In the midst of the busyness of daily life with activites and school, there are still plenty of people in our family who love to sit down and do special things with our little ones. This is Lila taking a picture of a tea party she set up for Isaiah and Rae-Lynn. They had special cookies and a special tea in their teapot. Little children cherish these moments. Isaiah and Rae-Lynn are best buds and do a lot together. It is so special. Rae-Lynn plays trucks and hotwheels and trains with Isaiah, and he plays tea party with her. So cute. 

While we were in Minneapolis, the younger kids spent quite a bit of time in the pool at the hotel.  My kids like to go to the fancy waterparks but they are just as happy with just a normal pool at a hotel. They enjoyed swimming with Dad and jumping and splashing. Even Rae-Lynn jumps off the ledge and into the water all by herself! It is part of the fun of little get aways. You don't have to have all the bells and whistles for children to just enjoy each other and a fun activity. 

We had a wonderful long weekend away and we were SO excited to spend some time at different events with our kids. We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art! It was amazing. I love doing cultural things with our children. I will share some pictures below. 

We also left after one of Abram's basketball games and so it was a night trip. The kids were so excited to go on a road trip in their jammies! *at least the younger ones. Haha. 

We had a great trip exploring Minneapolis and enjoying the city. We can't wait for another little one to join us on all of our adventures as a family.

Our son Noah turned 17 this past week!!! 17! We are so thankful and grateful for him. He is busy with his schoolwork and working on the weekends with Tim. It is such a blessing for Tim to own his own business where his kids can work alongside him and learn from him. Noah also is enjoying basketball in his free time and making plans for what is to come after graduating! 

We are so thankful to have a house full of all ages. The little ones look up to the older, and the older kids teach and engage with the little ones. Of course we have our moments of chaos, but we are so thrilled to have our children grow up with each other. They are all looking forward to having a little baby in the house again. ❤️

The picture shows us around the table celebrating this week with Noah's favorite...ice cream! Tim and I also took Noah out for a special dinner...just the three of us. It was so nice to spend some extra time with him. 

My friend Rachael is a photographer and last week we took family photos! I had to share some...

This past weekend we got to see Michigan State play a local university that is near us. It was just an exhibition game but it was a lot of fun! All the kids enjoyed it and Tim really likes State basketball. It was just another fun activity to do as a family to create memories together. Tim's whole family went and it was so fun to be there with a whole crew! 

As we continue along this adoption path my prayers continue for what God has for us and for you, the birth mother who will one day be connected to our family...maybe closely, maybe not so closely. In whatever capacity we are willing to meet you where you are at. 

I was reading a book today and there was a few sentences that I wanted to share. "The heartbeat of a birth mother's sacrifice and emotional journey after she has borne a child for adoption is my life for his. It is the grace and mercy of God that carries a birth mother through this kind of self-sacrificing and suffering. Jesus said and showed that "greater love has no one that this, that someone lay down his life for his friends"(John 15:13)." 

I am praying for you today, and everyday. What a gift you are giving to the life within you. 

Lately our life as a family has been busy with basketball games. My kiddos love to go and support their sister as she plays, but I think the thing that the little ones enjoy most are the treats at the concession stand! Haha. Noah and Abram get to help out with the scoreboard and books. 

Sometimes as a large family people assume we don't do much. Of course we take into account the ages of our children and what is best for them but we love to do all the things that normal families do....participate in activities, go out to eat, go on little trips, go shopping, go on little adventures in our area...etc. Just because there are a lot of us we enjoy doing things and going places all together. We can't wait to bring our newest member of the family with us! 

Here is a picture of Naomi with her team before a game. :) 

Our kids love art, and I think it is so important to let kids be creative at the smallest of ages. It is so fun to see the excitement on their faces when we do a special craft or art activity. They are so full of wonder. I thought I would share this cute photo from today. 

As a mother to many children, I still enjoy trying to take care of myself as much as possible. I also like to incorporate wellness and physical fitness into our life as much as possible. Here is a picture of the kids and I one evening last week, we just finished a run/walk together. The little ones followed on their bikes while Sybil wanted to run with me. We live on a long private country driveway where the kids are free to ride their bikes  in safety. It gives them a bit of freedom on their bikes that they really love. Carefree play is another part of our lives as a family that is so important. We aren't legalistic about screens, but we have very little of them in our home, instead our kids create and play and imagine outside in an area that is wide open and safe. 

