There are some people that don't understand the joys of living in the country. There are members of my own family that think we crazy for living out where we do (ahem*Mom). It scares some people if you can't see other humans for days (PRAISE JESUS!), or hear constant traffic, or have light after dark. If you've never experienced the true darkness of the country at night, you are missing out on a beautiful thing. Especially tonight as I hear the gentle rain falling outside....
But what I enjoy most is the variety of wildlife.
**However, I must make a side note here that I HATE coyotes. Terrified. Despise them. Can't. stand. their. sound. I have my Dad to thank for that. Ha!!
Besides those awful creatures though, I enjoy watching and hearing the others.
Tonight, as I stood at my kitchen window, I watched three deer drink from the small pond, not 20 yards from the back door. They are not scared. They are gorgeous. After they finish drinking, they meander slowly across the clearing. I am reminded of one of my favorite songs and one that I sang repeatedly to Eli as a baby:
"As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after you. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you. You alone are my strength, my shield. To you alone may my spirit yield..."
Man, these last couple weeks, months and years have been so hard. Jesus has at times been the only strength keeping us going. He shows up in the most beautiful and sometimes surprising ways.
Tonight, He sent three deer to remind me of His goodness....
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Adoption/Foster update
For once, we have good news to report!! :)
As of today, we are "officially" foster parents again! We are signing the final documents at 4 pm today (worker is coming to our home for the last inspection) and then we have our final class (3 hours long on how to administer medications... seriously?!) at 6 pm tonight in Joplin. There won't be anything stopping us now from receiving a child when one comes along! EVEN BETTER, we won't have to deal with this particular worker anymore!!!!! YEAH!
And on the California front, not that I'm holding my breath anymore, but our newest update (sent yesterday) is more optimistic than we've seen in a couple months:
As of today, we are "officially" foster parents again! We are signing the final documents at 4 pm today (worker is coming to our home for the last inspection) and then we have our final class (3 hours long on how to administer medications... seriously?!) at 6 pm tonight in Joplin. There won't be anything stopping us now from receiving a child when one comes along! EVEN BETTER, we won't have to deal with this particular worker anymore!!!!! YEAH!
And on the California front, not that I'm holding my breath anymore, but our newest update (sent yesterday) is more optimistic than we've seen in a couple months:
We ended up having a busier December then we were expecting! January looks to be a busy month too! Here's to a good year! Your update: Your profile was shown 4 times this month! 2 of these expectant mothers have chosen families and we are waiting for the other 2 to decided- you are in consideration for both of these expectant moms (they have not put anyone in any order just yet.) But as soon as they do we will let you know! Your online profile has tripled in views as well!
Thank you all for the prayers! Our excitement is building!!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
My letter to bid 2014 "good-bye"
Dear 2014,
You brought with you so much change this past year. Some good, some just plain hard.
Sam had 3 jobs in one year (and all the emotions that go with job changes). The good news is that he finally found a job that makes him happy, where he's respected and that will allow him to learn and promote up. I survived my first full year as a stay-at-home mom! I still love it, even on the "bad" days.
Sam and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on May 22nd. Can it REALLY be 10 years already?! I can honestly and truly say that it only gets better as the years go on.
I also celebrated the... dare I say it... big 30!!! I survived and the world didn't crumble. Really, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. Sam surprised me BIG with a birthday party at Roaring River with family and then the biggest surprise was getting my best friend to fly in from Canada! I had no idea of any of it!! Sandi stayed the weekend with us and it was wonderful.
We decided that we'd waited long enough on our private adoption and felt a strong calling back into foster care. We'd had little to no interest in our family from birth mothers through the agency for the entire year. We initiated the process again back in October and nearly completed it by the end of the year (anticipating completion by January 10th). The process included going through all of the screenings, classes, home inspections, etc all over again... and the extreme stress and frustration that can sometime (read "always") come with it. Simultaneously, we also updated our private home study (for the private agency) and that included all the same as above, x2. The process has been very hard, no lie. Probably harder this time than the first time because it was repetitive and frustrating knowing we were capable and still being "investigated". (This is going to be hard to understand unless you've been involved.)
