Faith for the Journey

A good read

2010-09-25T08:28:00.002-04:00

The following is an article written about adoption, and it rings very true to our family's heart.

A New Paradigm

Meet Mr. Gourd Heads

2010-09-19T14:57:00.003-04:00

What do you do with over 100 mini gourds?

We met with the home school group Friday for our first study of the fall. We are doing a 7 week geography study on the continents. This week was North America. The group is broken down into two age groups, K-3 and 4-up. Moms take turns teaching and helping. I will be teaching the Africa study for Sam’s group in a few weeks.

Cora, Eli, and I played with the other little ones and visited with the moms. It is such a great encouragement to meet with these other families. Yesterday there were over 60 people there counting moms and babies, which is a big jump from last year. Also coming up this fall is a field trip to caves, fall cook-out, and moms’ night out.

We also had show and tell for any of the kids who wanted to bring something. Of course, Sam always has lots to tell. He brought a rock and a little boat he made of reeds like a Native American toy. He got up in front of all those people, said “Hello my name is Sam…” He spoke loud and clear and didn’t seem a bit nervous. I was so proud of him. Maybe God is planning for him to be a preacher…or politician!

Farm Fair

2010-09-18T14:44:00.004-04:00

Dandy went to the Farm Fair last week. Farm Fair is a day sponsored by local agriculture groups when all county fourth graders come and rotate through different stations to learn how agriculture affects them. Some of the other stations were on goats, dairy, beekeeping, poultry, 4-wheeler safety, 4-H, the food pyramid, and more.

(The boy in the white shirt was a preschool student of mine. I got to see 4 of my former students.)

Sam and I taught the kids a bit about the hard work of raising beef cattle, beef products they eat, and byproducts of beef. And of course, they got to pet and brush Dandy. Many fed him grain also, and I know he has never eaten that much in one day! Dandy was so good, but Sam was worried about us talking about his demise right in front of him:)

I researched on the internet to find out some beef byproducts and was surprised to learn what some of them are. They include pet food, candles, make-up, soap, shave cream, nail files, band aides, butter, gum, mayo, marshmallows, cellophane, crayons, glue, paint, paint brushes, shoes, footballs/basketballs/baseballs, medicines, and more. Some of the kids were confused on this, but I explained to them that each of these items has some small part that comes for a cow. A few said they would never brush their teeth again, but they were still planning to eat hamburger!

Thank a farmer next time you see them!

Star Gazing

2010-09-13T22:57:00.002-04:00

Sam, Cora, and I went star gazing tonight. We laid out in the back yard with blankies and popcorn and watched the night sky. It was so fun to hear their comments about the sky and other random things. Sam thinks being an astronaut would be neat, but he wants to be an archeologist when he grows up. Cora thinks the coyotes could smell our popcorn and might come get us. Sweet memories!

And Eli was tucked safely in bed, by the way.

Popsicle Sticks

2010-09-06T21:47:00.003-04:00

Each morning we say the Pledge of Allegiance, do the calendar, and the weather. Eli won't miss standing with us as we do the pledge. We also do the popsicle sticks at this time. It has become one of my favorite parts of the school day because all the kids love it and we get to do it together, one of my favorite blessings of home schooling.

We have a bunch of popsicle sticks in a cup, and each one has a different concept written on it. The kids take turns pulling a stick and answering questions. Its neat to vary the questions for each of their age levels. For example, one stick says "birthday" so Sam has to say month, day and year, Cora just the month and day, and Eli says how old he is and we're working on holding up 2 fingers. We have sticks for counting, address, months of the year, Bible verses, sight words, and more. Cora and Eli are learning to sit for their turn, and they learn a lot from listening to Sam. Plus Sam gets an opportunity to help them when they need it.

And please don't tell my kids about Labor Day...they have no idea they were supposed to have the day off. Here they are cuddling/wresting, but this is NOT during school time!

Yard Sale Treasure

2010-09-04T08:08:00.003-04:00

Cora got a big girl bike at a yard sale yesterday...for $7!!!!!! She was so excited that she was almost glowing.

The kids found a few other "new" toys, and I got a much needed $5 bookshelf (that for some reason caused me to rearrange the whole living room even though the shelf went in the bedroom).

We had a fun time treasure hunting at yard sales, but they always remind me of how temporary our material things are. We saw tons of vases, jewelry, shoes, clothes, and much more that at one time people had to have. Now its a quarter at a yard sale. I'm even making a pile at our house right now for our approaching yard sale (and Sam is cleaning out some toys!).

Lord, help us remember those things in our lives with true, lasting value: You, our families, and our time. Amen

Cowboys and Cowgirl

2010-09-03T03:08:00.004-04:00

Dandy, our bottle calf, is a good sport! He lets all the kids lead him around with the halter.

We have been feeding Dandy twice a day since mid-June. Last week we weaned him down to just an evening bottle. While I miss our morning visits, it sure is easier to stay on track with school work without that disruption.

Later this month, we will take Dandy to "Farm Fair". Its a special day for local 4th graders to come to the fair grounds and learn about many different aspects of farming. The kids will rotate through stations learning about things like corn, soybeans, poultry, and horses. We will teach them a little about cattle, with Dandy being our prop!

School Days

2010-09-02T17:17:00.001-04:00

Every home school is different, and that is one of the fun things about it. At our house, no 2 days look alike either. This school year has been lots of fun so far. Sam has changed so much over the summer! Here are some of our favorites this year.

Sam is learning phonics, and doing well. We are still catching up to where he was last spring, wish we had stayed with it a little over the summer. He is still perfecting the short vowels before we move on to long vowels. Last week I cut out a dozen magazine pictures and wrote short sentences he could read to go with each one. He had to match them up. Today we played a simple version of scrabble, and Sam did well. While we played that Cora laid out the letters of her name.

Cora is learning to spell and write her name and she’s also learning shapes. Today we played the flyswatter game, where she had to smack the shape Sam called out. Good practice for Sam too:) When Cora writes her name, she writes it in reverse. Maybe because she’s left handed? I know she will correct it in time, right now its pretty cute!

We’ve been reading the story of Jonah this week, and today we acted it out, which the kids loved. We also made accordion books to illustrate the story.

For writing practice, we send lots of thank you notes or cards. This is more motivating to Sam than just writing letters for the sake of writing.

We’ve been learning a hymn each week, yes our church sings the good old hymns. Each one contains such biblical truths that we talk about, and I hope by at least knowing the chorus the kids will feel more a part of the singing at church (and stay out of trouble). This week is “I’ve Got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop”. We hum it or sing it as we wash hands, set the table, buckle seat belts, etc. Yesterday Sam drew a mansion on bright yellow paper and Cora added streets of gold, then we hung it up in their room.

We borrowed a book with step by step instructions on drawing animals, and Sam really got into that. So far, he has shown my artistic ability (none!), and usually he’d try to draw something then give up when his didn’t resemble anything. With this book, he was so proud of his work…maybe there’s hope!

Our science book has us learning about the 5 senses. First was touch. We did a few fun things the kids have asked to do again. We taped our thumb to our pointer finger then tried to do things like pick up money off the floor, open a door, zip/button pants, eat with a fork. Cora got so tickled at not being able to do anything without her thumb. After that we each filled a paper sack with 5 items from around the house and yard. Then we took turns feeling in each others bags and guessing what we felt. Sam was impressed how his fingers could identify things. Of course, Eli's bag included a tractor, baler, combine, hay bale, and 4-wheeler.

Our days are full, and we don’t usually get everything done. But there’s always tomorrow. We are blessed to be doing this for now.

Happy Birthday Cora

2010-08-29T14:44:00.004-04:00

4 things we love about Cora

Cora loves to read books with us and by herself. She is so tiny when she curls up on our laps for a story.

Cora is a girl all about routine. Every night she climbs in bed with her special pillow, blanket, and animal. Her animal is a musical seahorse, originally given to Eli, but taken over by Cora. The seahorse lights up and plays lullabyes, and Cora plays it repeatedly until she's asleep (surprisingly Sam never complains). Cora always remembers that we pray and kiss and turn on the night light before bed. She also loves to tickle and giggle at bedtime. She is a great sleeper too, and always has been.

Cora can play rough superheros with Sam, tractors with Eli, farming with Uncle David, or princesses with her girl friends. She is equal parts tom boy and girly girl.

Cora imitates us with her words and actions, but adds her own personality too. She is discovering who God made her to be.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORA LYNN!

Tractor School

2010-08-20T22:06:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Eli went from reading about tractors in a library book:

to playing tractors in his room:

to finally riding with Uncle Dave in the cab tractor and baling round bales:

Progress Report

2010-08-18T21:59:00.003-04:00

So far school has been fun (hey, 3 days seems like a big deal)! Sam and I seem to be “clicking” better this year as far as the core subjects go, meaning reading. I think that once he becomes a fluent reader school will be so much more enjoyable to him, but getting there is a slooow process. I feel like I have more patience because I can so remember concepts that frustrated him and me last year, but now he knows them fine. Usually if mom just backs off a bit, the light bulb will come on. Who wants to be constantly nagged on how to make the letter f?

Sam is into rock collecting, big time. He picks rocks up at the creek, in the driveway, in pea gravel, and anywhere else. At Aunt Karen’s he found some fossils, and then we went to a state park where we saw lots of fossils and imprints. We have 5 library books right now on rocks/minerals/gems. Per one of the books, Sam and Cora washed all of his rocks yesterday afternoon with warm water and old toothbrushes. Then we looked through the books to learn the names of some of his rocks.

Today we got out the microscope to look at some of the rocks. They were mostly too big, so we went searching for other things to look at. We looked at mulch, money, leaves, flower petals, and a dragonfly. The flowers Josh had sent me had some spots on leaves, and we found out it was little bug shells, which was very cool. I got a spider that had a big sack on its back and smashed it, hoping to find babies or something. No luck, and Sam told me I was disgusting (I got more into the microscope than him I think). Cora would try to look in it, but she would close both eyes, then say how neat everything looked.

Sam's recess is going for a bike ride. He zips down the road, usually stopping to say hi to Grandma, Grandpa, Meme, or David. I have put up sticker charts in the kids' room, and try to remember to give them a sticker when they do really well on something. After 5 stickers, they get a piece of candy. Sam is up to 4 stickers, and he was sucking up big time all evening for that last one. I don't normally do reward stuff like that, but I hope its a little something special they will enjoy.

Eli has been very good while we do school. We try to get a lot done in the morning, then save special things he can't get into for the afternoon nap time. Here he is on the 1066. He knows all our tractors and equipment by name. Currently his favorite book is a free tractor catalog. He looks at it ALL the time, naming things like combine, loader, disk, manure spreader...I guess he's in tractor school!

Birthdays on the Farm

2010-08-16T21:32:00.007-04:00

We recently had a farm birthday party for the kids. Sam is 6, Eli is 2, and Cora will be 4 in a few weeks. (Note of God's goodness: We always wanted our kids 2 years apart. When we began the adoption process we figured that "plan" was out the window. Guess who is 3 weeks shy of 2 years younger than Cora? God gives us the desires of our heart.)

So we invited family and friends down to the farm to help us celebrate. It turned out to be a GREAT time. Its so fun to watch kids play, and I especially enjoy sharing a bit of the farm with non-farm kids.

Our fun included sack races, bobbing for apple slices and strawberries (more boys liked this than girls), and hunting for candy and small toys in a straw pile. We also had Dandy the calf in the yard and gave him his bottle and feed. We fed popcorn to the chickens. We had a playhouse, tee pee, rocking horse, stick horses, cowboy and Indian costumes, ropes, guns, and a bow with arrows for the kids to play with. And of course we ended the evening with a hayride, and it wasn't just any hayride. We rode in the hog hauler, which has tall sides, therefore Grandpa figured no one could fall out and so he could go fast!

We snacked on veggie and fruit trays. I made lots of cupcakes, then set out various colored icing and toppings so the kids could decorate their own. They really liked the gummy worms, sprinkles, and jelly beans. Nana also made an awesome tractor cake. It was so good we didn't want to cut it, Eli just slowly picked much of the icing off. He still talks about the tractor cake.

Cora and her best buddies were rounded up by cowboy Cruse.

Dandy didn't mind all the attention, as long as he got his bottle. What a big baby! The kids in the background are searching the straw pile for goodies.

Eli was all smiles.

A few days after the party we took our bikes and tractor to the turkey building. It was cleaned out and powerwashed for a new flock. The kids had a blast with all that room to ride.

Ausbrooks Family Home School is back in session. Today was the first day. Sam is in first grade, kind of. We got through 3/4 of the kindergarten material, and we've not touched it since mid-June so we have some catching up to do. I love that about homeschooling. He doesn't have to keep up with anyone else. Today we reviewed to see what he remembered. He's definitely forgot a bit, but it comes back very easily. I think in a few weeks will be plowing fresh ground. Cora is in preschool, and anxious to do things right along with Sam.

I am learning that I have to make school a priority if I want Sam to also. But I also have to be flexible. For example today we had a great morning, with Bible, calendar, phonics, writing. Then we had to go feed Dandy (lesson on responsibility right?). We had more to do after that, but while we were at Dandy Uncle David came to work in the baby turkeys. They are 5 days old, and he was ready to take the pens down and take out water jars. So, we helped. The kids did a great job. It was fun and hard work all together. After that they went with David to check a cow, and they found she had calved and they got to see the new baby (who made Dandy look big to them). They came home from lunch and after that Nana stayed with the older kids while Sam and I went to Meme's (my grandma) to can relish. Most of the ingredients are home grown, and Sam helped us chop and measure. We did do some reading, math, and science while took a nap in the late afternoon.

This wasn't the day I'd planned, but it was a good day. Education comes in many forms. I think time spent with the other generations of our family is invaluable. Lessons on hard work, team work, life cycles, and food supply are so much better learned in reality than books. So, our school may look much different than most, but I pray God can use our opportunities to turn our kids' hearts toward Him and our family.

Finally, I have to show off the beautiful flowers I recently received from my sweety. Thanks Josh, I love you!

Hot, hot, hot!

2010-08-04T16:11:00.004-04:00

It is so HOT:

Time and temp says, "100 degrees".

Sam got a slip-n-slide for his birthday. (Oddly enough, my parents would not get me one of these but they got Sam one, and it clearly states on the box that I am too big.) Anyway, the kids had a blast, as you can see! A bonus is we have hydrants that use free pond water, so slide all day. (Note: cool water from bottom of pond, different than water mentioned below, though still somewhat nasty)

The pond feels warmer than body temperature, and so it is temporarily closed. Plus the warm temp seems to have cause some sort of green grossness to float in the water that even we don't want to wade into, except the dog. We have taken in the clean city pool though.

The puppy is too hot to tear things up, almost.

Farmer David has lost 500 turkeys in the last 24 hours, and the count is sure to rise before the relief predicted for Friday. Bad week to be a turkey farmer, as over 10,000 have been reported dead in our area already.

We eat no less that three freezer pops per day.

David put up square bales of hay yesterday, which I generally like to help with (driving of course), but this time I wouldn't even let the kids go say hi to the guys. Gave Eli something to watch out the window though.

I try not to complain though, since summer is my favorite time of year. Plus I hear it is much hotter in the Middle East!

We got to enjoy some heat in Tennessee this past weekend at an All God's Children picnic. (Our adoption agency). There were families from all over, as far as Connecticut and Texas. We got to see one travel buddy (Hi Belks!) and lots of cyber buddies. Though Eli has no concept of the special relationship he shares with many of the other kids, one day he will and we want to continue communicating and meeting with other ET adoption families. For pictures of the picnic, visit http://weloveourlucy.blogspot.com/

We spent two nights with Aunt Karen and Uncle Scott in Tennessee and the kids had a blast. They also have a very clean pool, plus 4 dogs, 3 or so cats, and a lawn mower for Eli to sit on.

Pure Joy

2010-07-30T00:21:00.004-04:00

That is what we are feeling this week. We are celebrating Sam's birthday, he's 6! He has his first loose tooth, a sure sign he really is getting older. We have had some fun family and friends down for visits and swimming.

But what really has us smiling is Sam's recent decision that he wants to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. Last Saturday night as we were reading the story of Joseph before bed Sam asked many questions about God and heaven. He knew many of the answers already, but he was ready to decide for himself what he believed. With a sweet child-like faith he prayed that the Lord would come into his heart, forgive his sins, and take him to Heaven someday. Their bedroom felt like holy ground, for indeed the Lord was there! Sam wants to be baptized soon too.

Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to our family. We are so excited to see the plans He has for Sam's life unfold.

Mister Eli

2010-07-20T16:13:00.003-04:00

While we were at the baseball game the other day one of the players (who happened to be African American) asked Eli where his mom was. We were walking together as a family, and no one else was near us, yet the player looked past us for someone to be Eli’s mom. Of course I smiled, patted Eli’s head, and said, “I’m right here.”

It left me unsettled, doubting we can help Eli establish his identity within our culture. I once read a book where a character commented to another, “You are black on the outside, but white on the inside.” He was insinuating the person was not really a part of the African community. Sometimes seeds of fear take root, and I think that is how we are raising Eli, and he won’t have a real sense of where he belongs.

Then God reminds me of the TRUTH. Eli belongs in His family, where the blood of Christ binds us all together.

We were having a time of family prayer the other day, at a rather serious moment. We gathered in a circle and held hands. After all of about 10 seconds, Eli began saying, “Ring Rosey”. When we ignored his attempt to make us spin around, he dropped hands and began spinning in circles by himself repeating, “Ring Rosey.” So cute!

Here's Eli sitting on a suitcase. We thought he wanted to go on the trip until he told us "Candyinit." He had spied the candy packed inside!

2010-07-19T23:12:00.003-04:00

We went to a local Triple A baseball game. The kids had a blast. Sam got picked to come on the field for a water balloon toss. After the game, they let all the little kids there come on the field to talk to the players and run the bases. We had a great time, particularly enjoying the food, as usual.

Sam getting an autograph.

After the game we taught Sam and Cora to sing “Take me out to the ballgame”. (Should have done this first, of course.) Cora keeps getting tricked up here:

“Take me out to the ballgame,
Take me out to the crowd.
Buy some peanut butter and jelly”

Thank you, Lord, for the simple pleasures we have in America. Thank you for granting our family a fun night together. May you be glorified everywhere that we go. Amen.

On this blog, http://www.talkissheep.blogspot.com/ I've been reading about one mom's missions trip to Ethiopia. She is there now, and her stories are both heart breaking and motivating. Her entries are long, but she is speaking for so many people who have no voice. Read for yourself...

And speaking of good blogs, this is a great one: http://www.drawnfromwater.org/

I've been following it for a while, and their stories of rescuing cursed Ethiopian children are so sad. Praise God people are willing to defend these children, but how many are lost?

More Fair Fun!

2010-07-17T23:37:00.003-04:00

Eli LOVED lemon-shake-ups! Who doesn't?

Sam showed a calf in Future 4-H. Our friends, Sarah and Caleb, let him show their heifer, Diamond. Sam took scratching her belly VERY seriously with the show stick! The judge wasn't actually judging them, he was just letting them get practice in the ring. The judge asked Sam if he had cattle at home, and he said NO! I guess he forgot about our bottle calf that we feed twice a day!

Showing cattle was my favorite 4-H project, and it was a real blessing to see Sam enjoy it too. But by far the best thing about my 4-H days was spending time with friends.

Fun at the Fair

2010-07-14T09:25:00.002-04:00

The Ausbrooks are officially a 4-H family! Sam took 4 projects to the fair, and showed a horse and calf for future 4-H. He is so proud of his ribbons, metal, and trophy. Not to mention how many lemonade shake-ups he drank! Its so good to be involved at the fair again, and see our kids enjoy it as much as we did.

Here he is with Angel, a neighbors horse. He led her one night and rode her the next. More pictures to come later...maybe!

VBS in review

2010-06-22T08:02:00.002-04:00

Our VBS is history now, but as usual it had a lasting impact. Teaching the 4 and 5 year olds is so fun. They believe everything you say, and you never know what they are going to say:) Cora was in my class this year (she's almost 4). And Sam has moved out of my class, which seems unreal.

Some of my favorite moments included when a little boy said, "God gave us church so we can learn about Jesus." This child's parents have reportedly been rude to his aunt and uncle, members of our church, about church attendance. Praise the Lord that they sent him to VBS, where he seemed to love church.

It was also a great blessing to have a little girl with special needs in our class. She is moderately mentally handicapped, and on top of that she is in foster care. Her wonderful foster parents are hoping to adopt her, but its a long road ahead. This sweety got little from the stories we told or the games we played, but the smile on her face said she knows God's love and joy. Seeing her sway and clap to the music of "Jesus Love is Sweet and Wonderful" reminded me that in heaven she will be made whole, and will Praise the Lord for the way he made her.

Of course, it always fun (and exhausting) to drive home with my kids. We sang the songs, and are still singing them. Each filled with Bible truths, being etched on their hearts.

Three kids got baptized at church Sunday. How exciting to see young people profess that Jesus is their Lord. In the middle of the baptisms, Sam whispered to Nana that he wanted to wear swim goggles when he get baptized. Maybe Pastor Jim can wear flippers!

And finally, a Bible illustration by Sam. He and Cora were in the backyard eating sunflower seeds (they eat the hull too, is that bad?). Sam asked if he could give some to the chickens, to which I said no. A few minutes later Sam came back, with a guilty look on his face. He said, "Mom, Cora told me to give the seeds to the chicken, and I did. Its just like Adam and Eve."

He's a Dandy!

2010-06-17T14:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Uncle David had to take a calf away from its inattentive mother so it can be bottle fed. He asked if the Ausbrooks crew would like to take care of it, and after half a second of thought we said yes! So the 3 week old bull calf is in one of the old barns, and he is so cute! I said, "He's a dandy." Sam said that Dandy should be his name, and it stuck.

Sam woke up early (which is rare) and wanted to go feed Dandy. I think Sam has been there 4 times today already. Cora loves him too, and Daisy swims in his water trough. Eli sits on the tractor that's also in the barn. Fun times:)

Right now Dandy has a sore leg, hopefully something that will heal on its own. He also has flies! Tomorrow we will get some fly spray and a brush for him.

We told the kids before we ever saw the calf that he would go to market to be made into beef when he gets big. This will no doubt be a lesson in God's plan for animals. It will also be a lesson in hard work, as I'm sure the kids won't always be so excited to get up early and go to the barn, especially on rainy days. And mommy is back to washing bottles again!

My new favorite picture

2010-06-05T14:06:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T22:37:00.005-04:00

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home alot and had family time. We also visited with friends and family. We worked in the garden, and fired up the grill a few times. We ate our first watermelon too!

It's hay season, and Eli acts as if he is watching a movie with all the tractors going by! My dad says the heat of summer is wrapped up in a haybale.

The Ausbrooks Boys

We went to two cemeteries on Monday. One is close to the farm, and we like to go to the service there even though we have no family there. The local VFW conducts a short flag raising ceremony, with taps and a gun salute to fallen soldiers. Sam and Cora were very interested, and Sam didn't ask to take any bones home:)

We went to the cemetery where my grandfather is buried. He was a WW2 veteran, and definitely part of the reason they are named the "Greatest Generation". He has been gone to heaven for 8 years now, and I still miss him every time we go to their house. He taught me how to garden, and we are passing it on. Pop was also quite a jokester, and he would have loved Sam. Some day, he will!

Also, at this cemetery is where we first saw the name Cora, and chose to name our daughter that. If Sam had been a girl, he would have been Cora first. And in case anyone wants to know, if Cora had been a boy her name would have been Isaac Gregory. Since we're on the subject, Eli's girl name would have been Eden.

Our mission this week: prepare for Vacation Bible School!

Hot summer days

2010-05-25T07:24:00.004-04:00

Summer has come! It is hot, humid, and hay is ready. We swam in the farm pond yesterday, and it was neat to see how Sam and Cora have grown since last swimming season. They are braver...except Sam kept asking about snapping turtles. I just told him, yes they are in here and always have been.

Here is what happens when Eli gets a bucket of water. He sticks his head right down in it, regardless of depth. He loves water in his face. It is TOO FUNNY!

Cora and Eli and I walked in the hay field after some was cut. It smells so good! They liked going in the long hay, its taller than them. I remember doing that too, and it seemed like a jungle.

Two turkeys evaded the trucks Sunday night, so Sam and Uncle David butchered them. I cleaned up the meat last night, and Sam wanted me to cook it right then. Its in the freezer though, and will be very tasty! The birds weighed over 40 pounds, and the legs are huge!

What's happening on the farm

2010-05-24T08:38:00.002-04:00

Here are some highlights from the past week, without pictures because I can't seem to remember the camera. Just trust me, the kids are still cute!

Cousins Hayli and Michael were here for the weekend. Michael is right between Sam and Cora, so they all play great. We had fun splashing in the pond and roasting smore's over the campfire.

Cora's eye has healed so well, praise the Lord. All the stitches have come out. The doctor said we need to keep it out of the sun...don't think that's realistic. But we are remembering sunscreen and hats.

The kids have been busy catching lightning bugs and toads. Josh and Sam went frog gigging once, but no luck.

We had 3 inches of rain in 45 minutes Friday night, and our county road was under water. My grandma, who has lived here for over 50 years, has never seen it that bad. Thankfully it all went down quickly. Many people got water in their basements, but no bad damage done. Our poor chickens got a wet house, but we've cleaned it up for them.

Daisy spent the night at the vet, getting "fixed". The kids cried because we left her there. I think she may have been the stinkiest dog ever left at the vets office. Doc told us she would be slow for a few days, but he underestimated her puppy power. A few hours later, she went over the my moms and drug one of her shoes home. That's the 4th shoe to come across the neighborhood.

Uncle David got a new tractor, and it has a passenger seat! I think it should be called an Eli seat. If we put his car seat in there, he'd probably ride all day. David loaded out two turkey barns last night (this has never happened before). They worked from 8pm until 5 in the morning! Once he wakes up, he will be mowing hay around our house, and I will take Eli on a ride.

Ethiopia had elections over the weekend, and it sounds like it was chaotic. We're praying it all settles down. Reading about it reminded me to be thankful for our right to vote.

13 years ago today Josh and I started dating! That should have been my first bullet point, huh? I was a sophomore in high school, he was a junior. Wow, how time flies. We were at a cookout, and amidst hot dogs, 4 wheeler rides, and hide and seek, God started the story of our family.

Have a blessed week!

A new baby

2010-05-17T08:24:00.002-04:00

I've neglected to post our family's exciting news...we are going to be an aunt and uncle again. My brother Mark and his wife Carina are expecting their second baby in December. We found out on Mother's Day, shortly after Cora's big fall. Their daughter Annika turns two in September, and she will be a wonderful big sister. My kids adore Annika, and we can't wait to meet the new cousin.