In celebration of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month we are trying to incorporate more of a knowledge and appreciation for other cultures and heritages. One way we are celebrating this month is by reading some picture books about latin american culture. We are still waiting for them to come in the mail! Another way we are celebrating is by cooking some great Hispanic food! We love hispanic food, although I am certain we don't do it authentically all the time! :) Later on this month I hope to have some kids help me to make homemade corn tortillas with Masa.

 Here is Noah helping cook dinner on one of those nights. We are having an enchilada bake. Yum! I try to instill a love of cooking and knowledge of cooking for all my kids. It is a great way to express creativity in a practical way that will serve them well as they venture out and have families of their own! 

This weekend we enjoyed the warm September weather. It has been beautiful! We had dinner over the campfire and some s'mores. My kids really enjoy a family campfire. Our older boys also wanted to have a family football game after dinner. We all participated, we definitely have enough people in our family for a friendly competitive game. It was Noah, Abram and Naomi against Me, Tim, Lila, Sybil, Canaan, Isaiah and Rae-Lynn. You may think that is unfair teams but our boys are pretty good and it was pretty evenly matched! We enjoy playing fun family games outside. We have very little screen time in our home and so in place of that we are creative as parents to have fun alternatives for all ages. 

It is so sweet to see the relationship that Tim has with our daughters. When I grew up I was not that close with my own dad, so the relationship that they have with their daddy melts my heart. He is so gentle and kind with them. He encourages them, he listens to all that they want to tell him, all their daily stories about what is going on in their life. Whether that is basketball, school, navigating the adult world, which car to buy, which candy is their favorite, what problems they are having with friends, what kind of ice cream to pick for movie night, showing him their latest boo boo, having him put them to bed at night time and read bible stories to them, the four girls have such a bond and precious relationship with their Dad. He is their protector and defender, loyal and trustworthy, yet with such a gentleness to him and ability to calm their every fear or anxiety. I especially love mornings like this picture shows, when daddy is getting ready to go to work and our little Rae-Lynn is so sad to see him go! I sometimes look on as he is interacting with them and thank God that my girls have such a blessing. 

Another part of our school includes a homeschool community that we go to once a week. It has well over a hundred children who go. We get to do life with many other adopted families in this group, with many children of different ethnic backgrounds. It is such a gift to me and our family. We joined it initially to surround ourselves with other families who look like us. 

It also has given my children wonderful friends, exciting oppurtunities for debates and public speaking, fun science experiments, art lessons, mock trials, Shakespeare plays, History events, science fairs...etc. It truly is great. It adds such a depth to our schooling and we love all the people there! Here is a picture of the kids who attend with me each week! Isaiah will start next year and Rae-Lynn has a few more years until she starts. :) 

Our kids enjoy being in the kitchen. They love being able to help and cut things up. If they are old enough they love to help stir at the stove. I think it is important to allow them to help. My kids each have a day of the week where they help Mom with dinner. It is a special time of one on one time and also teaches them lots of great skills. 

This morning Canaan and Sybil were helping me make an egg scramble! So fun! 

Last weekend we went tubing and skiing with the kids. They love zooming around the lake! My older kids love waterskiing and my younger kids enjoy tubing. Even our littlest are so used to water activities that they can't wait until it is their turn on the tube! It is so fun to see them laughing together.  Fall is coming soon, and we love the activities of fall, but we are trying to soak in all the hot days of summer until they are gone! 

I found this little vinatge baby memory book in a stash of old papers a while ago. I took it out and have begun a prayer journal for our future expectant mother and baby, to share with our future child about this process and how we loved and cherished not only them but their birth mother by praying for both of them long before we even knew them. I know it is pink, but I thought I would use it anyway! :) When I found it, I felt like it was a little gift from the Lord for this very purpose. 