We all had our bouts of illness this year. Eli spent the majority of the spring/early summer in and out of the doctor's office, until he was finally treated for symptomatic asthma. (We have this under control now and he's doing much better!). Earlier this winter, our whole family had their share of the flu, but I got the brunt of it, catching it 3 separate times!
Both of our dogs died this year. Our oldest dog, Sadie, died Sept. 18th from a tumor related issue. She was 11 years old, the dog Sam had given me as an engagement gift. A very sentimental loss for both of us. Duke, at 7 years old, died less than a month later, on Oct. 8th, after spending 3 days being treated at the vet for a disease he contracted from a tick. This was heartbreaking to loose them both so quickly and so close together. We were not looking to add another animal to our household for a while, but.... a week later, some of our friends found a puppy that was lost and abandoned. Meet Lucky, our Beagle and newest member of our family!
Eli is growing and changing and it some ways it's amazing and in some ways it's more than I think I can handle. He is so challenging and frustrating and funny and smart....
In other good news, we acquired 10 more acres of land adjoining to our property earlier this year. Our little haven, our little slice of paradise, our farm for our children to grow up on.
The end of this year was hard, just in the fact that we aren't where we thought we'd be looking back at the end of 2013. Our finances aren't ideal, our family is still only 3 people, our home improvement plans are still just plans... all of those "resolutions" are just words on paper.
Overall, it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not entirely. Generally, this year was a happy year. We are still healthy and together. We have great memories of this year, even if they are just common, ordinary, everyday type memories. This year grew us and changed us and worked on our patience. (grade: C+ on patience... not failing but barely passing!! LOL)
I bid you, 2014, a hearty farewell. I'm glad to see you go and I'm looking forward, optimistically, at what 2015 can hold for us.
Love,
Jenny
You brought with you so much change this past year. Some good, some just plain hard.
Sam had 3 jobs in one year (and all the emotions that go with job changes). The good news is that he finally found a job that makes him happy, where he's respected and that will allow him to learn and promote up. I survived my first full year as a stay-at-home mom! I still love it, even on the "bad" days.
Sam and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on May 22nd. Can it REALLY be 10 years already?! I can honestly and truly say that it only gets better as the years go on.
I also celebrated the... dare I say it... big 30!!! I survived and the world didn't crumble. Really, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. Sam surprised me BIG with a birthday party at Roaring River with family and then the biggest surprise was getting my best friend to fly in from Canada! I had no idea of any of it!! Sandi stayed the weekend with us and it was wonderful.
 |
| Pre-surprise - I was bored and hungry and starting to get whiny... LOL! |
 |
| Best surprise EVER!! |
 |
| Can't he just smile normal?! |
We decided that we'd waited long enough on our private adoption and felt a strong calling back into foster care. We'd had little to no interest in our family from birth mothers through the agency for the entire year. We initiated the process again back in October and nearly completed it by the end of the year (anticipating completion by January 10th). The process included going through all of the screenings, classes, home inspections, etc all over again... and the extreme stress and frustration that can sometime (read "always") come with it. Simultaneously, we also updated our private home study (for the private agency) and that included all the same as above, x2. The process has been very hard, no lie. Probably harder this time than the first time because it was repetitive and frustrating knowing we were capable and still being "investigated". (This is going to be hard to understand unless you've been involved.)
We all had our bouts of illness this year. Eli spent the majority of the spring/early summer in and out of the doctor's office, until he was finally treated for symptomatic asthma. (We have this under control now and he's doing much better!). Earlier this winter, our whole family had their share of the flu, but I got the brunt of it, catching it 3 separate times!
Both of our dogs died this year. Our oldest dog, Sadie, died Sept. 18th from a tumor related issue. She was 11 years old, the dog Sam had given me as an engagement gift. A very sentimental loss for both of us. Duke, at 7 years old, died less than a month later, on Oct. 8th, after spending 3 days being treated at the vet for a disease he contracted from a tick. This was heartbreaking to loose them both so quickly and so close together. We were not looking to add another animal to our household for a while, but.... a week later, some of our friends found a puppy that was lost and abandoned. Meet Lucky, our Beagle and newest member of our family!
 |
| Arrived Oct. 20th ~ approx. 4 months old |
 |
| Sadie - on the last walk in the woods she ever took |
 |
| Duke - such a large, gentle soul |
Eli is growing and changing and it some ways it's amazing and in some ways it's more than I think I can handle. He is so challenging and frustrating and funny and smart....
In other good news, we acquired 10 more acres of land adjoining to our property earlier this year. Our little haven, our little slice of paradise, our farm for our children to grow up on.
The end of this year was hard, just in the fact that we aren't where we thought we'd be looking back at the end of 2013. Our finances aren't ideal, our family is still only 3 people, our home improvement plans are still just plans... all of those "resolutions" are just words on paper.
Overall, it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not entirely. Generally, this year was a happy year. We are still healthy and together. We have great memories of this year, even if they are just common, ordinary, everyday type memories. This year grew us and changed us and worked on our patience. (grade: C+ on patience... not failing but barely passing!! LOL)
I bid you, 2014, a hearty farewell. I'm glad to see you go and I'm looking forward, optimistically, at what 2015 can hold for us.
Love,
Jenny
 |
| Thanksgiving 2014 |
Eli's 2014 Interview
This has been the year of superheros, ninjas, pirates, puppy dogs, dirt, burps & toots... basically, all things boy!
We FINALLY mastered daytime potty training (night time is still a work in progress) and he got enrolled in Parents As Teachers (Eli calls it "school"). He is exceptionally smart and is scoring higher than average for his age, however, we are working on attention span and obedience.
Eli's Interview Answers: (age: 3 years, 8 months, 1 week)
Favorite TV show: Wild Kratts (PBS)
What I'm best at: coloring
If I could change my name, it would be: EY (pronounced E-Y)
Favorite color: orange
Favorite toy: Bumblebee costume
When I grow up I want to be: a mechanic
Favorite things to sleep with: blue blankie and Jasper (stuffed dog)
Favorite book to read: Curious George
Favorite movie: Robots
Favorite food: Every food!! (Mom says: Isn't that the truth! At age 3, he now out-eats his mother!!)
Favorite animal: Hippo
Favorite sport: Soccer
My best friend is: Asher Jones
My favorite thing about this year is: sitting on Santa's lap
What I most look forward to this next year: going to the beach!
Favorite song: You are my Sunshine
Favorite thing to do with my Dad: wrestle
Favorite thing to do with my Mom: make cookies
We FINALLY mastered daytime potty training (night time is still a work in progress) and he got enrolled in Parents As Teachers (Eli calls it "school"). He is exceptionally smart and is scoring higher than average for his age, however, we are working on attention span and obedience.
Eli's Interview Answers: (age: 3 years, 8 months, 1 week)
Favorite TV show: Wild Kratts (PBS)
What I'm best at: coloring
If I could change my name, it would be: EY (pronounced E-Y)
Favorite color: orange
Favorite toy: Bumblebee costume
When I grow up I want to be: a mechanic
Favorite things to sleep with: blue blankie and Jasper (stuffed dog)
Favorite book to read: Curious George
Favorite movie: Robots
Favorite food: Every food!! (Mom says: Isn't that the truth! At age 3, he now out-eats his mother!!)
Favorite animal: Hippo
Favorite sport: Soccer
My best friend is: Asher Jones
My favorite thing about this year is: sitting on Santa's lap
What I most look forward to this next year: going to the beach!
Favorite song: You are my Sunshine
Favorite thing to do with my Dad: wrestle
Favorite thing to do with my Mom: make cookies
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)