Why Dad is cooler than Mom

2010-05-16T22:03:00.002-04:00

Eli has been running a fever all day. He seems to feel fine, eats a ton like usual, but his eyes look droopy. When he woke up from his nap, he was hot again. I was preparing to give him Motrin and a healthy snack, maybe an apple. Before I could say anything, Daddy says, "Here Eli, want some smarties?" He perked right up at that offer.

What mother would give their sick child smarties? Dads get to be so much cooler than moms.

Now we have brushed Eli's teeth extra good, and we're praying he is all better tomorrow.

3 Little Monkeys

2010-05-13T22:21:00.004-04:00

Cora is doing very well with her bummed up eye. Thanks to everyone for praying. We had a follow-up with the eye surgeon, who said all looks great. Thankfully there was absolutely no damage to her actual eye/vision. And we were very pleased to learn that not only our health insurance will cover it, but also mom and dad's home owners will help too!

I do think Cora gave grandpa quite a scare though. We were over there this evening, and all the kids were playing like monkeys on the swing set and grandpa was a nervous wreck! He says they are all accidents waiting to happen. What I'd like to know is how Sam is the only one now who hasn't had stitches!

Sam is covered in poison ivy. He and Cora like to play in a grove of pine trees beside our house, but each summer there seems to be more poison ivy in there. Last week he was playing in there without a shirt on and actually came out swinging a long vine of poison ivy. Sure enough, he is now covered on his chest and arms. It doesn't seem to bother him too much though. Today he wanted to play in there so he put on long sleeves and pants, until he got too hot:)

Eli and Daisy have become pretty good buddies. One day I jokingly told him to ride Daisy, and he climbed right on. She just laid there and he thought it was hilarious. Now he does it every time he catches her laying down.

High and Tight

2010-05-11T09:16:00.004-04:00

While in Virginia with Nana and Papaw, Sam visited Quantico Marine Corp Base. On base, he got a "high and tight" hair cut, just like a marine. He is so proud, and its so cute!

Trips like this are a huge advantage of home schooling. He got to see and experience so many things, like black bears when they were hiking in Shenandoah National Park, homeless people, war memorials, funeral procession in Arlington, plus time with family.

Part of the reason for the trip was to show Jo and Neeltje around DC. Jo was a high school foreign exchange student in 1995/1996. He stayed with Josh's family, and he has been a part of the family ever since. We all love him very much, and thankfully, he likes to come here (about 6 visits now) and someday we will visit him in Holland. We all fell in love with Neeltje too, Jo's girlfriend. Sam really liked her, and wanted to go back with her:)

Here's Jo and Cora at Spring Mill State Park.

Cora is recovering well from her surgery. We were at the hospital for about 5 hours. She has stitches in her eyebrow, and then a bunch around her eye in a "C" shape. She did well with the anesthesia (though I was more nervous than I thought I'd be when they took her away). Once she finally woke up, she had a popsicle and we were on our way. Yesterday evening she complained of a lot of pain. This morning it looks very swollen and bruised, and she was very alarmed when she saw it in the mirror. We will go see the doctor tomorrow to have it checked out, and then the stitches are the dissolvable kind. Time will tell about scarring...

A BIG Shiner

2010-05-09T16:51:00.003-04:00

Cora had an accident at Grandma's this morning, while Josh and I were in Indy. She apparently pulled a shelf down on herself and something hit her eye. No one was in the room with her, so we're not sure what happened exactly, but this is what we see:

When we ask her what happened, she says the shelf fell all by its self. She's probably afraid she will be in trouble, so that's her story and she's sticking to it.

Grandma and Grandpa took her to our pediatrician, who did not want to do stitches herself because of the delicate skin around the eye. So we have an appointment at the hospital in the morning with a plastic surgeon. There is a cut on her eyebrow, and another cut that seems to go all along her eye lid and around to under her eye. She took a long nap this afternoon and is in very good spirits. Please pray for her and the doctor tomorrow.

Sam summed it up pretty good, "Cora, you look like a monster on Scooby Doo!"

Working the Polls

2010-05-06T08:03:00.003-04:00

I worked at our primary polling site this week. We have a small site, in a rural church. There are around 500 registered voters in our township, and we had 212 come vote. It was a loooonnngg day, from arriving at 5 to getting home at 9. I got to see lots of neighbors though and really enjoyed it.

One thing that was funny was an older woman who lives about a mile from us came in complaining about our road being rough and the county not fixing it. I said jokingly, "You ought to call your commissioner." She waved her hands and said, "He ain't no good!" The commissioner is my dad!!! She either wasn't sure who the commissioner is or she didn't make the family connection, which would be unlikely. Dad wasn't amused by the story. Of course, he has learned everyone thinks their county road needs the most work.

God blessed us with an evening shower the other day, and double rainbows. He's got our garden growing, minus the potatoes that the chickens dug up. Who knew chickens could do so much damage!

Sam is back home from vacation, and the house is back to loud, messy, and perfect!

Tough Choices

2010-04-30T22:41:00.004-04:00

A dream come true...only if mom lets you get something...which ours does not!

Sam is having a ball in DC. I hear he has seen the White House, the National Cathedral (which he informed me that our church and Grandma's church would fit inside), all the war monuments, Arlington, and more. Of course his favorite by far is the hotel swimming pool!

Tractor Addict

2010-04-28T15:35:00.000-04:00

Eli's Spring

2010-04-28T15:01:00.003-04:00

Here are some of Eli's favorites this spring:

Eli LOVES tractors, gators, lawn mowers, or anything with wheels above all else. If we are somewhere and a vehicle can be seen, he wants to be sitting on it the whole time. When a tractor or big truck goes by the house, he runs to the window and wants me to come look too.
He is a water baby with radar for the chicken water and dog water. We've had him to our farm beach twice to play in the sand, and both times he managed to get all wet...and have a great time doing it. He's my only child that seems to love water in his face, and the more the better.
He likes the dog, but calls her "No Daisy".
He does not like to be barefoot outside, but I'm working on it. I just don't give him a choice sometimes...that's life in our family. He walks on the grass now, but not rocks.
He is all about cuddling!

That last one is a miracle! Eli has been home 13 months now, and VERY few times has he ever laid his head on our shoulder. Josh and I have both noticed a change in him in the last few weeks. Its as if he has finally accepted us. He seems more settled, joyful, and definitely more touchy-feely. I never would have guessed it would take a baby over a year to truly bond with us, but it has. Eli doesn't take change well, and that has been evident in the little daily things, but on a bigger scale we see that it has taken him this long to truly give his heart to us. We are falling in love with him all over again too.

International adoption has taken some tough hits recently in the media, but we want to say that it WORKS! The truth is there are kids who need families, and families who need these kids, regardless of racial or government lines. God has called his people to take care of these kids, and we are so glad he gave Eli to us.

Imagine Eli in Ethiopia, in an orphanage or on the street, which is exactly where he would be...

never having ridden in a vehicle, which he enjoys so much
no clean water to bathe or even drink, much less play
feet calloused and cracked from never owning a pair of shoes
no one to cuddle

Imagine our family without Eli...I can't! Thankfully that was never God's plan for him or us. But there are so many other children longing for a family.

Adoption is hard, especially when the child holds back from you after all the waiting, but parenting is hard. We do it because we love our children, regardless of how they came to our family. Please remember that adoption is good, our family is proof!

(Sorry for lack of pictures, I am experiencing technical difficulties:)

Bone Collector

2010-04-27T07:55:00.003-04:00

This spring Sam has taken to collecting bones he finds. Most come from an area on the farm that used to be a compost pile years ago (sorry to gross anyone out). He's also found some in the woods, and Uncle David has given him some too. Sam tries to figure out what animal they are from and piece them together.

Recently Sam went with his Nana to the cemetery to place new flowers on her father's grave. As she was explaining what they were doing a light went off in Sam's head, dim as it was.

Is he buried right here. Yes.
You mean his bones are under here? Yes.
With eager anticipation...
Can we did them up and take them home to my bone collection?

Thank goodness he was with Nana, who isn't appalled by such little boy thoughts. Now we can teach proper cemetery etiquette before stepping near one again.

Sam has been gone a few days now, and it sure is quiet around here. Cora and Eli are getting spoiled with lots of attention. Daisy is looting the bone collection.

Pigs in a blanket

2010-04-23T08:59:00.003-04:00

We recently had a lazy morning, when all the kids ended up in our bed. This picture reminds me of the song:

There were 5 in the bed

and the little one said,

"Roll over, roll over."

So they all rolled over

and one fell out!

I guess Josh is the one that fell out, then took a picture.

We are really enjoying this spring, so much so that there's no time to blog. In an effort to please Nana and Papaw, I will try to do better.

Sam is going on a vacation with Nana and Papaw to Virginia/DC. He will be gone for 12 days!!! We never took a "spring break" so I guess this is it. They promise me it will be educational, although I don't really care. He gets to have fun with his grandparents, and I think at age 5 that is more important.

I am really looking forward to the break from school myself. There are many jobs I need to do around the house that I put off because phonics and math are more important. Is that a good excuse for a messy house?

Driving Miss Daisy Home

2010-03-30T05:47:00.002-04:00

Meet our newest family member: Daisy. She is a lab/beagle mix, about 3 months old, and cute as can be. She was found in our county along the side of the road with two sisters (dumped no doubt) and brought to the humane society. We had hoped to get a younger pup, but after 12 hours with her, she is little enough! Let's just say my garage may never smell the same, and I need to go buy new paper towel:( However, she seems to have a very loving and laid back personality, especially compared to our previous not-so-smart-or-calm dog.

Sam wanted to keep hold of the leash yesterday evening around the yard, but she kept getting away from him so we tied her to his belt loop! Cora is timid around animals, so she hasn't got too close yet. And Eli likes her except when she knocks him over and licks him. The chickens are scared to death, so we may not get many eggs for a while.

And it feels like a proper home now, being greeted with a tail wag just for stepping out the door.

Wisdom from Sam

2010-03-25T15:16:00.003-04:00

Sam has been practicing his handwriting a lot this week, and we have a ways to go. The other day he was getting frustrated when he asked me if he could be alone for a minute. I, of course, thought he was stalling. Instead he told me he wanted to pray about it. Why didn't I think of that???? So we prayed together and finished the writing session in much better moods. Now we have been praying before we start. We teach the kids to pray about everything, even the little stuff, and they do. Why don't we?

We've been having a fun week. Some cousins sent us some hand-me-downs, which was such a blessing and the kids loved trying it all on. We've also had two cousins visit for farm play days. There are many baby calves to see and the fishing is good too. Sam has discovered crawdads, and catching those is more fun than fishing.

Here is Eli last week at the park. He wasn't really big enough last fall to climb much, so he had a great time rediscovering the park. He went down this slide fast...and head first!

Eli Day

2010-03-13T22:09:00.006-05:00

We celebrated “Eli Day” today. March 13th is the day Eli came home and we were all together as a family! (Adopted kids get lots of special days…referral day, passed court day, gotcha day, homecoming day, readopt day, and even birthday.) We celebrated in a very unAusbrooks-like way by going to the city to eat and to the mall.

First we gathered the grandparents, Aunt Lyndsey, and cousin Callaway, and then we were on our way. We started at Cracker Barrel, which was delicious! Sam had shrimp, Cora had butter with a bit rolls, and Eli ate anything he could get.

Then off to the mall, for the primary purpose of visiting Build-A-Bear. Our kids have never done this before, so we had them pumped up. It seemed the Beverly Hillbillies had come to town! Unfortunately, as we walked through the mall to Build-A-Bear we first passed a candy store, of which Sam has never seen the likes and he may have gotten a cavity just looking.

Then the objects of our demise appeared just before we reached B-A-B: mechanical rides. We let the kids sit on them for a while, without putting money in (we weren’t that out of character). Eli was in heaven! Eventually we decided to move on so we pried them off the machines. Eli only whined at first. Once inside B-A-B he fussed more. Finally he all out through a fit as I was trying so hard to endear him to an animal. He threw each one on the floor, saying “NO”. Then we put him down and he made a dash for the door and the blasted mechanical rides!!!

So Sam and Cora had a great time making their new best friends and one for Eli, but he would have nothing to do with any of it. He was entertained out in the middle and each time they brought him into the store he cried, LOUD!

Cora made Hello Kitty. She picked a purple satin dress and glass slippers plus jammies and panties, of course. All evening she brushed it, changed its clothes and talked to it...that makes the trip worth it.

Sam made "Wolf Attack". He's a gray wolf, which Sam dressed in camo boxers, dessert camo clothes, and cowboy boots. He also growls ferociously. Before we left Sam said he wasn't that interested in stuffed animals...when we got there he took the longest of any kid in the store picking out his outfit! He definitely has a new sleeping buddy.

Overall, it was a special day. It reminded us that Eli is Eli. He doesn’t deal with change too well…kinda like his momma. He was perfectly happy when we got back home, and that is exactly where he belongs. It’s hard to believe he’s been here a year…some days seem like it was yesterday, others like forever. Sam thanked God for Eli tonight, and Cora said, “I love Eli in my heart.” He truly is such a blessing.

The kids played and played with their animals when we got home. This is how we found Eli when we last checked on him in bed…sleeping and loving his new horse, Red. (I knew he’d come around eventually.)

And we are already planning next year’s celebration…dinner at home with cake.

Sam's got wheels

2010-03-13T10:54:00.000-05:00

Sam has learned to ride his bike without training wheels this past week!!!! Its one of those things I thought, “How will we know how to teach him to ride a bike?” Well, he’s a 5 year old kid and seems to know exactly what to do. He prefers to wear helmet and knee pads, which is a good thing since he is good at riding but not so good at stopping. He hasn’t cried after any crashes yet…

We’ve had beautiful weather, so he wanted to ride first thing every morning. It was good incentive to get moving on school work so he could get out faster!

I haven’t gotten a picture of him yet because he’s too fast! Our road is hilly, but he can go from our house down two middle size hills before he reaches a hard hill to go up. So Cora and I have been running a shuttle service, or more like a bike lift. He goes all the way down, then we pick him up in the gator, haul him and bike back to the top and there he goes again. I warned him that this could not become a habit! I guess Josh or I need to get a bike to go with him now!

Happy Gotcha Day

2010-03-09T15:51:00.003-05:00

One year ago today we walked through the gates of Hannah's Hope to meet our son Eli. (Read all about it back in my posts last March). What a year it has been! Eli is funny, loud, loving, demanding, and definitely an Ausbrooks. We've been reminiscing about the trip this week, and the kids wore their Ethiopian outfits to church Sunday...can't believe they all still fit.

And where did February go?! Here are our highlights:

We had snow, snow, and more snow. Thankfully March has been BEAUTIFUL so far.
We celebrated my grandma's 88th birthday with lots of family.
Sam went bowling for the first time with the home school group. We also attended a fun Valentine party with the group.
Eli got scalped...I clip his hair, and went a little too short with the clippers. Interesting enough, I do this with his hair wet and it works great (as long as he has a sucker).
Sam and I helped move turkeys on a sunny cold day and made a snowman between truck loads.

Spring is just around the corner...although Sam insists it is already here!

Ausbrooks Rule of Cleanliness

2010-02-11T08:06:00.005-05:00

For every cleaning action there is a worse and opposite dirty action.

Evidence:

A recently mopped bathroom floor will soon be peed on. (Same principle applies to washed bedsheets)

An obscure worksheet thrown in the trash without being "hidden" will be found by the author, who will give you an accusing and pitiful look. Now you can throw nothing away.

If a rug is shook out, someone will come in the door who was just in the hayloft.

Vacuuming is an invitation for 1 or 10 saltine crackers to be smashed in the carpet.

If three children just washed their hair, one of them will quickly wipe butter on their head.

When you ask a five year old boy to change his underwear, he will look at you like you have grown a second head.

Here are my sweet little mess makers. Sam and Cora love to fill Eli's bed with stuffed animals (of which we have more than a few) and then they all cover each other up and giggle. I like it because they are all contained in one spot for a short while!

Thank you Lord for a comfy home for my family. Thank you for my children, who are healthy enough to be messy. Prepare my heart for the day when I no longer have small children to clean up after. Amen.

Nothing to crow about

2010-02-10T13:49:00.005-05:00

"Why don't chickens fly south for the winter?"

Our chickens are COLD! I have to go out there a few times a day to give them thawed water. That heated waterer at Rural King is starting to look like a bargain at $35.

Of course then I see David go by in his coveralls on the tractor and suddenly taking care of 7 chickens seems too easy. His face is so red it glows. The cows have to have hay...and water...and the turkeys need checked...and the list goes on. Thankfully, this year he worked it out so calving won't start until March. When that comes, he goes out a few times every night to check the herd. BRRR!

Cora went with me to the chickens yesterday. We took them some leftover popcorn. They LOVE any scraps, nonmeat nor dairy. In cold weather they slow down on laying, so we were surprised to see three eggs. Try as she might Cora could not pick up the eggs with her mittened hands. We stayed in the chicken house for about 10 minutes since it was out of the wind and a change of scenery from the house.

Church has been canceled for tonight. I think I would have gone even if we needed a tractor to get out:) Now we have to come up with some winter boredom busters for another night. Last night we did a favorite game: The Treasure Hunt

I make up a list of clues and place them around the house. Sometimes Sam has to read the key word, such as "Now go look under a rug." Or maybe they have to complete a rhyme, like "The next clue is not red, but it is hidden under Eli's ____." They really like to do these hunts with all the lights off and each of them use a flashlight. Eli gets so excited just following them all around. Usually the treasure is a snack.

Super Bowl Excitement

2010-02-04T13:53:00.003-05:00

We aren't huge football fans, but we always watch the play-offs. This Super Bowl is a can't lose for our family. We love the Colts, of course. Who doesn't appreciate Peyton Manning's arm? And ever since Coach Dungee was in Indy we have been bigger fans.

BUT, I was at Pudue during the Drew Brees years. PU football games were so fun, especially with him playing QB. I still like to watch him do well, so its great to see him in the Super Bowl too.

Sam and Cora think football games are too long. In fact Sam said, "Why do they have to be 100 minutes?" They just like the game snacks:)

A few good links

2010-01-30T14:49:00.002-05:00

I came across this blog of a missionary family in Haiti. They give an insider view of all that is happening. http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

A few years back some friends of ours told us about Family Man Ministries. It is a ministry for dads by a funny, insightful guy. Their family has a quiver full of kids and they home school too. We have been on their weekly email list for a while, and I thought some of you might like to read them too. Even though they are written for dads, I enjoy them also!

Here is a link to their website: http://www.familymanweb.com/

A special flag

2010-01-30T14:09:00.003-05:00

A high school classmate of Josh’s is in the Air Force and has been flying F16s for Operation Enduring Freedom. He recently sent us an American Flag with a certificate stating that the flag was flown with him in the cockpit during a Special Forces raid. How neat is that!!! Thank you Luke!

As God would have it, the flag arrived the same week we were teaching Sam the Pledge of Allegiance. Don’t you love it when He does things like that!

Lord, we pray for your protection over all our armed forces in foreign lands. You are there with them. We thank you for these brave people, and ask that their service will make more people free to learn about You. Amen.

Haiti Relief Project

2010-01-25T15:05:00.003-05:00

A church in our town collected items to send to Haiti. Included were wash clothes, hand towels, bar soap, nail clippers, toothbrushes, combs, and band aides. Sam and I went to help put items into baggies. Sam was very excited to help, and I think it made real to him some of the situation. He has seen very few pictures, but we have been praying for the people there and talking about earthquakes. Even though it was a very small project compared to the need, it was a big thing to Sam and a great example of being the hands of Christ. We can PRAY and we can DO something to help. We hope God will allow us many ministry opportunities to do with the kids, and many of them can be right here at home.

Our hearts break for the people of Haiti, especially the children. Praise the Lord for the adopted children that got to come home. Adoption paperwork does NOT move quickly, so God must have moved the hearts of many to speed things up.

The Library

2010-01-22T15:16:00.004-05:00

We go to our local library a lot. Its pretty small, but we know the librarians and there is a system that allows us to order books from many other Indiana libraries, so we love it. Sam has learned where different types of books he likes are, and he is VERY friendly to everyone (in a quiet voice of course).

Well, this week we (just Sam and I, for sake of the librarians:) decided to go to the neighboring town's larger library in search of kids audio books for an upcoming trip. We walked into the kids section, and it was as if lights shone down, angels sang, and my heart sped up.

CD's, audio books, DVD's, flashcards, and BOOKS!!!

I just didn't know where to look first. I was very amused to see that Sam felt the same way. We were there over an hour, and got at least 15 items. I can't wait to go back, and I'd secretly like to go without Sam!

Its so neat how our kids LOVE to read books. They crave information and good stories. Currently we are really enjoying Magic Tree House books. This is a series written by Mary Pope Osborn that explores many different science and social studies subjects through the eyes of two kids who travel in a magic tree house. We were able to get some of these on audio too, which makes trips much more enjoyable.

Here is Eli doing one of his favorite things, and yes the book is upside down...you have to start somewhere!

Something about libraries seem too good to be true. I guess its because we don't expect something for free...but it is!!! I may never buy a book again. Please, go to your local library and be inspired!!!

Calendar Time

2010-01-20T15:11:00.002-05:00

Mommy: What month is it Sam?

Samuel: Mmmm...Jaytember?

Nice try! He knows all the months pretty well, but reading January is not always an easy task. Calendar time is the best. It naturally teaches number and time concepts. We also get to countdown to special days. When I say its calendar time, even Eli goes to it:)

Wonder Lab

2010-01-19T21:31:00.005-05:00

On Martin Luther King Day Josh took us all to Bloomington to the "Wonder Lab". It is an awesome place filled with neat science stuff for kids. We all loved it. Sam's favorite was the bubble room, where there were all different sorts of bubble making contraptions. Cora liked the funny mirrors. There was even a fenced off area for little ones like Eli where he could do lots of neat things too, like hit drums and crawl through a mirrored tunnel. We highly recommend it for anyone in the area.

This week in school we are focusing on letter names. Somehow in the process of learning all the sounds and doing pretty well with phonics, Sam has forgot many letters' names. He knows sounds but not names. Today we wrote on the magnadoodle a lot, and tomorrow I think we will use shaving cream.

I got pretty frustrated with him today after having to tell him the letter "h" about 50 times. As soon as he sees my disappointment it gets 10 times harder for him to do work. If I give even a little encouragement, he tries harder. Aren't we all the same way? So tomorrow I promise to encourage. Hopefully we helped him tonight when we made a human "h". Who could forget that?!

Eli is a little under the weather with a sinus infection, and we had some vomit this morning...NOT FUN!! It was so sweet though to see how concerned Cora and Sam were for him.

We recently had our last post-placement visit with our social worker. She will file a report to be sent to ET on his progress. We met Belinda 2 years ago, when Eli was only a dream every night, and it was hard to tell her goodbye. Will we see her again...only God knows. Now we will file reports ourselves until Eli is 18...WOW. These reports are meant to show that adoption DOES work well for the children. They build good relationships between agencies and governments too.

Photos from Christmas Past

2010-01-17T13:38:00.007-05:00

I finally found time to put some Christmas photos on here...

Here are three camels getting ready for the church Christmas play. Sam is the camel on the left. The play was all on CD, and the kids just had to move their mouths...a great idea. The camels part was a rap song, and it was so cute! They were supposed to dance. The middle camel was quite the dancer, as you can tell. One line of the rap song went, "Its been a long time since we've gotten to eat. The guys on our backs say they got sore seats." Makes you think...the wise men must have been certain of what they were searching for, because they spent a long time on the journey and did not stop until they found God's Son. How about me, do I keep on the path to Jesus or get sidetracked? HMMMM...

And here is Miss Christmas herself! Her favorite gift was probably a stick horse and a flashlight.

Eli received an Ethiopian flag, which is proudly hanging on his wall.

And this is the beloved Daddy. No kidding, every morning the first thing all three kids will ask is "Where's daddy?" Eli has to go in our room to look for him, as if I'm lying that daddy went bye-bye. Its so sweet. Sam is very enamored with daddy right now, to the point of wanting their clothes to match and wanting to eat the exact same thing. Now, if only we can realize the great opportunities this gives us to shape him, for Daddy will not always be his hero...maybe Jesus can be though.

This Christmas we were able to make a few gifts for our loved ones, and its so much more fun to give something that you've put time into. We made a photo album for Eli, mostly with farm pictures, and he loves it. We made stick stars from sticks from our woods. We tied them with twine and they look rustic. Also, we used old barn wood from one of the farms barns, to make signs that read Gregory Farms. We gave these to my brother and dad with poems about the barn. Homemade gifts are fun...I'm already thinking about next year. I like to search for ideas online and then personalize them for our family.

Go Fish music

2010-01-16T15:10:00.001-05:00

The kids got two CD’s by the band “Go Fish” for Christmas. We LOVE them. I don’t know who likes them more, the kids or the parents. The songs are catchy and funny. I highly recommend them for the kids in your life. I think all their CDs are $5. Check out their website here…http://www.gofishguys.com/cms/

With no TV, we listen to a lot of music and dance. Eli’s dance moves consist of clapping, stomping one foot, and spinning around. Cora loves to dance in her swim suit…looks like July in our house while the snow is falling. I’m afraid her suit will be work out by summer, but its seen some good times anyway. Samuel has some pretty cool moves also.

Thanks Nana Joy for the perfect Christmas gifts!

Tall Tales

2010-01-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

We read a lot of books with the kids, but they LOVE for us to tell them stories. Josh and I often lack creative juices when they are begging for stories, but this week we had fun letting them help us with the stories.

First we told stories using numbers, from 1 to 20. One of the stories started with one barn, where there were two chickens arguing over three hay bales. We took turns with each number. Somewhere in the story there were boys and girls and popsicles in the hayloft. Even Cora helped with the story line, and it reinforced Sam’s number concepts.

Another way we included Sam in the story telling was to do an alphabet story. We started at A and went to Z. We had to use things that started with the next letter, and I was impressed at Sam’s ability on most sounds. This story had an Ape, of course, who loved to eat biscuits. He ended up at K-Mart and on it went. This was a fun way to liven up our stories.

Glow-in-the-Dark

2010-01-05T20:57:00.002-05:00

Sam and Cora got glow in the dark planets and stars for Christmas. We finally got around to hanging them up last night. They couldn't wait to go to bed and see them glow. Unfortunately, Cora also got a beloved Dora night light for Christmas, which she loves to turn on each night. After about 3 seconds of dark and admiring the stars, Cora wanted her night light. So we turned it on...no more stars. Sam was not having this! So began the STAR WARS, Ausbrook's style. The first night we ended up settling with leaving the door open just enough to still see the stars but not too dark. Tonight, I laid with Cora until she fell asleep. Tomorrow night, who knows? Like Josh said, we never thought of this!!! Is anything easy with children? NO! But we love them anyway:)

We are excited to usher in 2010. Josh and I both have some resolutions. Nothing I would post, as they probably won't happen, but I do love fresh beginnings. 2009 was HARD. Our emotions ran high waiting to bring Eli home in March. The months after he got home were a blur. The final 6 months of 09 were just difficult. Eli is tricky baby. He has specific likes and dislikes and loudly lets us know them. He also has extreme separation anxiety, even when mommy needs to go to the bathroom (even if its to eat chocolate). Homeschooling is fun, but also added extra stress as we find a routine.

So, here comes 2010. Pastor told us Sunday that the pattern of days, months, and seasons are God's way of reminding us that time is passing quickly. And it is! Difficult or not, I thank God for these days home with my little ones. Sam has learned so much and seems so grown up now. And as I laid with Cora tonight I remembered a year ago, when she first slept in a twin bed I could lay with her and not know she was there. Tonight, she was taking up over half the bed! My little girl will not always be:( And Eli, we used to tease about him never smiling (just his personality) but today I noticed he was all smiles as we were playing together. What a year it has been!

Lord, please let our family shine for You this year. Amen

A Christmas Surprise

2009-12-24T13:25:00.002-05:00

We are having a wonderful Christmas season. I can't seem to find time for blogging. Either there isn't anything too exciting, or its so exciting I can't get away...

We just want to share the good news that came in our Christmas Eve mail. We got Eli's Certificate of US citizenship!!!! We've been waiting a while, and kinda forgot about it (USCIS is not the most efficient government office, or is "efficient government office" an oxymoron?) Anyway, its a beautiful piece of paper declaring him a US citizen. In theory Eli became a US citizen when he landed here, but now we have documentation. And now we can get a birth certificate and social security number. Maybe the end of paperwork is in sight!?!

We can't wait to give the kids their gifts, but by far sharing Jesus birthday with our three children is our best gift this year. Merry Christmas!

Also, welcome home to two more Ethiopian Hoosiers, who have lived in the same home Eli was in. You can see Addi and Zek on their blogs.

One year ago...

2009-11-26T21:47:00.002-05:00

November 25, 2008 we received Eli's referral information. We were overjoyed last Thanksgiving to show his pictures to everyone (above), but this year was much better! Eli was at our big family Thanksgiving (25 people) and he got to show off, spill drinks, eat pie, put a kitchen towel in the toilet, and eat some more.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of family.

National Adoption Month

2009-11-24T21:33:00.000-05:00

November is National Adoption Month, and in November 2007 God used programming on the local Christian radio station about adoption to call us to adopt. In honor of this month, we are going to share a story from our adoption journey.

We sent out letters to many (about 200) friends and family about our adoption. We included photos of Eli (this was between referral and travel), info about Ethiopia, and cost of travel. We asked for prayer and donations for traveling. We were a little hesitant, not sure what others might think. The response we got was amazing. We were blessed with so many people giving words of encouragement and gifts. The first check we received in the mail said in the memo line “Bring Eli home”, and I cried. We soon knew that we had the support of many.

A few weeks after we sent out the letters, Josh’s grandmother passed away. While in Indy for the funeral, our van broke down and needed serious work…almost $2000. We were so bummed because that was about how much we had received in donations so far.

We came home in a borrowed vehicle and picked up our mail. While we had been out of town, we had received some more cards. One of them contained a check for $2000!!!! Josh and I both cried that time.

Adoption is a wonderful thing, and God truly does bless it. Our family is forever thankful to those who helped bring Eli home.

God is faithful, and He uses His children to bless one another. We tell this story also for one particular reader in a far off place. Thank YOU!

A visit to the ER

2009-11-21T14:14:00.005-05:00

We had our first visit to the ER for one of the kids...amazing it took this long. Eli fell into a piece of furniture and split his forehead open. It wasn't a huge cut, but it was gaping open. We weren't sure of it needed attention, but Josh was right to say we better check. Eli now has 4 stitches. He is no worse for the wear, of course.

Also this week, we went on a field trip to Corydon, the first Indiana state capitol. We've been doing a study on Indiana with the homeschool group, and this trip was the finale. We visited the OLD capitol building (built circa 1815), an equally old governor's house, a school for black children that was open from 1891-1950, and a 4th generation family owned/operated glass blowing business. Sam's favorite was the glass place, where we got to see a bowl being made. It was very neat, and a lot of fire was involved, hence Sam's interest.

My brother planted quite a few turnips in one of his hay fields this fall, and we've been feasting on them for over a month. Turnips are one of the foods you either love or hate, there's no in between. We've given them to every neighbor and friend who wants them. There were still many in the field, so this past week the kids helped pick a bunch for the local food bank. They had a ball doing this with Grandpa and Uncle David. Then Sam went with Grandpa to the food bank on distribution day. I explained to him what it was and how he could help. I don't think he was too much help, unless you count just being friendly with everyone. Hopefully when he gets older he can do more.

Each year our church participates in Operation Christmas Child. Families pack shoe boxes for needy children around the world, and the Gospel will be included in each box. I LOVE the ministry of Samaritan's Purse because they meet people's real needs and in the process reveal spiritual needs. Anyway, the kids and I delivered the boxes to a local collection center and we prayed the recipients. Sam was pretty impressed with all the boxes already there. Hopefully next year we can help more with this awesome ministry.

Talking Turkey

2009-11-18T10:46:00.005-05:00

This is our third year for making a Thanksgiving wall. The first year we did a tree with handprint leaves, last year we did a colorful turkey, and this year we did a white domestic turkey. Throughout November we add handprints and write things we are thankful for. It’s a great way to direct our conversation at supper on all the blessings from God.

Here are their Highnesses with our Thanksgiving Turkey!

We made a white turkey this year since that’s what we will eat at Thanksgiving, plus there are over 15,000 of them on the farm! Did you ever think much about farmers who raise turkeys? It’s a stinky job, literally. When they are pults (that means baby turkey) they are so cute. All kids love to play in the baby turkeys. The building is always warm, and water and feed are automatic. Then, they grow – fast.

Here is Sam with the new baby turkeys last week. In 18 weeks these will be lunch meat!

Big turkeys are ugly, stinky, and mean. Turkey manure reeks of ammonia and many farmers were masks just to breathe in the building and particularly when stirring up the manure. Also, big turkeys get mean. My farmer brother has waders that he wears in the big turkeys to protect his legs from pecking (he finally got these after too many cuts and bruises).

In spite of this, turkey farmers work hard to insure their birds are healthy and comfortable. A lot of time and expensive equipment are required. The meat produced by American turkey farmers is low fat and high protein. This Thanksgiving about 45 million turkeys will be eaten. However, over ½ of the turkey meat consumed is on a sandwich.

Did you know that wild turkeys were first suggested as the national bird? I think the switch to Eagle was wise, though wild turkeys are beautiful. Our family first started raising turkeys in 1956 (I wasn’t much help:). At that time, it was bronze turkeys raised out on the range. Over the years the switch to automated buildings has greatly increased efficiency. Also, the switch to white domestic turkeys came about because colored feathers leak onto the skin and consumers prefer the cleaner looking meat.

Now, as you enjoy your turkey next week you can tell your family a bit of turkey trivia and thank God for farmers!

'Tis the Season

2009-11-15T14:12:00.007-05:00

Deer season that is! Josh has been hunting with his family since he was a youth and has gotten many does and small bucks. His mom has claimed ownership of the biggest buck in the family, an 8 pointer. Yesterday was opening day of shotgun season, and Josh got the "Big Kahuna" as the family calls it. He shot an 11 point buck at dusk. The kids were so excited, and Josh was like a kid on Christmas. His Uncle Mickey shot a 10 pointer earlier in the day on the same land, so there will be lots of deer meat to enjoy this year. (We have many deer here in southern Indiana, just check the auto accident reports in the paper.) Now Sam is getting a deer anatomy lesson!

Josh's buck is unusual because his brow tines, the ones closest to his head, are long and curved. He will look majestic on our wall...I guess!? We believe God had this deer just for Josh. Earlier in the day Josh shot at a small buck and missed, and Josh RARELY misses. God must have misdirected that bullet, because you can only shoot one buck.

Then, just before Josh gave up for the day he saw this buck coming. He could see antlers, but not the size (good thing or he would have gotten too nervous to shoot). The buck was walking a distance away, and heading the other direction. Josh started making noises, rattling antlers together and grunting just to get its attention. He figured since time was running out he better do something. He made more noise than most hunters would, but the deer actually came his way, except he was to the side of Josh, who was in a small tree stand. Finally the deer got close enough and Josh had to shoot sideways. He got him with one shot, but the buck of course took off running.

By the time Josh got down and started tracking it, it was dark in the forest. Our family has shot many a deer and never tracked them down. They have a way of bedding down and dying in impossible places. This deer left very little blood trail, but the guys managed to find him in the dark with flashlights.

The kids and I prayed many times yesterday that the hunters would be safe and God would send deer to them. I am so thankful that God blessed Josh with this deer, not because Josh needed it, but because it was the desire of his heart. Every good and perfect gift comes from the father above.

FEEDING AMERICA

It is also harvest time. The Lord has given the farmers beautiful weather to work in for the past 2 weeks. Sam got to ride in the neighbors combine yesterday (I was jealous!). They were combing corn next to our farm. The farmers are working LONG hours to bring in the harvest, and our road is busy with grain trucks. The kids love watching the equipment go by, and they are learning where our food comes from.

Some sad news...our dog got hit on the road and killed. She was young, and somewhat annoying, yet I miss her. I am a dog person, but Josh is not. This is not good for our marriage, and maybe God knew this so he spared us further arguments. I can't help it though. I was raised with farm dogs and I just plain like them, even when they make a mess, lick my children, eat our eggs, steal entire pans of brownies, and continually smell like skunk.

We got interesting reactions from the kids upon telling them Maggie's fate. Cora cried and wanted held, and she remained sad for a few days. Sam on the other hand said, and I quote, "I bet she has flies all over her now!" Do you think this child has seen too many dead animals?

Living on a farm offers many opportunities to learn about the brevity of life. In the last three weeks, we lost two chickens to a fox and then one got sick and died. Of course there was the dog and the deer, and three possums who deserved their fate for stealing eggs.

BUT, the farm has tractors and that is Eli's only concern. He LOVES tractors and books. Coincidentally he only looks at his books that have tractors in them. For Christmas I am making him a photo album of farm pictures, mostly our tractors. Here is one photo of him on our old pedal tractor. He enjoys this toy, just ask Cora whom he bit when she tried to get on it!

We are doing a few other homemade gifts for the kids as well. Last year I bought Sam the toys he really wanted from Wally World, and he proceeded to never play with them. So we are trying a new approach. One is homemade marshmallow guns. Here is the pattern we are following, though we haven't done it yet. I think Josh is going to make 5 (he wants one too, which means I will have to armed as well:). We are also making these "I spy bottles". I have all the materials gathered and ready, but we are going to wrap those and let the kids actually put them together.

And here is Cora, because she's beautiful. Maggie, her lost friend was right there beside her this day, and now I wish I hadn't pushed her out of the way for the photo. Any guesses on when we might get another dog? I don't expect one under the Christmas tree...but I think I can convince Josh by spring. After all, he will have his deer in the house, but the dog will be outside.

Cowgirl and Indians

2009-11-03T09:01:00.002-05:00

Active Learning

2009-11-02T15:12:00.005-05:00

We do a lot of active learning around here, both because the kids don't sit still and its fun! Here are some of our recent hands-on learning.

We read a magazine article in Kids World News (a great resource that brings current events down to kid level and Biblical perspective) about Cash for Clunkers and gasoline and alternative fuels. Sam got out his remote control car and had to drive it all over the house to letters I laid out. He then had to name the letter and sound. Eli had to be corralled during this b/c he was like Godzilla attacking the car!

On Columbus Day (a little late, I know) we read about him, emphasizing that he felt he was a missionary. We also read a few of his prayers from his journal and the prayer they prayed at land. Then we got out a pan of water, three boats, and straws. Sam and Cora blew the boats all around. Again, Eli had to be taken elsewhere before an Eli hurricane drowned the Nine, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

The kids have been interested lately in cowboys and indians (yes, we are politically incorrect at this time). We got library books and read fiction and non-fiction stories. Then Sam chose to be an Indian for Halloween. We made his vest from scrap leather (one for Eli too). Then Sam went to the chicken house to pick out the nicest feathers for a headdress. A little paint on the face, and he was ready to go! He was very proud to make his costume. Cora, of course, was a cowgirl!

Each year we pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas child, and this year Sam helped. He and I shopped for items for another little boy, and everyone knows that is hard for a 5 year old!We counted the items, and made sure we included a little of everything. We watched videos showing how the boxes go all over the world. And we will pray for the child receiving our box until Christmas. Hopefully, through email they will let us know what country our box goes to also.

Homeschooling is such a blessing! Last week at our home school meeting someone said that the room full of families was a testament to many answered prayers. I had forgotten that for many years I prayed that we would be able to homeschool. God indeed answered my prayer, and I want to thank Him for it often.

Me v. Them

2009-10-30T16:22:00.003-04:00

This week has been a breakthrough for me. I realized that I have been starting every day on opposing teams as my kids, from the time I heard little feet coming down the fall. I felt like I had my agenda and their goal was to mess it up. We were fighting on the front lines everywhere...the bathroom, breakfast choices, clothes, toys. By noon I was defeated and resented the kids. I was NO fun, and they were suffering.

As soon as I really realized my bad attitude, I repented and prayed for the kids. Prayed specifically for each of them and my interactions with them. This is another area I was slacking. This week has been so much better. We actually haven't gotten a lot of school work done this week, for a variety of reasons. However, I think our hearts are in much better shape this week, and thats the most important thing.

Sam has recently been learning the fruits of the Spirit, which is great because I get to learn them too. I missed out on a lot of Bible learning growing up, so now I get to do it with him. We recite the fruits of the Spirit each day, and now when I say them I think of specific ways to show each fruit to my kids.

I am so glad God is forgiving and so are kids. My agenda has been changed to put them first, afterall they are my "job". And I love being home with them each day, even if we still have moments on opposing sides. I think all moms get in a rut now and then, right?

Sam is likely going to ride a horse for future 4-H next year at the fair. A neighbor that loves horses has offered to take him under her wing. He really enjoyed his first ride. He rode a pony named Nickelfritz. Although I must say Cora was the biggest fan and the pony liked her hair.

That brings me to another tale...Cora cut her own hair for the first time. Actually, she evened it up from the time dad cut gum out! Note: Its better to get gum out with butter.

I have lots of cute pictures of the kids, including Eli in a red cowboy hat (he wears it all over the house and brings us boots to put on his feet even though he can't walk in them) and going on his first hay ride. We also got shots playing in leaves, carving pumpkins, and riding horses. However, my computer takes 10 minutes to load one photo...so it'll have to wait!

My apologies...

2009-10-23T21:32:00.004-04:00

...to the chickens. As it turns out, Mr. Possum was the one who was breaking all those eggs. Josh saw him in the chicken house last Saturday night, Sam set the trap Sunday, and the following morning there he was. The bait? Egg of course. Now if only the fox in our neighborhood would stop eating the chickens, a much bigger problem. That fox had better watch his step...never know when a trap will be waiting for him.

BTW, possums always look cute in kids story books, but actually they are hideous. Cora just stared at it wide eyed as it hissed at us. I think it scared her because she wouldn't go in the chicken house for a few days.

Meat on the Table

2009-10-12T12:24:00.004-04:00

Last weekend Josh shot a big doe with his bow and arrow here on the farm. He was only in the woods 30 minutes before this beauty came by! Sam wasn't home, but Cora couldn't wait to go see it, and Eli is always ready for a Gator ride in the woods. Cora said she was going to help daddy and get blood on her, but when she got up close to the deer she wasn't so sure.

I was not raised in a hunting family, probably because we had enough animals on the farm and didn't need to go looking for meat. Josh's family loves to hunt though, and it really is exciting when they all get together and plan for the season. I look forward to the kids learning this tradition as well as learning about forestry, wildlife, and conservation.

In other news...

We recently had a yard sale where I teared up to see my baby's clothes going out the door. I am happy to have empty totes and shelf space though.

At the homeschool group meeting last week, Sam had fun with his new friends while they learned about Indiana. And I REALLY enjoyed getting to know the other moms more.

Our chickens have a BAD habit of eating the eggs!!! Unless we pick them up early afternoon, they are gone.

We had a cook-out in honor of our niece, Braylynn, who was stillborn two years ago. This was her angelversary. It is amazing how her short life inside her mama changed our family. We value each other more, and cherish times spent together. We also know we have a very special little girl we don't get to meet until heaven. I took the kids to her grave where we talked about her, life, death, and heaven. I could see in Sam's eyes that heaven was becoming more real to him...another blessing from Braylynn.

We had a revival at church this weekend, and it was a blessings. I only got to hear one sermon (Eli is anti-nursery) and it was titled, "No mercy, No marriage". Sure got me to thinking, who better to minister to than my husband?

Speaking of the nursery, Eli does NOT like it. And I have to say that though I get tired of being in there, I really love all the little ones so its kinda fun. Also, a secret part of me LOVES that Eli wants us. He can be a demanding baby, but he's mine! Also, he has become quite the daddy's boy. Daddy is his favorite word and I hear it many times a day, especially if he sees anything belonging to Josh or a photo or if the kids say daddy or if the phone rings...you get the picture. As soon as Josh is home Eli is on him, and Josh loves it! What a difference a year can make. This time last year we were still on the waiting list.

Overheard

2009-10-06T13:39:00.002-04:00

Overheard by the cow pasture,

Cora to cow: Come here. It's okay, don't be afraid. I'm not a power ranger, I'm just a girl.

Overheard in the kitchen,

Sam to Cora: Hey, Cora, lets put towels in our undies and be sumo wrestlers.

(Note: There are no pictures of the sumo wrestlers because I'm too busy washing all my dish towels!)

Johnny Appleseed

2009-09-30T07:39:00.003-04:00

September has flown by! Eli is a full fledged walker now, and its so cute...even if means my baby is growing up. He holds his hands up in the air to balance himself, unless he has a sippy cup in his hand, which he won't put down even when he falls. He also loves to give kisses with big lip smacks. His personality is really coming out, and I think after 6 months home I can say we are all 100% adjusted.

Cora has taken up two professions: cowgirl and dancer. She LOVES to dress up, especially shoes. Last night she said a long prayer before bed, and we couldn't understand a word of it as she mumbled, but we heard Jesus a couple times. I had to smile thinking God knew exactly what she was saying to him.

Sam is enjoying school most of the time. I have to be excited and creative to keep him interested. Many nights after they go to bed I am up making plans for the next day...I really feel like I have a new job! Last week we had our first group study with the homeschool group. We are doing a study about Indiana, with each mom taking turns teaching different topics each week. At the end we are taking a field trip to Corydon, the first state capital.

Nana and Papaw are at Yellowstone right now, so we've been looking at US maps and learning about the animals they are seeing. Its neat how topics come up, such as this, and we can use it for many subjects. It really helps him learn if he's actually interested in the topic. Today we are going to measure length and weight of moose antlers and try to walk with something similar on our head, paint moose using our hand prints as antlers, discuss Indian names (which the word moose comes from), pollute a bucket of water to see how it hurts animal habitats, and read a fiction and non-fiction moose book. Now maybe next time Nana and Papaw will take us along:)

Here is Sam as Johnny Appleseed. After our visit to the apple orchard we did many activities with apples, and Sam really liked the Johnny Appleseed books so he dressed up and took the seeds from the apples we ate and planted them around our yard!

Sam's theology

2009-09-22T13:10:00.002-04:00

Sam has started asking deeper questions about many of the Bible stories he already knows. He has also recently moved up a class in Sunday School, and they are learning more Biblical truths. The other night, as he was procrastinating going to bed, we were talking about his Sunday School lesson. He talked about Adam and Eve eating the fruit. I told him that the snake was really Satan, which he also recently learned about. I said that satan doesn't like God and didn't want Adam and Eve to listen to God, and he doesn't want us to listen to God either so he tricks us. He asked if Satan was here, in our house. I didn't know what to say, so I said I hope not and we can pray that He stays away. Sam said very flatly, "Well, I'll get my pistol."

Maybe he's heard Pastor Jim's saying about being excited enough to charge Hell with a water pistol....

Later in the conversation we talked about heaven, and how every time in the Bible someone saw God in heaven they bowed down because God is so great. Sam said, "Mom, I might forget to bow down because I'm just a little kid. If me and you die at the same time, you have to remind me to bow down okay?"

It is amazing how much better I understand God's Word when I explain it to the kids, but also see it through their eyes. And what an awesome and humbling experience to get to teach my children about the Lord.

Field Trips!

2009-09-15T20:10:00.002-04:00

Sam has decided that the best thing about home school is field trips...and I almost agree. What better way to learn something than to see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, and feel it?

We are blessed in southern Indiana with lots of interesting places to visit. Last week we packed up the van, picked up Nana and cousin Callaway, and headed to the White River Valley Antique Tractor Show. Fortunately for Eli there were lots of tractors, and for the rest of us there was so much more. We saw horses harvesting crops, steam engines, log cabins, people making apple butter and cider. We also saw donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, miniature horses, and rabbits. We tasted pork rinds, kettle corn, homemade root beer, homemade ice cream, and sorghum. We even saw a cowboy show with a stage coach robbery. Sam's favorite part was seeing "George Washington", who looked more like the president than the picture on the money I had before buying all that good food. And BTW, home school families got in FREE:)

This week our trip was to Apple Acres, an apple orchard and store. We picked our own apples, plus got some apple cider and apple butter. Sam had a cider slushy too. Tonight we made an apple crisp and read about Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman.

Happy Ethiopian New Year

2009-09-11T07:04:00.003-04:00

We've been learning about ET all week, and Sam has really enjoyed it. He fingerpainted an ET flag, cut out an Africa shape, and colored an Ethiopia map. On the map we glued salt in the north where there are salt plains and coffee in the south where coffee trees grow wild. Did you know many believe coffee originated in ET from the region previous known as Kafa? We also put a star on Addis Ababa, the capital city and birthcity of our Eli. This week we also looked at all our souvenirs, pictures, Birr (ET money), and practiced writing Amharic.

September 11 on our calendar is Ethiopia's New Year's Day. It marks the end of the rainy season there, so they have much to celebrate. We celebrated last night with a "traditional" ET meal. Actually, it was a loose Ausbrooks version, but pretty good for Martin County! We used soft taco shells instead of injera, the traditional ET bread, to pick up our food, which included steak pieces, BBQ chicken, hard boiled eggs, and cheese. We spread the food on our ET basket and all shared. The best part is...no dishes to wash! Sam and Cora wore their ET outfits, and ate quite a bit. We all had coffee to drink. Cora would not drink hers, which was in a sippy cup, but Eli LOVED it. He is always begging for coffee from Josh. Surprisingly, I was the one up all night and Eli slept like, well, a baby!

Prior to our adoption we committed to teach our child about his birth country. I was a little uncertain how we would be able to do that, but I'm learning that its not just for him, its for our whole family. And its FUN! Becoming an international family has made us aware of just how big God's world is. It has also given us compassion for a group of people we don't even know. How wonderful it is to hear Sam praying that people in ET have enough food.

Happy Enkutatash and God bless Ethiopia in their new year.

Sweet Reunion

2009-09-08T13:40:00.003-04:00

We were very blessed this past weekend to be able to fellowship with three other families who have adopted from AGCI in recent months. We met two sweet baby boys (both named Silas!) who were at HH when we got Eli. We also met two beautiful twin girls who now make Indianapolis their home. The miracle of adoption is never more evident than when you see how each child seems hand picked by God for their forever family.

Here is the group of Ethiopians, and what a cute group it is! To see more pictures, hop on over to Troy or Tisha's blogs, and Angie's family was there too.

Sam was quite surprised, as was I, to hear Hanna and Chloe speaking Amharic. He exclaimed, "What are they saying?!"

Ethiopia uses a different calendar than we do, and they celebrate their New Year on September 11. So this week we are studying ET and decorating for the holiday. We hope to have a special meal on Thursday, as we have another activity planned Friday. Hopefully pictures will come later this week:)

Photo shoot

2009-09-04T22:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we had great local photographer come and take pics of the kids. Leah does this as a side job, and I think she is very talented. Our kids did great for her, and she did even better capturing their personalities. We put of doing pictures of Eli for waaaay too long, but I'm so glad we chose to have Leah come to the farm.

Here are some of our photos on her blog.

Aren't they too cute!

Alphabet wall

2009-09-04T07:51:00.005-04:00

Last spring Sam started making letters to put up on his wall, and we have finally finished it! We tried to do something unique with each letter, such as the purple P with popcorn glued on, the E with a picture of Eli on it, and the O finger painted orange. We had fun, and now he has a great visual aid.

Here a picture of part of it.

Have a blessed day!

Exploring Nature

2009-09-02T08:02:00.005-04:00

This week Sam made nature letters. We walked around the yard collecting various nature items, then he sat on the front porch and made each letter of the alphabet with the items. It was fun, and definitely too beautiful to stay inside. Above is an "N" of flower stems and chicken feather. (Speaking of chickens, our young hens started laying this week, and their little eggs are so cute! Maybe I'll post a pic.)

Last night Sam and Josh went squirrel hunting. The last time Sam went along, he talked the whole time and they didn't get anything. So next time Josh went without him and got two. We explained to Sam that he HAD to be quiet, and Josh said he did great this time. They didn't see anything for a while so they prayed and less than five minutes later they got one. They also thanked God right away. Josh's actions and words have a huge impact on Sam, so I'm so glad he lives out his faith in all areas.

We can also add squirrel anatomy to our science curriculum. I knew we were in trouble when Sam yelled to Cora (who loved to pet the squirrel), "Hurry Cora, he's about to cut the tail off!" Now we have squirrel in the frindge, and don't ask me who is going to cook that. I also hope our readers know that we are PETA members...People Eating Tasty Animals.

Go Boilers!

We are having beautiful fall weather this week, and Eli looks so grown up in a sweatshirt. He even wore shoe last night, which he does not like. Cora got so tickled when she saw Eli in shoes. He has quit walking solo, deciding its quicker to crawl I guess. In shoes, he hardly even stands up. I guess its time to start using them more so he can get used to it...better start getting ready to go 5 minutes sooner with another pair of shoes to put on. Eli curls his toes tight when I put them on him, so I have to unlace all the way, set his foot in, hold it flat tightly while lacing, and wrestle to keep him still. Better make it 10 minutes earlier!

A story from Ethiopia

2009-08-28T07:47:00.003-04:00

I received this email from our pastor's brother, who works for Cure International. It is a testimonial he received from a staff person in Ethiopia. I do not know much about their organization, but I am going to research it a bit. Here is their website:
www.cureinternational.org

I deleted the last names, and did not include the three pictures. But they are a beautiful Ethiopian family, and little baby Danial had a cleft lip. He may be very close in age to Eli, and certainly has the same big brown eyes. Praise the Lord for his laborers in ET!

Deriba and Astedu came to CURE hospital with their six month old baby with a great hope that their son Daniel would have a chance to be like one of the boys on the posters of CURE Deriba saw in their nearby town Sheno.

It was after surgery I talked with them while their face was happy and looked excited. I asked them about their experiences and the impact of the surgery brought to their lives. Deriba, the father was willing to tell me their story. Here is how he tells it.

I am the youngest from the family of nine children and all my brothers (5 of them) have been married. After our parents died there was no one for me to look for a wife and I was busy on the family farm land. My brothers arranged my marriage and I got married to Askale. After some time we knew that she was pregnant and we started to hope for the experience of being a father and mother.

Our home is far from town and we live in our family farm land a bit isolated from other villages. We are like a little village living as a big family together with my elder brothers. There is no clinic or health post in the area. For every need we need to walk for three hours to reach the nearby town. When my wife's delivery time came and her labor started we (my brothers and I) started walking to town carrying my wife with a small wooden bed. When her pain became stronger we couldn't go further instead left my wife for the women with us to help her on delivery. It was day time on plain grass land. Miraculously a health worker passing by came to us and helped my wife.

After the birth there were no shouts of joy, "Eleleta". I hear the baby crying but no smile was coming from my brother's wives. My wife and our relatives hid the child from me. They said "don't come near to her." We went back home and I was not able to see the baby. After a month accidentally, I was able to see his face. That moment I was devastated. I never saw a condition like that. I was depressed; crying like a little child as if he is dead. Knowing my discovery, my wife said the health worker told her this kind of thing happens and the baby can live with it, but I didn't believe it at all. Day and night I was thinking that "what kind of curse or spell is upon us?" My brother's family was also talking about my wife bringing curse and sin to our house and to the whole family.

Deriba continued to tell the story how he came to know about CURE. As he told me that he saw the CURE poster when he went to town to bring some items for home. It was the very hopeful moment for him; he copied the telephone numbers and called to the CURE hospital. He Came to the hospital on the appointment day with his family.

Deariba says he can't wait to go back to his village. He is overjoyed. His wife, though she is so quiet says that God visited them through CURE. After Deriba told me his experience and we praise God together when he received Jesus with his wife. He prayed with me and thanked God for what is done into his life. We are hopeful that Deriba's family village will be transformed by the love of God.

Note: "Elelta" is a cultural way of expressing with shouts of joy. Semitic origin

Birthday Date

2009-08-28T07:10:00.003-04:00

Today is Cora's 3rd birthday. Last night Josh took her out on a date. She has been looking forward to it for a few weeks. Yesterday we painted her toes and put on lotion. She picked out her dress and wore a gold necklace. She was so excited but she acted shy around Josh. She's such a girly girl. They went to Applebees, a park, Wallyworld, and McDs for ice cream. Unfortunately she started feeling bad about half way through the night, and she was sick by bedtime. Still, she had a special time with her daddy. I hope this becomes a tradition for them.

Today we are having a princess birthday party with family and a few friends...assuming the yuckiness has passed!

Thank you, Lord, for bringing Cora to our family. Help her to become a princess of the King. Bless her this day, and in the year to come. Amen

School Kick-Off

2009-08-26T07:50:00.002-04:00

Our home school group had a back to school kick-off last Friday. We met at a local park and everyone brought snacks to share. Some families also brought activities for the kids. There was face painting, cupcake decorating, and homemade ice cream. There are about 10 kindergarten/1st grade boys, and Sam is getting to know them. Boys bond quickly over sticks and rocks.

I'm so thankful we have an active homeschool group because Sam has already expressed a desire to go to school like all his friends at church. He is sure he's missing out on something when he hears them talk about going to school and recess. The home school group meets every week, and I think that will help as a way to play with other kids.

Sam wants to learn how to read, but I told him he has to learn all his letters first. We are trying real hard this week, but letter H trips him up everytime!

Litter Patrol

2009-08-21T10:37:00.002-04:00

After supper last night we did a little family community service project. Josh drove the gator while the rest of us walked (Eli was in the stroller) and we picked up trash along our county road for about a mile. Before we started we talked about litter and how it was bad for the environment. It was a beautiful evening to be outside, and the kids were as excited as if it had been an Easter Egg hunt! They walked farther than they usually do because they didn't want to miss anything. Sam was grossed out by two diapers we found, and Cora was very interested in the full Mt Dew bottle until we said it might NOT be Mt Dew.

At the end of the trail was my brother's house, where we were rewarded with Debbie Cakes and a new litter of barn kittens. It was a fun evening, just as I remember it was when I used to clean up this same stretch of road with my grandparents.

School is in session!

2009-08-18T21:43:00.003-04:00

Ausbrooks Family Homeschool has started for the year. Sam is excited, and so are Josh and I. This week we are working on letter recognition and calendar concepts and getting into a routine. Today we played a counting game with a deck of cards and chocolate chips...my kind of math!

Here he is on his first day of kindergarten. He made an "All about me" paper, which will be kept for future reminiscing. Cora made one as well, and I told her she is in preschool. She likes to work right along side of him, so I have to have materials ready for her too.

For those unfamiliar with homeschooling, laws vary by state, with Indiana's being fairly lenient. We will keep attendance, which must be 180 days per year, but its very unlikely we will ever have to turn that in. I am using the Indiana State Academic Standards for Kindergarten to set our goals. We did not buy a curriculum, since I've taught kindergarten before I think we can use a variety of materials available at local stores. The social studies and math standards will be very easy for Sam. I am nervous about teaching him to read, but I think he will pick it up quickly. We are using a devotion book as well, plus the themes his church classes are using.

Electric Bill

2009-08-14T21:17:00.004-04:00

After reading an article in a magazine while sitting in a waiting room this week, I've been determined to lower our electric bill by a few simple steps.

This morning I washed and vacuumed behind the refrigerator and also vacuumed out the dryer lent vent. I had no idea how much stuff was accumulating down in my dryer, and its a wonder it still worked at all! I actually found a tooth brush down there...and I know I didn't wash and dry it, so little hands were guilty. Eli HATES the vacuum, so when I did these chores he cried big crocodile tears that quit as soon as I turned it off.

Also, I've been turning off the computer at night AND turning off the power strip, which I didn't know was helpful. We've raised our thermostat a bit and are using ceiling fans more when we are in a room.

Next on the list is changing the AC filter and defrosting the deep freeze. Every little bit helps! Now, how will we spend all this saved money? Did I mention that we had our first homeschool group meeting today, and that I went to the going-out-of-business teacher store? I'm so excited to get started...hopefully Sam is too!

We were able to go to the GREAT Indiana State Fair last weekend, and it was soooo great (and hot)! This was a last minute visit, and only lasted about 5 hours, but with 3 kids @ 92 degrees it was long enough. A nice 4-Her let Sam give her hog a treat, a rice cake! Josh and I showed hogs and cattle at the State Fair, and our hogs were never so spoiled! . Eli loved all the tractors, and each time one of the tractor/wagons went by he clapped. We hope our kids will love showing livestock like we did, then we will have lots more days at the state fair.

Learning Letters

2009-08-13T21:53:00.002-04:00

We played the popular "Fly-Swatter" game today. Haven't heard of it? Well, it goes like this:

Choose a concept the kids are learning, in today's case it was letters, and find some concrete examples. We used magnet letters today. Spread the materials out on the floor for maximum enjoyment, but it you have an "Eli" around you might have to use the table. Then give the kids a flyswatter or two. Yell a letter name and they have to quickly swat it. Cora only knows the letter C, so I yelled out colors for her. We had a blast, and learned too.

This game is great for numbers, sight words, shapes, you name it. I got a good feel for Sam's receptive letters, but I wanted to know how many he could name as well, so I let him yell letters for me to swat. He thought that was great fun too, and I got to know what he letters he really knows.

We haven't offically started school, but Sam is ready to. This was a practice day, and we had a great time.

Happy Birthday Eli

2009-08-11T20:39:00.004-04:00

Here is Eli one year ago:

WOW, Eli is 1 already. It's just not fair how fast a year goes when you start at 7 months! Eli's birthday was last week, and he really enjoyed all the attention. We started out the morning with me and the kids rushing into his room and singing Happy Birthday. He was all smiles and claps. Here he is first thing in the morning opening (actually Sam and Cora opening) his presents because Sam and Cora couldn't wait. He clapped for his new truck.

We had a family reunion the evening of his birthday, so there were lots of people to wish him happy birthday. Some brought balloons and gifts, so he was really happy. We had a cake and sang to him as well, while he clapped along. While everyone was singing to him, overwhelming sadness for one year ago and extreme happiness for now hit me all at once. I hadn't cried all day until then, when I was standing in front of all Josh's family holding him. I think if I had been at home, I could have balled for hours.

A few weeks ago, I would have said Eli was a very fussy baby. After discovering an ear infection and taking antibiotics, I say he is a...fun baby! What a difference a few weeks has made. Eli has been cracking us up with new tricks lately. And just today he took his first steps. He can take two steps and then fall, over and over. He knows exactly what he is doing, and I'm sure tomorrow he will practice many more times. It won't be long until he's running!

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of adoption and the gift of Eli. Help us to always remember he is Your child, and you have a special plan for his life. Amen.

Beach Bums

2009-08-05T15:30:00.004-04:00

Here we are at our farm pond, turned summer beach. The kids LOVE it, just as I did when I was little. We haven't gotten to swim as much this year do to odd weather and a little baby who likes to eat sand:)

Friends and family either love to join us or wouldn't dare. Would you like to swim with us, and the fish, turtles, frogs, and - shhh - snakes?

Happy Birthday Sam

2009-08-03T12:59:00.004-04:00

Sam turned 5 last Thursday. We stretched out his birthday by having a party with one side of the family Wednesday, a friend down on Thursday plus the other side of the family party, and two friends down on Friday. His favorite present was a scooter I bought at a yard sale! And yes, I am that cheap...I mean, frugal! He even asked me where I got it, and I said somewhere nice. He exclaimed, "You mean Wal-Mart!"

Eli's birthday is this week. I can't believe that! When you start at 7 months, time flies by. He's loosing that baby look with all 7 of his teeth showing. July was very rough with Eli, and we now know that he had an ear infection. He is still cutting teeth too, which seem to really bother him. Anyway, he is a different baby now that he's had medicine, and we are so thankful he feels better.

Last week, we were blessed to have a family from church offer to take Sam and Cora with them for a day at a state park after church. They knew Eli had been sick, and we were just plain worn out. It was WONDERFUL! We had a whole afternoon to relax/do odd jobs. Eli took a 4 hour nap since the house was so quiet. And Sam and Cora had a blast with their friends. It reminded me that there are so many small things we can do for others to bless them. I am now on the lookout for ways to bless our church family, will you join me?

We also had the pleasure of swapping babysitting with another church family. They kept our three kids one Friday night in June so Josh and I could have a date. Then we kept their two kids (yes we got the better deal:) last week for a night so they could go out. The kids have a great time, and mom and dad don't have to feel rushed. Best of all...no paying a babysitter at the end of the night!

I am in the midst of some major house cleaning to clear spots for school stuff, so its back to cleaning I go!

Proud to be Ethiopian American

2009-07-27T13:57:00.003-04:00

We went to the annual 4th of July Parade in our county. It is small, but the kids love it. Sam and Cora loved the candy of course. Eli clapped at the loud firetrucks and the band, and he said "vroom, vroom" at all the tractors.

I am very patriotic, I get it from my dad. I almost always tear up at the parade and often at events during the national anthem. This year, as I was watching Eli at the parade, decked out in his red, white, and blue, I really had a hard time. I felt joy for the opportunities he now has in America. I felt great sadness for all the children on the streets in Ethiopia. As we were celebrating on the street, in Ethiopia children were being abandoned on the street, dirt streets that are littered with trash and housing sick and poor people.

Will Eli ever go back there? How will he feel? I hope he is proud to Ethiopian and American. God has truly worked a miracle in bringing our family together. I pray he works miracles for many more Ethiopian children. I also pray that many of the Ethiopian Americans will use their great opportunities to serve their native country.

Growing boy

2009-07-22T12:52:00.003-04:00

August is right around the corner, which means kids will start school. We have long discussed homeschooling the kids, but now that the time is near I am nervous. It seems like an overwhelming responsibility. I recently downloaded the Indiana academic standards for Kindergarten and am reviewing them. I think I can handle it, and more importantly, I know Sam can handle it. Its just the idea that we will be officallially doing it that gets to me. Thankfully, I know that this is God's plan for us so He will see us through.

Two people have commented this week on how grown up Sam seems now. I have to agree, and I am glad that he is entering a new phase with less karate moves, but I am sad to see the preschool years ending. Here is one of my favorite pictures from vacation. It is Sam fishing by his Papaw. They only caught two fish that evening, but Sam did not give up. Sam's great-grandparents, Papaw, and Daddy used to visit this park. This time we had 4 generations together.

Congrats to Tisha

2009-07-20T14:07:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Tisha and her family, who just brought home two beautiful new Ethiopian Hoosiers! We can't wait to meet these girls someday. Aren't they precious?! Praise the Lord for another family united.

We are having a post-adoption visit with our social worker today. Belinda has been a pleasure to work with since we were just getting started on the paperwork for our adoption. She will come one more time, when Eli has been home a year. In the adoption world, your social worker has to learn EVERYTHING about you in order to write the homestudy, so we feel like we've shared our lives with her. Amazingly, even after knowing us, she still recommended us for adoption:) We will miss seeing her, but maybe she will come again someday...

I love this picture of Cora and my farmer brother David. They were at the county fair, assessing the corn cob toss with their hands on their hips. Our fair had some fun farm games for kids sponsored by Farm Bureau. Some of the others included corn shelling, stick horse race, and Old McDonald sing along. They even gave them money for participating. It burned a hole in Sam's pocket right to the ice cream vendor!

Happy (BUSY!) Summer

2009-07-17T23:26:00.005-04:00

We are still here and having a great summer! Between VBS, vacations, visits from family, county fair, and swimming in the pond, I haven't found a time to write. I guess I needed a summer break, I just hope someone comes back to read:)

Our adjustment to a family of 5 has been harder than we expected. We are pretty much beat each evening while the kids are still going strong. Slowly we getting a new "normal". Eli loves us all very well, but I think we took attachment for granted, so we are backing up a bit to give him more attention too. And he's just so cute, who wouldn't want to lay and cuddle and tickle him?!

Eli loved this slide on vacation!

We just returned from a weeks vacation, and found out that while we were gone the judge signed our adoption papers (in our county you don't go see the judge). Ethiopian courts had already done this, but we re-adopt here to complete the process. This also included changing his name. As of July 6, 2009 our son is officially Eli Tamru Ausbrooks. (Ethiopian court had given him the name Tamru Joshua Ausbrooks.)

All God's Children included this poem in their newsletter recently, and it touched my mother's heart. I remember the months of waiting for Eli to come home, and my feelings are still fresh. But how did he feel? I shouldn't wonder that its taking time for him adjust to us. One thing is for sure, when I kiss him good night there is no doubt God made us for each other.

I am waiting…somewhere far, far away…on the other side of the world.

I may not know who you are or what you look like.

But somehow, deep in my heart, I know you are out there.

That one day you will come and find me.

It's a long journey, and it takes a lot of time.

I wish it could be easier.

But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost.

They will only see the joy of finding me.

For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless.

Day by day wondering, "Why was I born here and not somewhere else?"

Asking, "Why couldn't my life have been different?"

It is so lonely…

Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children,I know that something is missing.

I know in my heart I need a place to call home.

My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace…

I long to be saved by a mother's love.

Gazing out the orphanage window, I offer a prayer of hope,

"Oh God, please help them come quickly."

Even as I lay in the darkness each night somehow I feel assured.

That no matter how lost I appear I am not alone.

Holy hands guard my steps;

sacred fingers wipe my tears…Touching my lonely heart.

The one who made me,

The God who knew me before I was born,

Hears me every time I call.

He whispers His promises in my ear.

I listen with hope to His voice.

But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me.

The fields are vast, and there are so many scattered all over the earth.

I wonder how one little child, so lost, can be found.

Yet He calms my heart and assures me that He will find you.

That He will make sure you hear His voice clearly.

He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields.

That He will personally cut a path, and lead you right to my orphanage door.

My prayer is…

When He speaks, please don't forget to listen.

When He calls, don't be too afraid to go.

For I am waiting…somewhere far, far away.

Are you listening for the voice of God?

Make hay while the sun shines

2009-05-30T14:52:00.005-04:00

That would be nice, but today it's make hay before the rain hits. I just took this photo of my brothers. David is raking the hay, and Mark is baling it with Sam riding along. It started raining just a few minutes later (enough for them to quit), but now the sun is out! This particular field has already been rained on three times! Oh, the trials of farming. And how did Mark and Sam get the cab tractor?

Hay must be mowed, tedded (spread out to dry), raked into rows, baled, and moved either inside or into rows to cover. This all takes at least two days. It is best if it doesn't get wet during this process to prevent rotting until next winter.

Two weeks ago we had a dry spell, and David baled a large field behind our house. The kids had a great time playing on the bales before they were moved to the barn. That's their good friend Kyleigh along for our adventure. I don't know who enjoys hay bales more, the kids or the cows. I'm just glad we're looking at rounds bales, and not square ones yet:)

Fruit Salad Recipe

2009-05-29T07:45:00.003-04:00

This fruit salad makes a great side dish, dessert, or covered dish for pitch ins. I often get asked the recipe, so I thought I'd share on here.

Fruit Medley

1 can peach pie filling

1 can Mandarin oranges

1 can crushed pineapple

1 jar marchino cherries

1 firm banana

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together first 4 ingredients; chill. Add banana and pecans before serving.

I've been thinking a bit about seasoning, my life that it. I want my words to be seasoned with Jesus. My actions to have a least a hint of Him. How can I do this? Spend time in prayer talking to Him, read my Bible more, think about Him before I speak or act. I am finding that the true test of my character is what my children think/say about me because they are with me all the time. Lord, help me to be a good example to my children of a life lived for You.

Josh taught Sam and Cora how to suck the honey out of a honeysuckle bloom, and now Sam thinks there is a snack waiting along every fence row. Here he is getting a lick in.

Holiday World

2009-05-28T07:46:00.003-04:00

Nana and Papaw (Joy and Ralph) took Sam, Cora, and me to Holiday World over the weekend. It was so much fun. It rained on us a few times, but we were there to get wet anyway! We also had some sunshine.

Sam loves to ride anything he's big enough for. He favorite was the Watube water slide. Last year Cora didn't like it there, but this year she loves it. I think her favorite was the lazy river.

Bologna Letters

2009-05-21T22:04:00.003-04:00

Our kids like plain old bologna and cheese (not on bread of course:), but give them cookie cutters and they LOVE it! Sam decided to make the letters of his name, a four, and an X. I was pleased that he found them all in the box and even put the letters of his name in the right order. Cora made butterflies and flowers.

Who says you can't play with your food? That's what I call an educational lunch!

New tooth

2009-05-18T07:48:00.003-04:00

Eli got a new tooth yesterday! Its on the top, and just barely through the skin, but its definitely there. This is the first tooth he's gotten since we've had him. He had two bottom teeth in Ethiopia. We regret not asking his special mother when he got his first tooth. Its just one of those things you wish you knew because a mother can always tell you how old her babies were when they got a tooth.

In other news, Sam found our first red strawberry yesterday too. For a few weeks, we've been checking now and then for a ripe one. He found it and graciously shared it with his sister. Strawberries are one of their favorite foods, hands down. They had it gone before I got the camera, but they proceeded to search the strawberry patch for about ten more minutes...no luck.

Summer's coming!!!

Homeschool 101

2009-05-16T18:34:00.002-04:00

We are going to begin home schooling Sam in the fall for kindergarten. Josh and I attended a HS conference in Indy last month, and we learned so much! One thing they suggested was creating a list of goals, so on hard days you can remind yourself why you are doing this (especially when the school bus drives by:). Here is our list so far...

Why we choose to home school:

Provide Biblical teaching and Christian environment
Teach according to individual learning styles and talents
Foster family relationships
Promote community involvement

Our long-term home school goals:

Create a love for learning
Raise responsible, passionate, and kind citizens
Develop Biblical character

Measure of success:

Lives of priority,
1. God
2. family
3. school/vocation

Yesterday the kids and I met at a park with the local home school group. I really enjoyed getting to know some of them. I have no doubt they will be a blessing and valuable resources for us. They meet just about every Friday of the year. During the school year they do various field trips and educational stuff and in the summer they play together. There are a few boys Sam's age and girl's Cora's age, so we should fit right in. There are also several babies in the bunch for Eli to grow with.

Last night we attended a home school graduation (Congrats Sharon!) for a different support group. We were so impressed with the seven graduates and their families. It was very obvious to me the amount of time and prayer the parents invested in the children. Its actually quite intimidating!

We are really excited to start this phase of our life, but I can't believe Sam is old enough! We thank God we are able to do this, and we pray for His wisdom in teaching, patience when its hard, and grace when we fail.

Cousins

2009-05-15T07:28:00.002-04:00

We recently had a photo session with the kids' cousin Callaway. The photographer got three shots in before Eli started crying. The first one ended up being the only good one. We tried to calm Eli down so we could take one of just our three kids, but he would have nothing to do with it. (Raleigh, do you think you could do it?:) Sam and Cora did well, and were rewarded with a trip to McD's with Nana and Aunt Lyndsey. Eli had to come home and go to bed!

Crop duster

2009-05-11T22:14:00.003-04:00

This morning, as I was feeding Eli his nap time bottle, Sam and Cora were playing outside. I heard a plane fly over head rather close and then the kids came running in saying, "There's a plane in the front yard!"

Did you ever notice that if anything loud is going to happen, its going to happen during the critical period of time when the baby is falling asleep? For example: the phone rings (twice), the repair men come to work on the roof, a friend stops by with her three kids, the dog barks at birds....and the list goes on and now includes a crop duster starts flying over your house repeatedly.

Today it was the crop duster, dusting the neighbors two wheat fields. Eli slept right through it, and the rest of us went outside to enjoy the show. It was really fun to watch as he dipped really low to let out the dust and then made some steep turns. The pilot must be a father, because just before he finished he came real low right in front of us, and we have no wheat in our yard! The kids LOVED it, and Sam said, "That plane sure is dandy!" (Sounds like something Opie would say:)

Sam decided he would like to have that job when he grows up, but not if he has to fly to Indianapolis because that is too far. Nor does he want to sleep in the plane or the airport, which I assured him the pilot does go home each night. Its so fun to hear a kids perspective on things!

Crop dusters have become more common in our area in recent years. Partly because of high gas prices and also they don't damage the crop that is already thick and tall like a sprayer would. And who doesn't love the sound a little airplane circling over head. I wonder if those planes have passenger seats?

Sam's camping trip

2009-05-09T22:06:00.003-04:00

Josh and Sam are camping tonight at Glendale, a state fish and wildlife area close to home. They spent the whole day there, and we went this evening for hot dogs and smores, then left them to enjoy the tent.

Sam's thoughts on camping, written by mom (I CAN read his mind):

I can ride my bike so fast on Glendale's nice flat roads, but Dad seems to be having trouble...looks like his bike seat is too small?!
I have been playing in the mud all day, and dad doesn't care!
The fish hatchery is cool, especially seeing a snake in the water.
Hiking in the woods wore me out!
I like seeing people cut up their fish, but I like touching the fish even more.
I can't believe they let me eat as many smores as I wanted.
Playing in the fire has to be one of the funnest things in the whole world!
I have the BEST dad. Thanks Daddy for taking me camping. I want to be just like you when I grow up.

2 months ago

2009-05-09T12:47:00.003-04:00

This is the first time we saw Eli in Ethiopia. He was sitting in a walker chewing on a piece of broken plastic. It was 2 months ago today. He sure has grown! I wish we could freeze time to keep him a baby longer.

Meeting Eli is a moment I will never forget. However, time is already fading the memory. I love to look at our photo albums from the trip, but they are not as alive as they once were. At that time though, Eli was essentially a stranger, even if he was in our hearts. At first, Eli liked us yet he held back a little. Recently, he has become a snuggler, laying his head on my shoulder and cuddling in our bed. Its so good to be close to him and know God created him for our family. Now we know his smells, cries, and favorite blankie.

Two months has gone by so quickly, yet I hardly remember life without Eli. He adds smiles, slobber, and tears to our home. He makes an ordinary bowl of ice cream something to screech about. He makes bath time a slashing good time. He makes a trip to the park more hectic and special. This Mothers Day, he makes me more proud and thankful to be a mom.

The Babysitter

2009-05-05T07:14:00.003-04:00

Smells like money!

2009-05-04T12:51:00.003-04:00

We ate outside on the front porch swing one day last week. A little picnic, where the mess is outside for the dog to clean up. As we were eating, here comes our friendly neighborhood farmer, formerly my favorite brother. Cora pointed and said, “Oh no! Pig nure!” Sure enough, he was coming to spread hog manure RIGHT beside our house.

On pretty spring days in the country, if the fields aren’t too soggy, farmers are busy spreading manure. Around our farm, we joke about the “smell of the day”. It may be hog, turkey, cattle, or chicken depending on the wind and which farmer is busy.

Farmers don’t see manure as waste. It is a valuable by-product of livestock. Its nature’s fertilizer and it works! We can already see the darker green places in the hay field where the manure was spread last week. As we like to say, “It smells like money!” But I’d rather not smell the money (or see it) while I’m eating my lunch!

Do you think this little “Farmer in Training” would ever do this to his family?

Whole Milk

2009-04-27T22:16:00.002-04:00

Two posts in one day...can our life be that exciting? Not really, but someone else had excitement today.

We want to congratulate Tisha and her family on receiving a referral today for TWIN girls. Tisha and her husband home school their 3 boys in the Indy area, and God led them to adopt siblings from Ethiopia through the same agency we used. Today they got to see their two year old girls' faces for the first time! How awesome is that!?

On the home front, I was having one of those "down" days. One of those days where I had to remind myself constantly that these children are BLESSINGS from God. All you moms know the feeling. As usual though, Sam kept me laughing. Its hard to be serious around that little guy.

We always buy whole milk, which Sam refers to as red because of the cap. Someone recently gave us a gallon of 2%, which Sam refers to as blue. He must have overheard our conversation about types of milk because after downing a cup of blue milk he said, "Mom this is my favorite now. It doesn't have ANY holes in it."

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. Psalm 127:3

Thank you Lord for the joy our children bring to us. Thank you also for Tisha's family opening their hearts to your children in Ethiopia. We ask that you prepare the family and the children's hearts for each other. Amen.