My journal for you today: 

Father, I pray for our future birth mom today. I thank you for her, I thank you for her life and the life she is giving to this child. Would you bless her and keep her and be gracious upon her and give her peace? Would you protect her wherever she is, and would you draw her near to You. Father, I thank you that you know her, that you know all the things that are heavy upon her right now. I pray You would meet those needs she has, and that You would bless her. I thank You Lord that You know all things and You do all things well and I can rest in that. ❤️

Abram, our 14 year old, is our stylish young man in the house at the present moment. He takes a long time to pick out his favorite basketball shoes for his season, and is pretty picky about what he wears. He has had longer hair for a while now and last night he had Lila put in some box braids. These kind of things happen a lot here, the younger ones go to bed and the late night children want to sit up and talk or watch a show or play games together. Noah did not want anything done to his hair last night, but he watched on as they had a good time talking! 

I LOVE teaching my little littles. They are always so excited about school, they love crafts, love being read to and they beam with excitement with everything they are learning! On this day Lila is helping me with making rainbows after we read the story Noah's ark. Isaiah is learning how to sound out the letters of the alphabet, tracing skills, and his favorite....learning to cut with scissors. I don't know what it is, but every child I have had thinks it is the coolest school activity. We have a seperate school room in our house that I can easily teach them and keep all of our school books and supplies in one place. 

Rae-Lynn is learning right alongside Isaiah, which is another benefit that we have learning at home. She enjoyed coloring her rainbow and putting it up on the easel for Daddy to see when he got home! 

It is an exciting time here at home for many reasons. We are gearing up for school. My boys have already started school and we are getting into the flow of Latin, Algebra 2, Logic, Astronomy, Chemistry and many more subjects. Naomi starts her normal routine of school tomorrow and Sybil, Canaan and Isaiah will start next week. I am so grateful that my children are all great learners and love learning. Now, we don't always have the best attitude about school but overall, my kids are excited about school and growing in knowledge. 

I am so grateful that I have a teaching degree and I get to use that everyday at home with my children! I find it SO rewarding to teach them everyday. We have a pretty good system that we use to make sure that all my children have one on one with Mom everyday and yet have enough self-directed learning for their appropriate age. My children have all thrived learning here at home with me. It is so wonderful as a mother to get to teach them and direct them in their learning. I can tailor to each child's needs and they get to learn at their pace and how the Lord has gifted each one. I think that's one of the best things about homeschooling. My children don't have to fit into the mold of the traditional school learner to be able to thrive and learn and feel confident in that. I can teach each one differently if I need to, spend time on extra subjects that need attention, and I know each child and their learning styles. We all learn together and help one another in this process. 

Part of our school is a community day once a week where my children have a "tutor" that they sit under and have other kids their age in their class to go over concepts that we are learning here at home. I cannot state how much this has deepened our homeschool experience. My kids love getting together with other families weekly spending the day with each other and building good relationships. It has been so good for our family. 

We start choir, basketball, piano lessons, work, youth groups, etc....all in the next few weeks. It is a lot of running around, but we try to space things out enough that works for our family. We like to keep a good balance....although sometimes it is not that easy! 

This morning we are watering the garden together. :) It is an activity that my littles really enjoy. Rae-Lynn is often seen "watering" our garden beds in her princess nightgown. She loves to help momma in the garden. The kids enjoy being in the garden and seeing everything growing and picking all the fresh veggies. We dug up some potatoes this week and the kids were amazed at how many potatoes come from one plant! It is so exciting for them. It is a daily occurance for us to be exploring in the garden and feeding the chickens. I enjoy gardening but I enjoy more the joy it gives the kids and what it teaches them. We learn together every year. Sybil has her own garden bed this year and she is enjoying all the veggies she is taking care of. 

On most Sunday evenings we have a family dinner at Tim's parents house. We all live on the same street, minus one sibling, and so the evening is full of laughter, good food and LOTS of kids. But this past Sunday, we stayed home and had a quieter evening. The older kids played volleyball with Tim, something that my husband loves to do, He loves spending quality time with his kids. He loves participating in great family activites and making them super fun. 

I spent that time with my two little ones, watching the fun of the volleyball game and laughing along with them, but also blowing bubbles with Isaiah and Rae-Lynn. It is so amazing how the smallest of things can fill them with such wonder. They giggled and chased bubbles for over an hour! We enjoy being together as a family so much. It is such a gift to have each other. 

Did you watch the Olympics? Our family watched quite a bit of them and my girls especially loved watching the woman's gymnastics. They loved watching Simone, Jordan and Suni during all of their routines. Ever since then our children have been taking out all of our gymnastics gear and pretending they are Olympic gymnasts. It is so cute! I remember playing those same types of games as a kid. It is so wonderful to see our kids pretending and playing together building memories that they will always treasure. Lila participated in gymnastics for several years and is helping the kids with proper form. 

Well, this past two weeks I have tried to take a specific extra time during the day to pray for you, our future expectant mom. It is a special time for me each day, and although I don't have a whole lot of quiet time during my day here at home, I have taken nap time as a time to pray for you. I am praying for clarity for you in all the decisions on your plate, I am praying that the Lord would give you strength and grace. I am also praying that the Lord would love upon you. Because we don't know you yet I am praying that He would send people into your path and life who would encourage you. I am praying for Him to lead you very clearly and to prepare us both for meeting one day, if that is part of our story.  Of course I am praying for the baby(ies) and for his/her future, for their devolpment, for all the plans the Lord has for them, that they would be blessed beyond measure. ❤️

Last night we took a break from the heat and went for a boat ride. The older kids had taken a ride to town together to go shopping and get some ice cream, so the younger four and Tim and I went at sunset. It was a beautiful evening. It was so peaceful and serene....well, however peaceful and serene it can be with 4 little ones on a moving boat! haha...But seriously, my kids LOVE going for rides and looking for little ducks, and stopping to see if we can see fish. They are so blessed to be able to be in this beautiful scenery here where we live, away from the hustle and bustle of so much of life. We love the city, but we also love to come home to the beauty and quiet that our little home and life provide. It kinda reminds me of how we aim to raise our kids, we try to raise them with love for the hustle and bustle that we know is a part of every life, but on the inside we long to raise children who are peaceful and content, who love beauty and can slow down and appreciate that no matter where the Lord takes them. 

Someone might wonder, why, when you have many children of your own, would you be in this arena of domestic infant adoption? 

I thought in this blog I would tell our story. Way back in 2013, I was at a ladies conference where a woman who had 12 children was speaking. I had just had my 4th child. She spoke about many things, but her family was what really drew me to her. She had adopted 2 children through international adoption from Ethiopia and she explained that process and how they were in the process of adopting 2 other children and were waiting for them. The Lord used that conference to draw my heart towards adoption. I spent the next few years praying, talking to my husband, researching international adoption, etc. I didn't know how or when, but I knew that adoption would be a part of our story. 

After having trouble conceiving our 5th child adoption entered the story again, and then we were able to get pregnant. But after our 6th child, my focus was headlong into international adoption. We found an agency we liked and started to proceed. My husband and I were a little nervous, but very excited for this new journey of adding to our family. 

I contacted this agency and asked about a homestudy and they said we needed to have this done in our own state...we had no idea about all the paperwork and we were kinda clueless. I looked for a homestudy agency in my state and up popped Adoption Associates. At that time, they were really looking for families. We prayed through this and asked the Lord where we should go and what we should do, and He led us to AA very clearly. Our story about Isaiah's adoption is an exciting one, but too long to say here and not our story to tell, but six months after our paperwork was done, we got a call about our precious little boy. The circumstances surrounding adoption always involve grief, but we were so thrilled and over the moon to welcome him into our family. 

So as we have pondered this decision to adopt again, it doesn't come without a lot of prayer and consideration. We long to adopt again, not only because we have more love and devotion to give to another child, but also because we feel strongly that having more than one adopted child in our home would be so life giving and encouraging. We feel like all of our children are close but there is a special bond with children who experience similiar things. We feel as though the support that our adopted son and our future adopted children will have together is important and can help them all navigate the ups and downs that come in life.  

And also one more thing, we know that sometimes an expectant mother is looking for a unique family. Not all expectant mothers are the same and want the same things. We know that God has this all in His hands. We may not be the typical family, and we realize that we don't have the loss in our lives that familes who struggle with infertility do, but we are similiar to every other family on this website....we feel called to adopt and our heart longs for that day when a precious expectant momma says yes to us. We wrestle with being excited and waiting, to being overcome with the burdens and decisions that our future expectant mom is going through. It is a winding road and you don't quite know what is around the corner, but we trust God that He will see us all through it, in His perfect way and in His perfect time.  

We are praying for you, we don't know who looks at these little blogs, but it brings us joy to pray for whoever sees this. ❤️

You may wonder how we manage large family living around here. :) I think it is under rated....haha. One example that I can share is birthdays. Each child on their birthday has breakfast in bed, where we sing happy birthday as they rise and shine. They also get to pick the menu for the day which they all really look forward to. They get to pick what dessert they would like also. At the end of the night we share their birth story and delight in how God brought them into the world. 

We also have a smaller family party to celebrate them with dinner and cake and presents. This more intimate gathering is where we like to have a sharing time where Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Aunties, Uncles and Grandparents share nice things about this child and how they have grown over the year and we compliment and encourage them. It is really my favorite thing. 

But THEN...we also have one large party for all the kids and they get to invite all their friends with their families. We have a great community of friends, we are so blessed. This past weekend we celebrated everyone's birthday with a big BBQ at our home. We enjoyed tubing, swimming, volleyball, jumping on the trampoline, basketball and fun. It was great. They kids enjoy these big get togethers so much. Here is a picture of all of us who were there! 

As I was praying this morning for the expectant mother that will enter our life one day, I thought maybe she would like to know about things that are important to me as a mother. What makes my heart leap, what drives me, what is important to me on this parenting journey. 

I love being a mom. I love raising children to the best of my ability for the glory of God. It is sacrificial for sure, but I am convinced that there is no better use of my time here on earth. I am so grateful that I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Of course I have my days where I am tired and my children wear me out, but overall I wake up every morning being grateful for what God has given me. I love teaching my children things, skills like reading or writing, but also how to be kind, how to be a loving sibling, and how to say sorry when we do things we shouldn't. 

I would say I am a more natural mama. I love baby wearing, using natural ingredients with my children, giving them nurishing food that I mostly make myself, and being very hands on with my babies. I love having my little ones with me all the time. I love talking with my babies when they are very young, engaging them and helping brain development from an early age. I love looking my children in their eyes and getting down on their level with them as they try to explain how they feel. 

I'm not a perfect mother, but I long to be a mama that my children run to and find safety, security, love, encouragement and a mother who says sorry when she messes up. 

I captured a special memory this Sunday before church. Lila was helping Naomi curl her hair. This is quite a common occurance in our house but I don't seem to take pictures of these moments. I am thankful that I have been lately! I love seeing my kids helping one another and spending time as sisters! I didn't have a sister growing up and I think it is such a special relationship that all my girls have. 

Also, over these past 4 years since Isaiah's adoption we have all enjoyed learning more about how to care for his beautiful coily hair. Lila even did her junior research project in school on learning the curl type he has and how to care for it. We can't wait to learn and care for our new little one's hair, whatever type that may be. 

It is SO cute to see our little one trying to help!!! After a birthday party at Tim's brothers house this past weekend I snapped this photo of Rae-Lynn helping Auntie vacuum her carpet. 🥰

We have a little tradition that on Saturday mornings my kids get to enjoy a cup of coffee like Mom and Dad! I have to say they love doing things that Mom and Dad do, even though their coffee is mostly cream and sugar. Haha.  They look forward to this little tradition every weekend. Little gifts of joy for our children to anticipate are important. Here we are in the sunroom this morning with some of the kids having their cup! We listened to the birdies and even saw a blue heron fly over the lake on this beautiful morning. 

I really enjoy just normal slower days at home. I think that the best memories are made with the family you love and the people you enjoy. We try to make our home a place where all ages are able to relax and have fun in a loving and peaceful enviornment surrounded by many people who love them. We are a very normal family with kids who get on each others nerves sometimes, aren't always nice, and occasionally have bad days. But overall, we encourage our kids to learn to love and appreciate one another and the bond they have as brothers and sisters. They really are very close. They are all so excited to welcome another brother or sister into our family through adoption. We pray for you and your expectant child or children every day as a family around our dinner table. 

Here is a picture of a silly and fun moment in our home, Daddy and Noah arm wrestling. Haha. It is always fun to get Mom and Dad to engage in those teenage activities. 

Isaiah and Lila recently celebrated their birthdays and we had a combined party for them here at home. We love to celebrate with all our family during our children's birthdays. They have a wonderful support group of 20 cousins and Aunties and Uncles who live within doorsteps of our kids. