Unexpected

Our family just returned from an amazing 12 day road trip across Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. We spent a week in Vail, Co with my parents and then drove the long way around to get home. Our tourist stops were the Garden of the gods, Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon and Zion. Along the way we drove along highway 550 and, if you ever get the chance, you must go! It was such a beautiful drive.
The day after we left we received a phone call from our counties placement social worker about three siblings that needed a home. We had not planned on taking three but because they were a little older we said yes and waited to hear if the placement would go through. There was some back and forth trying to find a home in another county that was closer to the parents work but, after a week of trying, no other home was found that would take all three. The whirlwind began with tons of phone calls and information passed back and forth and yesterday, we drove home with three new members of our family for the next few months.
We had the perfect reintroduction into the system too. The time we were given to meet at the office was 2 but we were told to get there early to interact with the kids in between interviews. We arrived at 1:07 and found that none of the workers or the children were even in the office! So, we left to run some errands and then sat in a restaurant waiting for a phone call. It was actually a nice little date.
At about 3 we were told the kids had arrived and we could come any time so we headed out. When we got to the office the placement worker was waiting in the waiting area for us with Peanut anxiously looking for a very tall man, hahaha! She bounded up to me, gave me a high five and turned and rushed back to the visit room to announce us to her sister, Princess. Princess was not as excited and actually wouldn't even look at us but continued to make her "soup". I got down on the floor and tried to engage her but she wasn't having any of it. Soon after, Little Man came in from his interview and was all smiles, high fives and talking. He and Jonah hit it off right away and started playing games. The girls were taken back for their interviews and we played and laughed with Little Man. This was supposed to be more difficult, right?
Two social workers sat with us and we signed paper after paper after paper after paper. Then, just as the whirlwind started, it was over, the kids were strapped into the car and we were driving away. No tears, no crying, no questions. Just happy faces and sweet demeanor's. This went SO different than when we had placements 14 years ago. Jonah commented that after all the craziness, what were we supposed to do now? It all seemed so anticlimactic. So, we danced to "Happy" and listened to "Let it Go" over and over and over again until we got home.
At home we walked the kids around the house, introduced them to our other kids and showed them where things were. Princess hid behind my back and held my hand the whole time but, by dinner time, she was talking and interacting a little more. She and Peanut played dollies with Alana on the floor in the kitchen. None of the kids ate very much dinner at all but gobbled down their salad. After my voracious eaters, its shocking how little some kids eat. I'm sure there's some trauma stuff going on with that too, though.
Bed time was the hardest part of the whole afternoon and, really, it wasn't even bad. No tears or upset. The kids stayed in their beds, they just wouldn't stop playing. Little Man and Canaan wouldn't stop talking until well after 9:30!
Jonah and I know that this honeymoon period won't last forever but, for now, we are in awe of how easy things are going and how well the kids have melded into the house. We will see what the future brings.

Foster care, shmoster care

      To say Jonah and I were pleased when we were told we could become foster parents is an understatement; we were beyond ecstatic. Yup, we're strange. Our future life's plan included fostering children after retirement and I've often told people that we don't plan on having an empty nest for many, many years until our health fails and we are too old. Foster care is our calling. It is a part of who we are as a couple. It's the reason we added on to our house. Being told we could begin 4 years shy of when we had planned(when Isaiah turns 18) was exciting. When the resource family approval social worker(the new term for foster parents is resource family) called to tell me that we couldn't foster because of our family size, we were crushed. Like, seriously and honestly crushed. We had spent hours upon hours in classes and gathering paperwork and spent lots of money on fingerprints, cribs and guns safes to make our home ready because we had initially been told by a social worker that the law had changed and that the supervisor had given the ok. The RFA worker told us no and she was not sure why we were told that. So, I rallied myself, asked her to please contact the state liaison to get things cleared up for sure because I believed the written directives gave clear ways we could be certified and then Jonah and I(and some family and friends) fell to our knees in prayer.
     We know that our fight is not against the RFA workers(cause they REALLY need foster families!). This is spiritual and we were not going to give up without fighting in prayer about this! We were called 2 hours later with the answer. Apparently, we CAN become a certified resource family but can only be placed with sibling sets since they are difficult to place. Cause, ya know, we have "too" many kids to foster just one child at a time but a whole sibling set(the number is irrelevant to them) is just fine. How THAT makes sense is not a concern to me, obviously, but its just a bit comical.
    Our whole home study is ready to go, paperwork done and filled and cribs set up and "placement ready". We await the last step; a social worker to do family interviews to determine whether we are capable to care for more children and determine how many more. This is the last determining factor of whether or not we will be certified. We could end up with a social worker that is encouraging and OK with the fact that we have 6 kids under 18 or we could be connected with one who thinks large families(especially home schooled ones) are weird and hiding something horrible and detrimental. If you care to pray with us for this last step, we would LOVE it and so would the kids who we are looking forward to caring for and loving;) May God get all the glory.
   

