's sovereign plan for our family and that this is His best choice for all of us and an opportunity for him to grow(not necessarily physically!) as well. We talk about God's wisdom in making L the way he is (little!) In fact,L was the only one for the job of climbing behind the couch the other day to collect the assortment of misplaced belongings gathered there...he is the perfect size and for a brief moment he was quite thrilled with that! We try to instill vision for the day when they will be best buddies...(O Lord, hasten the day !!) On a positive note,there are pockets of each day where L and Odesco do really well playing together. Usually this involves toy weapons, helmets and other amusing props!-Oh and they usually do well tandem playing with duplos for long stretches of time as long as they don't both want the same piece simultaneously!
Today, to make the day a bit special for the littles, Daddy suggested taking them out for lunch and I had decided last night that we would make our first trip to the library. (Could be an adventure!!) This morning, we reviewed "library etiquette"(ie: we must speak within appropriate decibel levels, no running, no taking books off the shelves without my permission and each child may choose up to 5 books). I should have mentioned no fighting over the self check out machine buttons...oh, well...now I know how to prepare for next time. Odesco and Mercy had their first ever elevator ride as we couldn't manage lumbering down the open staircase with our overfilled book bags pulling us off balance...they were both fearful of this strange room that closed on us but when the doors opened and we were on the first floor, they were pretty impressed!
I'm happy to say we are all in one piece, we didn't get kicked out or 'shushed' at the library and we ate a tantrum free meal at Wendy's! This was our first time ordering Kid's meals and not surprisingly, the quantities did not satisfy Mercy and Odesco's appetites(they both ate a half bagel when we returned home!) but L and G brought some of their meals home to finish! Our sweet Mercy's deep, full (ie:Loud!) voice just carries in small places and it is always a challenge for her to use an 'inside voice'. In both locations, I'm sure we were noticed for more reasons than one!
This afternoon we have been reading our many library books--the favorite seems to be Curious George, (who is from Africa) so we had an informal geography lesson at our huge map in the foyer. Right now the boys are watching a video and the girls have orchestrated a birthday party for their American Girl dolls...complete with gifts! When these girlies work together, they are really quite creative!
So there you have it....life in our buzzing hive is never dull :) Oh, the new word of the week is
"see-no"...aka:snow~The other night when we had spaghetti for dinner the kids were calling the parm cheese 'see-no' just like they exclaimed earlier in the day when the flakes started falling from the sky!! Too funny.
Thanks as always for checking in and for your prayers...we feel them and appreciate them so much!!
Love, MamaB

Never an interupption...

As I awakened early this morning to get a jump on the activity of our buzzing hive, I was praying for God's grace to carry me through this day and reminded of this phrase" Never an interupption, always and opportunity".
Years ago (almost 10 yrs to be exact!!) when C was a newborn of 2 weeks and P was just 2 years old, I ventured out for my first grocery trip alone.It was a challenge to coordinate nap and nursing schedules but I admit I was feeling rather smug that we were out and about so early on...pride certainly does go before a fall! After filling my cart with the specials of the week (thankfully not a huge shopping trip) and making my way to the check out line, it became clear as we waited that P who was being quite defiant, was not going to be easily distracted or convinced to obey. A tantrum was almost in full swing and there was no reasoning with my tempermental 2 year old. So, I did what any desperate mom would do...I quickly pushed my basket to the courtesy counter and let them know of the perishables I was leaving behind. As I awkwardly carried my screaming and writhing 2 year old in one arm and the cumbersome car seat with newborn in the other, I found my heart seething as we made our way to the parking lot. Driving home I began to cry angry( and hormonal!) tears that my plans were 'interuppted' by my disobedient son... I justified my anger because, after all ,it was hard getting out the door to shop in the midst of keeping C on his nursing schedule and P on his nap schedule! I was majorly put out that I had 'wasted' a significant portion of our day in an exercise of futility! Then, I heard these words."Never an interupption, always an opportunity..they weren't audible words but this phrase kept rolling over and over in my mind. I still remember the stoplight I was sitting at when God adjusted my selfish heart. The reality was, P did not interuppt my plans...the Lord had orchestrated our day--tantrum , botched shopping trip and all...and it was no interupption but an opportunity to die to self and make the difficult choice to trust Him in the midst of situations that didn't fit 'my plan'.
Little did I realize that day how often over the years the Lord would repeatedly expose this issue in my heart through the blessing of children.
I recognized afresh yesterday, after a day of much testing and getting little(on my to do list, anyway) accomplished, that my heart is most tempted when 'my plans' are thwarted. Even'good' plans like homeschooling and housework. Again, I am reminded that God can and will use sibling conflict, willful disobedience and unmet expectations for the day as an opportunity for growth... Growth in self control for me...a practical way for me to die to self and live for Him - and a new chance to flex my trust muscles...that He orders my days and will give me every grace I need in the midst of the challenges to mother these 6 children. It is also quite often an opportunity to point a little heart to their need for a Savior. As our kiddos see their sin, I pray they will recognize their desperate need for Him, and eventually give their hearts fully to His purposes.
So, almost 12 years into parenting, I am still learning lessons impressed upon my heart in those early days. I am a slow learner and so grateful that He is a patient Father and does not deal with me as my sin deserves. (Psalm 103:10) My prayer is that his "head" knowledge would ring true in my heart as I am in the thick of the battles ~

