Boundary Lines, Green Pastures, and Still Waters

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places"
Psalm 16:5,6


"The Lord is my shepherd...
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters..."
Psalm 23:2

The last 11 days or so we have had at least one person sick with this relentless flu(fever, body aches,cough etc) which seems to be spreading like wildfire. As we have had to cancel many plans (including attending an out of town wedding of a dear friends' son and a surprise dinner out for M's birthday), I continually am reminding myself that the boundary lines set for me in this season are indeed in pleasant places. During my devotions, the Lord also brought to mind that within these boundary lines He has supplied green pastures of refreshment and still waters of nourishment for my soul. I am so tempted to be like the wayward lamb longingly looking at the meadow across the fence or searching for a gap to slip through to the other side. Often our kiddos (especially our 2 very spicy Liberians) are what I would call 'fence rattlers'. They will test the limits of their ordained boundaries and discontentedly rattle the gate that hems them in for their own good. What a reminder this has been for me...that often I am also a fence rattler as God hems me in and I am not pleased with the boundaries He is sovereignly setting. So for the days ahead as we continue to heal from this icky stuff,and we are stuck in the house, I am purposefully seeking Him to make sure I do not miss out on the green pastures and still waters He has bountifully supplied. Some of these green pastures have been in the form of extra time: time to snuggle and watch a movie together or read aloud without the constraint of the clock....time to color Easter eggs and bake cookies(no, not from scratch and I did them myself...no germ laden hands in the dough allowed!) Today we had time to take an afternoon nap....believe it or not our afternoon quiet time was actually that...completely quiet as all 4 littles snoozed in the family room with me...now that's green pastures!!
Our weekly Homeschooler's Day out was even canceled this week(the first time in over 10 years!!) due to the many families/teachers affected by illness. This was God's kindness to me personally as I was scheduled to teach twice and Odesco is in no shape to be around other children. I am trusting that by next Wednesday we will all be on the road to recovery and ready to jump in with both feet again!
Mercy , who remained healthy throughout this sick spell seemed to be feeling a bit left out and was taking her own temperature around the clock and expressing a myriad of physical complaints minus the obvious symptoms. An opportunity arose last night where we were able to celebrate her germ free status with a trip to caregroup with me while Daddy stayed home with the sick kiddos.Miss Brittany would have been at our house babysitting but we didn't want her entering the germ zone so since she was to be at home tonight she offered to do Mercy's hair. What a blessing...another hair helper!! Providentially, Mercy had a GREAT day of responding to instruction without melting down ...no defiance, no talking back...lots of good choices made. What a gift from the Lord for there to be such an unexpected tangible reward for her good choices. She knew nothing about this until just before we left so she was not motivated by the thought of a fun night (although these incentives are often helpful!).
This was a gift to me as well since some of these days have been a bit wearisome due to cabin fever and some less than desirable behaviors.
Enjoy the pictures...it's been a while since I downloaded them so there's quite a few!!
I'm grateful today for His gentle leading in the midst of the boundary lines He has drawn for me.
Love,
MamaB.

A few weeks ago all 6 kiddos were in for their dental appointments. Our dental practice is so accommodating and we were all out of there in less than 2 hours!! And the added benefit of having them scheduled in 3 different rooms at the same time is that when a child seems to be a bit apprehensive and has that "Mom I'm about to jump out of this chair into your arms "look I can conveniently go to check on one of the other children and the previously noted child miraculously manages just fine once mom is out of view!!

Thursday afternoons at our house are fun, fun , fun(and loud, loud , loud)!! We have at least 2 added children and occasionally we double our family size with 12 kiddos running around together. I love having the kids' friends here and they love the company.This group above creatively play 'office' complete with phone, keyboard, 'desks' etc. Sadly due to the germs last week there was no 'friend frenzy' and we had to cancel our weekly visit....the kiddos were so disappointed but I roped the younger crew into helping me make 20 toilet paper roll bean stuffed instruments for a class I teach at HDO...a nice trade off, I thought :)

Moving outside for a change of scenery....

More Thursday fun: The Big Dudes...

Thursday Fun continued:For some reason these guys decided it would be fun to dig in the compost heap...a creative(and filthy) way to expend all their boundless energy!! !!

The sweet fruit of 'buddy time'

During our school day G and Odesco have 30 minutes of 'buddy time' (L and Mercy do also at a different time)...this gives me a chance to do school with the others and gives the kids an opportunity to grow in their friendship (and peacemaking skills!!)

Boys will be boys...here's P after a romp in our muddy swamp of a backyard after a driving rainstorm!

Mercy and 'Miss Tency' our friend from the dentist office who graciously offered to braid Mercy's hair for me....I was amazed at how quickly she did this...what would have taken me hours and hours (no exaggeration!) took her under 2 hours to complete. I am so grateful for the many eager helpers the Lord has placed beside me :)

Pop-Pop B with the kiddos...Daddy's parents came over to visit and help us celebrate his 45th birthday. For part of his gift, I made a video of each of the kids sharing what they loved about their Dad...we even videotaped Grandmom and Pop-Pop as they shared some funny Daddy stories.

A much loved Grandmom :)

...And a much loved Daddy opening all his homemade birthday treasures from the littles.

...last week at Homeschoolers Day out, I went to drop off the 3 youngest kiddos in the nursery so I could attend writing class with C. There were a load of toddlers and babies and I knew that adding my brood to the mix would stretch the gracious people serving. So, we looked for an opportunity for these guys to be a help...here they are rocking these precious little ones to sleep for their morning naps...too cute!

After the babies were asleep , there was plenty of time for fun!! I just love this picture of Felicia with L, Jenkins, and Odesco...

During HDO lunch time, Odesco was running around playing ball when he suddenly started wailing... it seems his mouth was knocked with a runaway ball ... a few minutes later he came running to me and showed me his already loose tooth had fallen out...he didn't realize what it was and spit it on the floor . Now we had a room full of people looking for the missing tooth!! Thankfully, Mrs. B found it and we were able bring it home to store in his little tooth case from the dentist.After missing out on so many of Odesco's 'firsts' , I was grateful that today he lost his first tooth and we were there to share in it!!!

While waiting for the big guys to finish up in a class at HDO, these 2 were cracking me up. Odesco was pretending to be a preacher and Mercy was the ever enthusiastic worshiper in the front row!

Even sick with a fever, our little man L couldn't stop drawing!

Odesco's Boredom Buster: 'fishing' in the back yard! He built the 'dock' from wood scraps and found the 'pole' which fell out of our tree during the storm.This resourceful boy finds ways to stay busy...usually it's hopping around on all 4's inside while batting an eraser, piece of cereal, or some other item he found on our floor!!

I told you he was resourceful...Odesco made this 'hat' from a box in the trash!!

Our first attempt at dying Easter eggs since our little Liberians came home...quite a production!

The Champs!!

This post is very old news but it's still worth celebrating. This winter the big boys had the privilege of playing Salao soccer for their 2nd time. This year we were blessed to have some of their buddies from church on their team which was an added treat for me since I was able to visit with their moms as we watched the games :) It was also unique because P and C were able to play on the same team...next year they will be at different levels again (as they were last season). It was great fun and we were so proud of them but I must admit watching our son in the goalie position was just a bit nerve wracking...especially the day of the tournament!!

This is the day of the tournament. I had to run an errand and arrived a few minutes after the 'bus' (our van!)arrived and found the boys and a few teammates practicing outside....it was COLD-now that's dedication!!!

This year we got smart and watched every game from the stage in the auditorium...it helped us avoid the awkward climb up and down the bleachers which inevitably occurred several times a game last year. P is playing goalie in the tie die shirt.

Here they are with their coach just after winning their division title:) They were tired pups!!

This is just after they received their championship shirts and trophies...Way to go :)!!

....And this is the littles favorite part of the entire season: The Pizza party!!! Just before the awards ceremony, the crowd files through a line to grab a slice of pizza and a drink...then they keep busy eating and drinking while all the teams are recognized...works great for our crew!!!

Another Alpine Adventure

One Sunday evening in late February, we trekked to the mountains for a 2 night stay at a rented house just a few miles from the ski slopes. Mimi and Pop-Pop joined us for the fun and we could not have done it without them :) The big boys' friend, A, joined us as well so that they would have someone to pal around with. Monday was gorgeous... it was sunny, there was fresh new snow, and the warmer temperatures were refreshing. Knowing the inclement weather forecast for Tuesday made Monday that much more glorious. Mercy and Odesco stayed back with Mimi and Pop-Pop on Monday morning so that we could work individually with G and L. The others joined us in the lodge at lunchtime and then Mercy, Odesco and L all went to ski class while Daddy, G and I skied together on a slightly more challenging trail. Miss Mercy did much better than on our previous trip and was actually down the beginner mountain without hanging onto Daddy or falling continuously. Her primary challenge was learning how to stop (in a controlled fashion :) ) which occurred only if she would purposely wipe out or run into inanimate objects such as trash cans and fences ...thankfully she and the can/fence were just fine. Control is not her forte yet, but I'm sure with practice she'll get the idea of the 'pizza slice' (ie: snowplow!). Odesco also is working on perfecting his snowplow and L amazed us with his ability to 'fall' and get back up while still in motion. At one point he was headed straight for a downed snowboarder...he wisely sat down on his skis, shifted his weight just missing the snowboarder by a few inches...he then stood up and proceeded down the mountain. The snowboarder and I exchanged a,"Phew, that was close!!" and off I went to catch up with our little man!! It sure does help being only a few feet from the ground and having a lower center of gravity!!G is doing quite well too although we did have another ski lift mishap together....I'll spare you the details...let's just say God is refining my character on the slopes and off!!
Tuesday is our usual Homeschool ski day and we were hoping to meet up with all our church friends however most people stayed home due to the forecast and the memories of the harrowing drive home just a few weeks earlier. A few families did join us however and we were blessed with 3 or so hours of good skiing with fresh snow falling. Quickly though, the temperatures began to rise and we were soon skiing in sleet and then pure rain. We stuck it out for a while but I called it quits when Mercy and I were on the lift and I could feel the water working its way through every layer of clothing as we sat on the rain drenched seat. By the time we made it back to the lodge, our clothes were saturated and the other families who joined us were calling it a day as well. We were home by 4pm which was a huge blessing so that we had time to unpack, do laundry and dry out before Daddy had to head back to work and we had to began our school week. I am grateful for the memories we made and the time spent with Mimi and Pop- Pop. The kids are all looking forward to more ski adventures next year :)!!! Now, onto spring!!!!
Enjoy the pictures!!
Love,MamaB

It was very cold when we first arrived at the rental house...our little man happily donned his sister's warm flannel nightgown and earned the name "Lucy" as he pranced around the house!!

While we unpacked and got settled in, the ever patient Pop-Pop attempted to play a "calm" game of UNO with the youngest 4. Calm would definitely not characterize these 4 playing competitively together!

Pop-Pop and L doing a crossword puzzle together :) Definitely alot quieter than UNO...

We were surprised to meet up with the big guys ...check out L in the distance being "Mr. Independent!"

Daddy, L and G at the top of one of the bigger slopes after an exciting ride up the highspeed chairlift!

Thankfully it was not crowded so Daddy could take his time helping G and L down this more challenging trail.

L and G practicing "s" turns and 'pizza slices' to control their speed.

Daddy and Mercy taking a ride up the beginner slope...(the tube in the background is for a summertime waterpark)

A fuzzy picture but Miss Mercy was oh so proud of her progress and so were we!!

Odesco, L , and Mercy in their ski class...

Odesco after practicing all his newly learned skills...he even offered to carry L's skis to the lodge--this boy's strength amazes me!!

Warming up, eating a quick snack, and playing cards with Pop-Pop...does it get any better than that?!

Mimi and Miss G enjoying a snuggle together

On our wet Tuesday the girls passed their time in the lodge getting manicures ...

Little man L was so drenched that he had to don my dry fleece pullover...in my haste to get packed up, I forgot extra clothes for this little guy.

A Spring Teaser...

Surviving the cold last week: 'The littles' with their Lincoln Logs....quite a mess but they did make some cool creations . Today, it was so nice to take a break from our typical indoor winter activities to get some of this....

Ahhh, fresh air and baseball :)!!

Odesco and L as they were asking me if I could 'pretty please' open up the shed so that they could get Odesco's baseball batting game out. How could I refuse these yummy boys?!

The first sign of spring...normally finding a a dandelion is not a celebrated event but it was today!!!

Nothing like a good old fashioned rope swing...this picture was taken outside of the church where the 3 oldest take piano lessons. We all decided that we'd stay outside today and play !

It is 11:28 am and 5 of the kiddos are outside in the backyard enjoying this gorgeous spring like day. G is finishing up her work before heading out. We'll catch up on our reading tomorrow...I'm trying to learn to capture the moment while still getting the essentials done. It's so easy as a homeschooling mom to be consumed with all there is to accomplish and yet miss out on gifts the Lord has placed right in front of me. Not just the gift of our children but the gift of a beautiful day :)
I love these spring teaser days as they remind me that truly"He makes all things new." In the doldrums and monotony of winter, my soul needed this :)!! I've had some discouraging mommy days in the past few weeks...including some difficult conversations with Mercy regarding why she is here in America. Adopting an older child is a blessing in many ways as they can talk and open windows of their past when they are ready but the reality of their past will never go away. I can't fix it or make her pain go away....I can't resolve the conflicting issues in her heart as she attaches to us and yet still remembers the love she has for her Liberian family. I can only direct her to her Heavenly Father who lovingly orchestrates all things for her good and His glory...a sovereign God who is altogether wise. I can also speak truth as God directs...truth that will hopefully set her heart free from the things which are entangling her.
On Saturday evening, I went to an adoption seminar entitled ," Adoption: The children are home, the honeymoon is over, now what?" The speaker was an adoptive mom herself and specializes in attachment. She had some great insight having experienced the joys and heartaches of adoption firsthand. One thing she said was we need to have a long term perspective...I'm paraphrasing her here but she said," Our goal is 35(as in 35 years old!!)....all of our parenting now (Lord willing) will impact them when they are mature adults... " Wow, 35...that's a longterm perspective but a great reminder to not be so caught up in the here and now. I am so grateful for the little glimpses the Lord does give me now of His hand at work in the hearts of our children. I am reminded of the timeliness of an email devotional by Nancy Campbell(who happens to be a new adoptive mom of 4 Liberian teens!) that I received last week right when I was in the thick of some heavy duty days.

Malachi 3:17, "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels."

Every saint is a jewel of God. I am convicted by God to look at people (and also my children) in this light. Often we cannot see the jewel as it hides behind the rough exterior. All we see is unsightly hard rock, but God wants us to look beyond what we see on the surface.

We sometimes hear the phrase, "He's a rough diamond." This means that the person is pretty rough on the outside but inside they have a heart of gold. We need to be reminded that there is a diamond, or perhaps a sapphire, an emerald, an opal, a ruby or an amethyst in each person. The jewel in every person is different. Each jewel will reveal different colors and lights of God's character. But we cannot see the beauty shining from the jewel until it has been cut and polished. And what a painful process this is. Much cutting has to be done o reveal the many-faceted hues and beauty of the gem. The cutting goes on and on. And when it is finished, the polishing starts. It hurts

I know God has to do so much more cutting and polishing with me. May we let Him do His work and cut away all the roughness and hardness. May we also have patience with all God's saints, even those who are still rough and uncut.

May God give us patience with our children. God has given us the task of being a lapidary (a cutter and polisher of gems). It is the lapidary's art to reveal the gem. Sometimes we may feel it is a hopeless job. But we must never give up hope. There is a jewel in every child of God. There is a precious jewel in every one of our children that waits to be revealed. We must see it by faith. We must pray it into being. May God give us vision, patience and understanding as we fulfill this great task. It does not happen over night. It is painstaking and time-consuming.

Another timely reminder to not lose hope and to trust that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it!! This applies to my wayward heart along with the hearts of my children. The 'roughness' of the jewel gives the Lord that much more opportunity for His glory to shine forth.

I am thanking Him today for the gift of a sunny day, renewed hope, and the privilege of being His lapidary in the lives of the jewels He has graciously entrusted to my care,

MamaB

PS: I am way behind in updating so things will be out of order when I finally do get to post. Last week we had 2 memorable (in a good way!!) days skiing together and Saturday our big boys won their Salao soccer tournament. Quite an exciting week in our house. Pictures are forthcoming :)!!