A new era is before us

     On January 8, a snarky comment I made on a Facebook post resulted in a social worker calling me that afternoon. As I was saying hello and wondering why a CPS social worker from our county was calling me, my phone alerted me to a text with a friend telling me she had been talking with her social worker about our family and the comment I had made and would be calling me soon. Here I was, with her on the other end of the line, asking me if our family would be interested in taking in a 14 year old girl as a foster placement. I was stunned and confused. You see, in our state, it has been understood that in order to foster kids, we couldn't have so many of our own. Sure, we have plenty of room to house more kids but anyone with more than 6 children couldn't possibly be desiring to foster for anything but the money (huge eye roll here).
     Jonah and I have looked forward to the day when Isaiah turns 18 (technical "adult") so that we could become foster parents once again. It's a calling God laid on our hearts 15 years ago and we knew the time would come for the thumbs up. It seems now is that time and so we have taken the classes(cram courses!), gathered all the paperwork, done the health physicals and TB tests and we wait. We wait for a call from the man who will check our home and say that it's satisfactory and safe. We wait to meet with a worker who will ask us, and our children, way to many personal questions as she/he determines whether we would be acceptable foster parents for children. We wait to have that notification that we are finalized and approved to be foster parents in our county and, of course, we wait for that first call. And the second. And the twentieth.
     We initially said yes to that young girl but that has not panned out. It DID, however, set us on a course for what we've been called to do and has opened doors for us that we believed to be slammed shut. We are both a little stunned at how this has all happened in the past few weeks and changed the trajectory of the next few years we thought were all 'situated'. As we move forward I will be sharing some thoughts and posts about fostering, our children's part in all this and preparing yourself to bring a trauma child home. It's scary and worrisome and a whole lot of work. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Safe Families for Children

    Have any of you heard about this organization? It's pretty awesome. Jonah and I have been involved for a few years and have really enjoyed it.
    Safe Families is a non profit that is, basically, foster care prevention. Host families take care of children in crisis from families who are trying to get help before CPS steps in. It is a Christian ministry and strives to create relationship between host families and crisis families. The families are usually those who have no support around them to help them in their crisis and sometimes, having someone to listen and encourage, is just what they need.
  Our family is a host family and we have hosted a total of 7 kids over the last 2 years. One thing that is completely different than foster care is the relationship with the parents usually stays well and intact because the parent is the one who made the choice to place the child.
   Reasons for placing a child in a hosting are many but it is usually because of homelessness, planned jail time and unexpected unemployment(in my experience). There is a plan put in place for how long the child will be hosted and the parent retains all rights and is able to retrieve their child at any time.
   Is this something you think your family would consider or has becoming a foster parent been what you'd like to do but all that emotional mess isn't your cup of tea? I would highly recommend signing up to be a Safe Family Host Family! You can also be a Family Coach or Resource Family(since no one is getting funds) if you aren't in the place to have kids in your home.
   Check them out! Safe Families for Children

A year is over

   A year is a long time to house children that are not yours. We loved, parented, disciplined, held and comforted children that weren't ours for over a year. A year, 2 months and 21 days, to be exact. After a holiday visit that CPS required, the children were held by their father and there is nothing anyone can do about it. They will not be returned.

  I find myself in mixed emotion daily. Having 3 less children makes for a MUCH quieter house and peace to allow me to get tons of projects done, homeschool my children and spend quality time with each. If I'm honest, it's been very pleasurable, almost to the point of guilt. On the other hand, we had just begun telling people we had 10 kids when they asked (after a year, it seemed silly that we only said 7), we were just beginning to get into the groove (truly) of having 3 extra little ones, we bought a new car to seat us all. Things were getting "easier" and more fun and the kids were beginning to really take to heart that the "visiting" kids weren't leaving anytime soon. We knew they would never become Winger's but that was OK. We loved them, they loved us. We wanted them returned to a safe home once their mom was able and CPS said they could return.

   Today I found myself telling one of the kids to make sure to throw something away because, "I don't want it on the floor where A can put it in his mouth." That child reminded me the baby was gone now. I spent this weekend cleaning and organizing the crib, pack and play, stroller, high chairs, baby gate play area, toys, clothes and shoes and getting them ready to be packed away, given back or donated. My house is clean and organized and it's wonderful but, they are not here. That's hard. And painful. And sad. I pray multiple times a day that they are safe and fed and loved and hugged and heard. This is the hardest part. I know they are not. This is what hurts the most. Not the missing them or wanting their sweet smiles or cuddles. It's the not knowing. The wanting-to-protect-them-but-you-can't and praying CPS will do their job and  keep them safe. I just need to know they're safe.

***we were not foster parents and in the system. This was an odd gray area that we were working to figure out.

An even dozen

     When Jonah and I met he told me he wanted 11 kids. I was hooked. Even though God has only seen fit to bless us with 7 of our own we had the opportunity to have 11 kids in our care for 3 1/2 months. This, of course, happened just before we moved into our new 2,400 sq. ft. addition where the said children caused all sorts of  chaos and mayhem. Last week, we again have the privilege of caring for these kids, along with their 8 month old baby brother, and things are even crazier than before. This time, however, we went into it prepared. My schedule is strict, the older kids have NO right to discipline or reprimand and must come to me and I am letting NOTHING go. Our resident drama queens are held in very strict rules as to their words and conduct with the "non Winger" kids.
     It's a very difficult thing, parenting children who live SO differently than the way you do. They are allowed to stay up very late, despite their being only 6, 4, 3, 2 and 8 months. Here, they are in bed by 7, along with my 5 year old, and BOY do they throw a fit about it! They are always saying, "But, it's morning time!" I love when their mom puts them in their place and sides with me. Tonight, while having their phone chat, the 4 year old tells her mom, "Well, we are in bed even though it's still morning time but Faith always makes us go to bed when it' morning time." Her mom told her she was wrong and the look on her face was great. I was right! Her mom said so!

     When you choose to love children that are not yours and you know will return to their parents at some point, it becomes an amazing balance of trying not to tie your hearts with theirs but also knowing you must. I watch my children fall in love with the babies and my heart breaks knowing they will hurt when they leave. I know, however, how important it is for these children to feel loved and cared for wholeheartedly while they are here. They need to know they belong here and this is their home for however long they will be. I watch as my children's hearts get torn out saying goodbye and wonder if this is, truly, for the best. But then I remember, this is who WE are. This is what God called our FAMILY too and if they have the Winger name they are called to serve in this way. They need to learn how to love and let go and pray fervently for those kids when they think of them. They need to learn to love another outside of their family and serve these kids with all that they are. This is our mission field. It is hard. It is challenging at times but it is SUCH a blessing to US!

How do you rank children?

This is a fabulous article about where we rank our children in this culture. Here is the link to the whole article, by Rachel Jankovic, that I strongly encourage you to read through completely.

Here is the first small bit:

Everywhere you go, people want to talk about your children. Why you shouldn't have had them, how you could have prevented them, and why they would never do what you have done. They want to make sure you know that you won’t be smiling anymore when they are teenagers. All this at the grocery store, in line, while your children listen.

A Rock-Bottom Job?
The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law.

Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing.

If you grew up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood, to think like a free Christian woman about your life, your children. How much have we listened to partial truths and half lies? Do we believe that we want children because there is some biological urge, or the phantom “baby itch”? Are we really in this because of cute little clothes and photo opportunities? Is motherhood a rock-bottom job for those who can’t do more, or those who are satisfied with drudgery? If so, what were we thinking?

How do you rank your children? or future children?

Perceptions

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment with a doctor I have never been too before. There was both a doctor and a nurse in the room and they were both asking me questions about my family history and whatnot. They asked if I had children and I, of course, told them I had 7. I am proud of that fact. :)

You could see their faces glaze over when I said "SEVEN kids" and their whole attitude became one of suspition and judgment without saying a word. They were giving each other knowing glances and I felt very ackward. As if I was some sort of a hussy for having 7 kids and overpopulating the earth. It didn't help that they asked their ages and then asked how long Jonah and I have been married. Yep, their perception was that I got pregnant before wedlock, obviously, since my oldest is 11 and I've been married 9 years. Anyways, you get the idea. They alluded to the fact that there was no way I could safely care for that many young children...

Toward the end of the appointment, the doctor asked me if any of my children had any issues because of family history and I looked at him a little strangely and said, "Well, it wouldn't matter anyways because all my children were adopted". Ah, that magic word. The whole mood changed in that room, seriously. I was no longer a weirdo, I was a "saint". I no longer had this stigma attatched to me and they saw me differently. Using that one little word, things changed.

However, it made me a bit sad honestly, that the world(and many people in the church too) see having lots of children as a burden. Many people have told me, "I could never do that" or "Better you than me". They see having children as a chore rather than a blessing from God. Really, things get to be a ton of fun after 5 kids! I can't wait to see if God will bless us with more.

Psalm 127:3-5 ESV
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

SEVEN years!

Haha, I know this is a horrible picture but it's the only one I have that is recent.


Today, we celebrate our girls' 7 year gotcha day! It seems amazing that they have been in our home for seven years, such a long time. I am so blessed.
I can't, however, stop from thinking that today was a very traumatic day for them so long ago. Sarah doesn't remember much except for "throwing a really bad tantrum and hitting Jesse(the social worker)as hard as I could cause I didn't want to sit in the police car." I can't imagine what she was feeling, at 4 years old, and not understanding what in the world was happening.
Honestly, gotcha days are supposed to be happy days but there is no way I can remember this day without sadness in my heart. I can't forget the reasons why these girls are no longer with their birth family and the stories and documents I've read of all they endured.

If you'd like to read what I have written the past few years which tells a bit more about that night you can go to last years post, and and a post from 3 years ago.

Happy Gotcha Day to the 2 most beautiful, loving and happy little girls I know! I am beyond blessed to be called your mom.

Dreams come true

Today, a mysterious envelope was in the mailbox. It had no return address and on the front was Sarah's name typed out with our address. It looked so strange that I decided I should open it and not tell Sarah, thinking it may be something from her birth mom(who we have NO contact with) that I wouldn't want her to see. I was surprised. In the envelope was a piece of yellow paper, inside of which was $20. Sarah's face when she saw that money was beautiful to see. First thing she said was, "Can I buy my doll tonight?!"

And yes, we just finished making the purchase of Sarah's new American Girl Doll. She is beyond excited and can't wait for it to come.

So, to whoever you are, mysterious money giver, Sarah thanks you over and over and over again. And I thank you to, for making my sweet girl very happy tonight. ;)

God is in the little things

Don't mind Malakai, I tried cropping the picture but it wouldn't download that way.


For Christmas Sarah was fortunate to receive $50. She has been saving for 7 months now to buy herself an American Girl Doll and was very excited to be able to add that $50 to her growing money bank. The morning after we got home, Sarah got out her money jar and started to count her money. When the amount counted up to just $16 short of the goal she couldn't believe it and dedicated to work harder to make some more money soon.
As we were sitting there I realized that she probably hadn't set aside her tithe in the tithe jar from her Christmas money and told her she needed to do so. So, she took out a dollar and started to get up when I reminded her it needed to be 10%. I helped her figure out 10% of $50 and her whole countenance fell and she began to complain.

"But Mom, if I give $5 whole dollars I'll need more than $20 to finally buy the doll. That's a lot more money! Why can't I just give a dollar?"

I then took the moment to remind her about why we tithe and that God will bless us because of our giving. I shared a few stories of my childhood with her remembering some BIG blessing to my parents when they had no more money for food but decided to tithe what they had anyways. She was disappointed, but she understood and that was the end of it.

Later that night, after a long day of errands, I opened the mail. There was a small package included from Jonah's aunt that had little envelopes for each child in it. I handed Sarah hers and she opened it. Can you believe that she found $30 in that envelope? The first thing that came out of her mouth was, "Mom! You were right! God blessed me even more because of my tithe!"

Made my heart smile and now I have a little girl who trusts in God's blessings.

The beauty...

of God's creation...




is awesome...



and magnificent...



and powerful...



and peaceful...



and mine. :)

My sweet boy

(picture of Kai when he was about 19 months old.)


Today, driving in the car, Malakai says,

Kai: Hey Mommy?

Me: Yes, Kai.

Kai: When I get to heaven I am gonna give Jesus a really big kiss and God a really big hug cause I love them so much and miss them. Heaven will be really fun cause I'll get to be with my best friend all the time, huh?


Uhm, where's the tissue? Sometimes I wonder if they understand God's love for them and then they go and say something like this.

Bible Blessings

I need your help. Very soon it will be time to put up the drywall in our new house. We want to bathe our new house in scripture from floor to ceiling in every room and dedicate this home to God and His will for our lives. So, this is where you come in. What are your favorite verses? I would like a main verse to write big for the girls' room, boys' room, our room, the kitchen and the family room and then lots more verses to write on the other walls. I, of course, have my favorites but the more the better!
I am very much looking forward to this part of the process and taking pictures of all the verses on the walls(and kids drawings, of course) before we texture the walls.

Book review

Well, not really a review since I am only on chapter one! ;) However, I am so impressed with this book after the first few pages that I really needed to tell you about it. If you claim Christ as your Savior and you are a parent you NEED to read this book. I will even say that if you live close by I will loan the book to you so that you can read it. I have come to really appreciate and agree with Voddie Baucham's views on many things so I challenge you to read this book and then let me know what you think. It will challenge you, so beware.

Malakai is FIVE!

Five years ago today Malakai James was born. However, we had no clue he existed. Let me tell you a little story about that day. 2 months earlier we had a really hard adoption loss of a little boy. We had decorated his room, had clothes, diapers, the crib, changing table, a shower was planned, EVERYTHING. That little boy did not come home and we were devastated, to say the least. The morning Malakai was born(remember I knew nothing about him) I went into the decorated room, sat in the rocking chair and pleaded with God. I cried and cried, asking God where my son was! I told him, "Look! We have all his clothes, summer clothes, and we have everything ready for him. Where is my son?" I didn't know at the time, but Malakai James was just coming into the world while I was pleading with God.



Malakai(with my brother Chas) at 3 months old.



Kai at 10 months old right around the time termination was granted for the girls. He was going to be an official brother!




ONE!



Two, with Mommy in Palm Springs.


The day went on and I decided to take our girls(foster kids at the time) to the city pool to play. For some reason, I decided to check our 'at home' messages, which I never do, and found a message from our adoption facilitator telling us she had a birthmom who wanted to meet us. Nothing about the baby being born. I called her when I got home and she filled me in on the details. Jonah was at work on a new assignment and it was tough trying to convince him this could be IT and that he needed to come home so that we could go to the hospital in the morning. I didn't sleep that night a wink.





Two. Being what every little fireman's boy wants to be, a fireman.



Three, pouting because he wasn't allowed to walk around and eat.




Four and as handsome as can be.


The next morning we drove to the hospital, met with Kai's birthmom and she asked us to be her son's parents. It was the most surreal thing in the world. Honestly, I was so emotionally numb because it happened so fast that I can look back on it and say I didn't really "feel" much. I was worried about her changing her mind or who knows what. When we went into the nursery there were 4 babies there and it was the weirdest thing looking at these babies and wondering, "which one is mine?" I asked the nurse permission to hold him, not feeling as if I belonged there at all. We took pictures(which of course are packed otherwise I would have scanned some for your enjoyment). 2 days later we brought him home and the rest is history.




Just this past week at Justus' adoption so he is almost five.



That was 5 years ago and boy has that tiny little 6 lb. baby grown into a big, humorous, loving little boy. I could not imagine our family without Malakai. God so clearly had His hand on this little boy and he was meant to be in our family. I love him so very much!

Happy Birthday KaiKai!

Why don't we trust God?

I was woken up late last night with this question on my mind. My thoughts were in the frame of having children. Why do Christian couples take things into their own hands when THEY think they are done having children or when to start? What about what God has planned for them? It has only been the last 70 years that we have been able to play God and tell God that we aren't going to have any more children or when we will begin having children by either taking birth control or doing something permanent about it. For the majority of time on this earth husbands and wives have had very little control over their fertility but this is the way that God planned it!
Why, as Christian's, do we think it's alright to take LIFE into our own hands? Isn't it God's to give and take? We can trust God for everything, or say that we do, but once we have our 3.4 children we decide God can't be trusted to do the "right" thing by not allowing us to get pregnant again. How is that trusting God? This a subject that many Christian's have a hard time with, the world's view on it has clouded our vision in regards to the use of birth control and the number of children that is "acceptable". I was one of those. I didn't know any different. It was assumed that I would go on birth control when I got married and wait the allotted 2 years till we started "trying" to get pregnant. We would only have the 6 kids that I wanted and then Jonah would go and get "snipped". Luckily, Jonah was convicted in this area and explained his position to me well. I was only on birth control for 6 months of our marriage and we now have our hearts open to all the children God has for us.
Did you know that the Muslim's don't use birth control? Did you know that because of this they are growing and growing while the Christian population is getting smaller and smaller because we are not having enough children. Why can't we trust God in this area? Why have we stepped right into the ways of the world in regards to using birth control and controlling how many children WE want to have. Search your heart and let me ask you a question. Do you REALLY think this was what God had planned for His children? It is my opinion that the church in American has covered their eyes to this issue and just gone along with the world and say that it's OK. I get asked ALL. THE. TIME. from people in my church(and other's) whether we are done. I know that we are in a unique situation but I hear them ask mom's of bio kids too, especially new moms. I am open to hearing your views on this subject, especially if you disagree with me.

Following is a great video, watch it and comment, please.




I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, "The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing but in our culture we apply for the curse and get rid of the blessing."


Psalm 127:3 "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward."

Justus' adoption

On July 17, after 19 months of waiting, anticipation, and period's of agony, we will be legally adopting our son, Justus Eduardo. When we got the hearing date Jonah asked if I would be happy when he was officially "ours" and I said, "Honey, he was officially mine in my heart the day I watched him come into this world and has been every day since." Yes, I'll be glad the waiting is over but more than anything it reminds me how very blessed I am to have this sweet little boy in my life. I look forward to signing the paper that will officially give him our last name. There will soon be 8 Winger's, where once there was only 7.

A day of rest

Sometimes a day of rest is sorely needed. Monday was such a day for our family after working on the house for Jonah's whole 2 week vacation. We ventured out into the Sierra's behind our home to find adventure(the boy's love this phrase). It was a very beautiful, simple and blessed day with all 8 of us.


The beauty of the river.



My favorite tree, the dogwood.



Look at it's beautiful blooms!



We stopped first to eat lunch and throw rocks in the river.



Our drive that lasted 2 hours and we only passed one person on a quad.


Justus was so happy to be allowed to play in the water. He loved getting splashed.



Sarah finally got up the courage to cross the river, with the help of her Daddy. She was so proud of herself when she got to the other side.



Isaiah looks dreamily at the river wishing his mean Mommy would believe him when he says he could make it across too(he asked at least 10 times). Uhm, he would have drowned. Mark my words.



This is our little wading pool that the kids played in. They LOVED it and Justus(notice the naked ultra-white body?) was the one who stayed in the longest. He would pick up the biggest rock he could grab and then throw it, repeat, repeat, repeat. This spot is a mere 5 minute drive down a dirt road from our land. We will definitely be back.



And I just had to throw this picture in here. They were being SO silly with each other and having such fun. This is what life is all about!

Rain

Rain and more rain. Seems we will be putting the digging of footings and pouring of our foundation off for a bit. We are really praying that the ground will be dry next week though, as Jonah goes on 2 weeks of vacation and we planned to use that time to really put our nose to the grindstone and get lots of work done towards the house.

Tomorrow Isaiah has another EEG with his new doctor who says it's worth repeating again. It has been a year since his first seizure and although it isn't a common thing, he still has had 6 since then. The doctor would like to stop them all-together, and so would I.

Alana was baptized yesterday at church, outside, in the pouring rain. Because of that I got NO pictures and NO video and am very bummed because of it. But it was an amazing time watching her be so excited. We chose not to allow Isaiah to be baptized because each time we asked him why he wanted to be, he couldn't give a clear concise answer. It was always random and strange.