Now onto household happenings:
Food is still quite an issue for our newest additions. The other day , as we ate a yummy meal prepared by my Mom, Mercy was just gleeful with delight over the delicious dinner. She was loudly and demonstratively(picture hand motions and facial expressions!) declaring,"This is sooo sweet....' So we called Mimi and Mercy enthusiastically yelled into the phone her compliments to the chef...then she hollered,"God will bless you- God will bless you!!"...(this reminded me of a phone call we made a few weeks ago to a caring friend who had dropped off delicious soup for us since I was sick. Evidently, it brought back memories of Mercy's beloved potato green soup and she was hysterical to listen to as she said these same words!) Of course, all the other littles wanted to get on the phone with Mimi...our 2 littlest Americans are becoming cross cultural whether they realize it or not...they also declared how 'sweeet" the meal was!
I have not had meat and rice on hand as much as I did before. Yesterday, I put a meal on the table for lunch and was met with some glum stares from our newest charges! I explained that they didn't have to eat it but this was lunch and there would be no other food offered until dinner unless they ate their lunch. After a few sullen minutes, the reality of 6 hours without food began to sink in and they ate ! I feel that we have firmly established with them that they will not go hungry again so we are now having to acclimate them to not being catered to all the time. I will continue to feed them their favorite foods on occasion but I don't want to create an 'entitlement' mentality in their hearts . I am now also limiting food quantities. If I let them, Mercy and Odesco would each consume at least 6" chickie eggs" a day. Today , our littlest man, Odesco requested more chickie eggs after having eaten 3 already ...I offered many other acceptable food choices but he was not a happy camper and after a tantrum on the kitchen floor, he has fallen asleep there. Truly, it would be so much easier to just give in to their requests but ultimately, this will be a disservice to them. So, when I say no for a good reason, I am often saying yes to some difficult moments that will inevitably follow. After the dust settles, I can usually go back and talk to the offended party about what took place and how to respond more appropriately in the future. I trust that one day, it will bear fruit :)
Mercy and Odesco do still eat their interesting selection of foods....this morning both kids requested leftover corn chowder soup which I combined with leftover stew...Mercy of course, smothered it in hot pepper flakes! Odd selection for breakfast but at least very little food is going to waste!!

Hair!!! ....well, remember my last post when I mentioned the kiddos were playing with Playdough?? Oddly enough, later in the day I was noticing sparkles in Mercy's lovely new do...somehow some of the sparkle playdough inadvertantly migrated from the table to the top of her head?! From now on, she will wear a headcovering during playdough time and fun in the sandbox!! I tried to get it out without disturbing the twists we had done on Saturday to no avail :( I decided to take her hair down to remove all the crusty playdough crumbs ...so, with all this practice, I do hope to get a bit quicker in the days ahead. So far, I am still quite clumsy and slow! She walked around with a half done head for 2 days because I just could not manage to finish it in the midst of our busy days. G also has had her share of hair woes of late. Her hair has gotten so long and the tangles quite huge -especially"snarls" at the base of her head. It took 2 sessions over 2 days of intense hair combing- even detangler was not effective. After finally getting a comb through her entire head, G agreed that she is not able to care for her hair at this length so, off we went last night to the Haircuttery for a much needed cut. By the time we arrived, she wanted it cut to just below her ears! Don't worry, we did not go that short!! But it does look cute and hair time this morning was oh, so easy- no tears and quick!!! What a relief as I have never been much of a "hair" person but I guess I will be one of these days by default :)!
For you observant folk, you will notice I dropped the B1-B4 titles for our homegrown kiddos..resorted to easier method since I often confuse myself!
Thanks for checking in!
Love,
MamaB

Sound asleep on the floor after the "chickie egg" incident...


Below: Mercy and Odesco love carrying things "Liberian style" on the top of their heads...we have nixed the carrying of full plates of food this way for obvious reasons!!
Bottom: Another 'snow day'...a light dusting but thrilling to all the B children-especially our newest additions!! G taught Mercy how to make snow angels but, there was not enough snow for the full effect...that did not deter Mercy who was seen lying her back on the ground,fanning her arms and legs for much of her time outside.

He gives strength to the weary...

In process!
Voila! All done, finally!!!
The girlies with their Mimi!

While I was cooking dinner, Mercy was busy discovering the chalk in the basement! I had to take a picture before we washed it off...never a dull moment with this spunky girl around :)
I know you can't tell but it really is snowing in this picture. How fun to watch these 2 chase snowflakes around the yard-Their first time ever experiencing this aspect of God's creation! Here Odesco is trying to catch a flake on his tongue...to no avail~
Our silly little guy decided he wanted to 'dress up' for the day with a necktie...he is showing off his wedgit creation here as I tried to keep him occupied during school time!


But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up on wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint... Isaiah 40:31

I confess that my post adoption adrenline rush has officially ceased! I am very aware of my need to value God's perspective through every moment of the day because quite often, it feels as if my yoke is hard and my burden is heavy. A sad but very honest confession. Some days, the continual clamor and the perpetual need for little hearts to be redirected or adjusted in the midst of homemaking, meal making, and homeschool can be well, wearying!
Today as I read a selection from Spurgeon I was so encouraged by these words... Faith goes straight to the throne and pleads,"Lord, here is the promise. Do as thou has said." Our heavenly banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Do not think that God will be troubled by your persistence in reminding Him of His promises. It is His delight to grant favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep His promises; therefore, go at once to the throne with "Do as thou hast said."
So today my prayer is that God would supernaturally infuse my heart with His eternal perspective...that in Him I would find rest for my soul and that He would make my yoke easy and my burden light. How amazing are His promises!! He will renew my strength... He will reap a harvest of righteousness (in the lives of our children), if I do not give up (Galatians 5:9)....He gently leads those that are with young (Is40:11). How encouraging to think that He who upholds the stars in heaven(and amazingly, knows them all by name!) , and maintains the order of the universe has heard my pleas for help and delights to assist me!! Truly, His power is perfected in my weakness.

The days around here seem to just speed by! Last Thursday through Saturday, M along with many men from our church and other team related churches attended a men's retreat in Hershey. I am so grateful he was able to get away to be refreshed, foster friendships with other men in our church and to receive further equipping for the daunting(but doable, with God's help) task of leading our family! On Thursday , our homeschool coop of 6 families went on a field trip followed by a delicious dinner at our house prepared by all the other ladies. Having the day full followed by a time for all the kids to play (17 in all) helped to make the time go quickly! Thanks, friends...how rich I am because of your frendships!! From Friday morning until my hubby arrived home on Saturday afternoon, I was blessed with the capable hands of Mimi(my mom) and Pop-pop who arrived toting a cooler of frozen meals for our family that she had prepared earlier in the week. What a blessing to have a freezer full of already prepared dinners...thanks , Mom for serving our family (especially me!) in this very practical way! The kids loved having them here... Pop- Pop loves playing games, doing crosswords and throwing the football around!He also took the big boys to their indoor soccer games. Mimi helped to keep the girls busy reading books, playing games, and doing girlie things :) I think she spent the majority of her time helping to do Mercy's hair! The process started Friday night...between Grace and Mimi it took probably close to 2 hours to unplait her braids (Hope's beautiful handiwork!) ...then on to the shampooing and conditioning. The next morning we began to restyle our squirmy little girl's beautiful head! It took 4 hours between wiggle breaks, meal preparation and squabble patrol! But, I was able to finally do "flat twists" and then Mimi helped me put the beads (paco-yocos to Mercy!) on each individual twist. Mercy, though not always pleased with the process, loved the end result and enjoys clicking her new 'do'. She watched many bible videos throughout the process... starting from the birth of Christ.. and finally ending with the Cross...no joke!
I'm hoping this style will last at least a week and I'm counting on getting much faster with experience and will definately be calling in the reinforcements ( our new friend,Hope) when needed.
While adopting older children has some unique challenges, I am so grateful for the window into our childrens' Liberian past. Often we get glimpses through their play time or just in their conversations. The other day, afterI washed a mountain of laundry, Odesco and Mercy decided they would do the same just like the nannies at AOH. They carried a bundle on their heads and then took each article of clothing and whacked the life out of it on the floor...then they would scrub at it, wring it out and hang it on the stair railing to dry. Now I have heard that AOH is constantly in need of clothing donations, not only because of the many children they serve but because each item is washed in this manner. While I'm sure, our little actor and actress added a bit of drama to the process, in reality the clothes just don't withstand more than a few washings before they need to be replaced. Now I know why!!
Another fun thing they do is cook...they pretend to pick beans off the trees, mash palm nuts to make palm butter soup, add potato greens and of course, Mercy adds hot peppa(hot pepper!). Mercy then demonstates how she plucks out the eyes and removes the innards of a fish and then throws it in the pot to cook. Of couse, no soup meal is complete without Mercy pretending she is eating it and declaring quite loudly, "It's soooo sweet!"
Sometimes, I can totally envison her in her little village...fetching a bucket of water and carrying it on her head...her little flat feet bare and caked with mud...or helping out with a baby snug on her back in a lapa while she helps stir a pot of soup...singing in her very deep and loud voice with her thick Liberian accent... it's hard to believe that just 2 short years ago, I had no idea where Liberia was on the globe(shameful, I know!) and now, this war torn nation holds such significance in my heart and has changed the fabric of our family forever. How grateful I am that God has led us on this path....it is not easy by any means , but it is His best for all of us including the precious children we now call our own. I trust that God will be glorified (and I will be sanctified!!) as we continue to walk on this path of His sovereign choosing.
Some other tidbits:
*Every nite' during tucking in time, B4 asks,"Are all the doors locked? I don't want the bugs to get in!"
*Yesterday morning all 4 littles joined me for snuggle time before getting up and ready for church. I was smothered in kisses as all 4 planted smackerels all over my face...these sweet moments make the trying ones totally worth it!
* Every nite' as I am tucking in the girls and Daddy has finished his routine with the little boys, the call from the Odesco is,"Mooom, are you comi to pra for u?!" (Mom, are you coming to pray for us!) I love the fact that our routine is now his routine and that this prayer time ritual has become important to our littlest man.
* For the past week, Mercy and Odesco have boycotted rice~ then yesterday afternoon they both were in the mood for their old staple again :)
* Some new Liberian phrases:
** ground peas= peanuts
**far sky= stars (Mercy kept telling me she wanted fa-ska on her hair...I was stumped until she pulled out the bag with the star shaped hair snaps!)
** cu off the li= cut off the light= turn off the light
**is it da-bre?= is it daybreak?=is it morning? Yes , these two are often up before the light of day!
Well, the kids playdough time (my writing time) is coming to a close...
Thanks for checking in~
Grateful for His renewing strength!
MamaB

A rich heritage...

Pop Pop B enjoying a moment with his 2 newest grandchildren~
Our Liberian Princess wearing her new tiara set-a gift received at polyanna :)

Mercy enjoying some special time with Uncle Bill~(I think he is enjoying himself, too!!)
Our littlest man who has yet to see a flake of snow is ready to "hit the slopes"!
The girlies with their homespun baby carrying "lapas"
Our 2 little men...asleep (and quiet!) at last on their shared bottom bunk~
GO EAGLES!!!( B4 really is not shorter than Odesco...he's just not standing up straight for the photo shoot!)


New hairdo with 'paco yocos'-(beads!) ...she's loving the 'clicky -clicking'!!
A view from the back! Not bad B2 -especially for a first attempt :)

Yesterday after church, we headed over to M's sister's home for the B's polyanna. This was the first time that his side of the family has met our newest blessings. How sweet it was to watch as Mercy ran straight up the walkway into Grandmom B's waiting arms...we have been looking at Grandmom and Pop Pop's picture on the fridge for weeks so Mercy was really anticipating this meeting :)! Odesco, not surprisingly took a little while to warm up but soon found his way into Pop Pop, Grandmom and Uncle Bill's laps . All the kids enjoyed playing in the well equipped toyroom with their many cousins. Our visit there was such a blessing and had me thinking about the wonderful heritage we are privileged to raise all of our children in. Two sets of godly grandparents, loads of cousins, aunts and uncles...I have told Mercy so many times how many people were praying for her and Odesco all these months of waiting. She likes to ask after meeting new folks,"They were praying for me?".... Not only are we rich within the context of our families but we have also been so blessed by the church family we are a part of. God has been good indeed ...these children have been welcomed into such a nurturing , supportive environment beyond the walls of our home and then add to that our wonderful neighbors and extended friends-what rich soil to be planted in! Thank you to all who have made such an effort to warmly receive our newest blessings..of course, they don't yet realize how important this is and they have no concept of gratitude regarding this but I believe one day, they will be grateful for all of you ! For now, I will be their mouthpiece !!!
Today, I received in the mail my order from "Snapaholics"(snapaholics.com for all the adoptive moms out there reading this). In the bulging envelope were a wide array of hair beads and snaps to aid me in my endeavor to 'do' Mercy's hair. You should have seen her dancing around when her eyes fell upon this bright assortment of 'paco yocos' (her word for hair beads!) As I type, the kids are watching a Liberty Kids dvd and B2 (yes, our son!) is beading her hair...on his own, he figured out how to use the little beader thingie and came up with his own pattern and idea of how to do it! Mercy is already loving the clicking sound she can make by shaking her head-too funny. Of course, we couldn't do this without the expert style created by Hope on Saturday ...Felicia and her mom joined us too for a little crash course in how to care for ethnic hair! What a gift Hope is to us clueless adoptive moms-not only are we grateful for her expertise and nimble fingers but also the gift of her friendship!!
Okay...now for some happenings in the B household.
* Mercy and Odesco told us that in the evenings at AOH they would listen to music and would "shake their bodies for Jesus!"...so, the other day when we had the African children's choir music on, this is what they were doing. Later Mercy imitated the dances some of their friends would do..she is quite the actress and comedian. Now, she just informed me her head will click when she "shakes her body for Jesus!"
*I have discovered that taking all 6 food shopping for a big shopping trip will significantly decrease my food bill. I misplaced my list and a few of my coupons and my goal changed from crossing items off to getting out of the store as quickly as possible with everyone and the store displays intact!!
*M and I actually got out on a date nite' on Friday evening for a few hours thanks to our very eager and brave babysitter. None of the children were asleep when we arrived home but to me it was a success...everyone was alive and well :) It was a functional date...errands and such but we did stop at the end for a shared dessert, conversation,(read: finished sentences, complete thoughts) and iced tea to make it officially a date :)!
*Today, after B4 and Odesco brought down their toy swords and axes, B4 asked the question," Mom, do squirrels and rabbits have meat on them?"...."ummm yes, son, why are you asking?"
"Mom, mom, me and Odesco want to go out and kill some squirrels and rabbits so we can eat 'em"....huh? where in the world did that come from?? After I convinced him that he really would not want to eat these critters, he said, "oh-ok...we'll just fight instead!"Phew, I feel better!
*Mercy no longer slings her babydoll on her hip but has introduced the African lapa to the B family...now she and B3 are ruined for anything else and are daily asking me to tie their baby dolls in their'lapas'. They use pajama bottoms and shirts as they stretch well and are easy to tie around their waists! Mimi and I tried to find a pattern to make one but haven't been successful yet. Anyone out there know where I can find one?
*The other day I served tacos on soft tortilla bread for the first time. Both Odesco and Mercy were excited by this "Jesu bread"and Mercy explained (when she saw I wasn't getting it) that this was the bread that Jesus fed to his disciples!! So for a day or so before the package was devoured, Odesco requested,"Je-duh bread' with all his meals!
*Odesco has discovered some interesting and entertaining uses for his big tummy...he decided today that closing the dresser drawer using his gut is much more efficient than using his hands, he can belly bump B4 quite effectively from behind, and his tummy makes a very convenient drum! Oh, and he and B2 are perfecting the fine art of 'body slamming'...Odesco uses his big tummy and B2 uses his thighs since he is so much taller than his little brother~Odesco makes sure he is airborne for the full effect... it is rather comical to watch!

Every day is an adventure around here...we are attempting to get on a schedule but no day seems to be the same yet. Mercy completed her 1st workbook last week and began a math book today....slowly we are all settling in. Each day has it's intense moments but I've grown to expect them ...When I am weak, He is strong!!!
Thanks for checking in :)
Mama B.

Remembering today the wondrous works He has done..

A rare still(sort of!) moment with all 6 kiddos!
Mary with Baby Jesus, Joseph (out of costume), the angel and a little man!
Stickers to our new little ones are no fun unless you wear them on your face! Mercy shared her Christmas stickers with Odesco to decorate himself!
Puzzle time!!
Mercy with her new school books. Wouldn't it be lovely if she remains this eager to learn!?!

How can it be that just one month ago today, our 2 little Liberians who now call us Mommy and Daddy were not known much beyond pictures in cyberspace, facts on a piece of paper and intense yearning in our hearts to get them home? Now, they are integral members of our family! While we still have a long way to go before they are fully assimilated , God has done some amazing things in just one short month! I must admit, our days are a blur and parenting all 6 can be draining and at times discouraging as issues continually arise. It is good and essential for us to step back and recognize the many evidences of God's grace upon our family...especially our newest members. I liken it to being on a long journey looking only ahead at the distance yet to travel. I can get so overwhelmed thinking of the many mountains and valleys that have yet to be traversed before getting to the final destination(and is there truly, a final destination in parenting? )...I am tempted to fall into unbelief when I only look ahead at all the "work" that remains to be done. Yet, when I take the time to stop and turn around to see the many bumps and mountains God has already taken us over, my heart is filled with faith for the journey ahead. I think I may need to do this several times throughout every day! So, without further ado, here is my chronicle of God's amazing grace to our family!!

* Our new little ones now get into the van and into their carseats without fighting or crying out in fear as we hit bumps, go over railroad tracks etc.(Mercy asked the other day as we headed out the door,"Are we going in the bus?")

* "Please and thankyou "are now frequently used words in Mercy and Odesco's vocabulary and now they only require occasional reminders to use these pleasantries :)

*Both children call us "Daddy and Mommy" (or sometimes Daddy-o or Mommy-o if the mood strikes them!)

* Odesco spontaneously came up behind me today as I was working on a floor puzzle with Mercy and climbed on my back to give me a "backwards hug". He is growing in giving and receiving affection with all family members. He also eagerly plays the "smakerel game" to see who can smooch the other's cheek the loudest!

*Mercy received school books today...simple preschool books I had on the shelf. Previously when I mentioned school she would plead,"Oh, Mommy...I beg you...no school!!" Today though she was overjoyed with all the brightly colored books and diligently applied herself to complete 35 pages! She couldn't wait to proudly display the fruit of her efforts to Daddy when he came home from work. For right now, she is an eager learner and I'm going to capitalize on that for as long as I can!!!

*Both children are transitioning during bedtime much better now that we keep table top lamps on all night long(in their shared rooms with B3 and B4)We are using 20w bulbs- since nite lites' were not giving off enough light ...fortunately, my contact at AOH informed us that the children sleep all night long with the light of a lantern burning-this explained their apprehension/fear in their dimly lit bedrooms. What a gift her input has been to us in answering so many of our questions/concerns. Melodie, if you're reading this, thankyou!!

*The food frenzy seems to be settling down a bit. Both children are venturing beyond meat and rice (although we always have this on hand) and generally they are willing to try new foods. We are also transitioning to a standard "3 meals a day" schedule (but we aren't quite there yet ..) The bloated bellies seem to be resolving a bit also. One other funny tidbit...I have had a jar of red pepper flakes in my pantry for years (literally!!)...Mercy finished it off in just 4 weeks!

*Both children seem to recover much quicker after 'meltdowns' (which still occur regularly but at least we can now perceive when they are coming ) and they are learning that longstanding bouts of the "grumpies" are just not an option :)!!

*Odesco is beginning to talk much more....this morning when he had "the look" and angrily shoved his bowl to the center of the table, I encouraged him to use his words to tell me what he wanted(Ifigured out what he wanted but didn't tell him that!) . Several minutes later, he calmly and politely asked for more rice (evidently the bowl I had given him did not have'plenty' and he was disappointed with this 'meager' portion.) I made a huge deal of his self controlled response and rejoiced at this small but significant victory!

*Both children are growing in the common courtesy of graciously greeting others. We continue to work on this but they are learning what is expected. While it might take a few minutes of reminders/instruction, we are slowly getting away from snubbing or totally ignoring those who are engaging them in conversation.

* Mercy sings throughout the day...usually it is a bible verse or some song she learned that is chock full of biblical truths...today I 'caught ' Mercy and Odesco on video singing their hearts out in their thick Liberian accents...I'm sure we will all treasure this years down the road when they have lost their accents and we've all forgotten how difficult it once was to fully understand them...

*Both children now love to be read to...this is such a gift since I so enjoy reading aloud to the kids(if I can stay awake!!). Mercy especially will sit for LONG periods of time listening to bible stories...she really seems to have a heartfelt interest in the things of God! This morning, as I was having my quiet time , I gave each of the kids a children's bible to peruse. Now Odesco comes and asks"Lau -oo-dah"...who is that? And I love to listen as he points to pictures of"Gee-du" (Jesus)-He has a few speech issues and finds certain sounds difficult to pronounce...but it is soo cute at this age. Don't worry, we'll work on that later!!

*Both children are currently taking an antibiotic and for the most part have been so compliant when it is time to take it. If I forget, they both remind me..."Mommy medicine!" They actually seem to like the flavor :)

*While the 4 littles can squabble quite a bit(think 2 sets of twins!) the past few days they have been really playing well together. On Saturday, B3 decided it would be fun to put on a reenactment of the Christmas story. She was Mary, Mercy was an angel and Odesco was Joseph...B4 decided he didn't want to be a part of it at the last minute so it was a short lived performance .

*Last nite' all 4 littles came up with the brilliant idea to plant apple trees...better yet they decided to eat their apples to the core, remove the seeds, and send them to Acres of Hope so that they could have apples there! It took a bit of convincing to assure them the seeds probably would not make it in the mail all the way to Liberia and that the soil/climate there was not good for growing apple trees.(Who knows, maybe it is?!) So for now, they are saving them in a container on the window sill and trying to figure out how to clearly mark which seeds belong to each child so that when spring comes they can plant 'their'seeds in our backyard!(of course, I could offer to give them each a container but I'm not saying a word!)

* Family,friends, and neighbors have really served us during these weeks of transition...meals delivered,prayers offered, leftovers shared, an unexpected gift of new industrial sized rice cooker(actually a steamer) with 40# of rice to feed the troops...we are so grateful for these practical and helpful displays of support and care!!

* Our 2 youngest homegrowns are really beginning to express their mixed emotions regarding all the changes taking place...many of their comments are not necessarily positive and usually spoken in the heat of a conflict, but I am encouraged that they are talking and letting us into the window of their hearts so we can seek to guide them and help them process things in a manner pleasing to the Lord. If you would, please pray that God would give them a supernatural love for their new siblings.This has been a challenging transition for all but especially for them!

* Seeing the world through the eyes of a little Liberian is quite amusing at times....the first time Mercy saw a car with a tarp over it she laughed hysterically and wondered why the car had clothes on!! I never realized how many cars in our area have a wardrobe~

*Right now( during our lunch break) the kids are dancing to the African Children's Choir cd...Mercy and Odesco have such rhythm and are absolutely hysterical to watch...Odesco especially is a hoot...we are all in stitches...they will definately outdance the rest of the family!!

This act of recounting His goodness has been good for my heart... Must be why the scriptures say in 1Chronicles 16:8-12

O give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him; sing praises to him; tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!...
Remember the wondrous works He has done....

Choosing to remember today His wondrous works, even during those more trying moments pocketed throughout the day :)!!

Thanks for checking in!!

MamaB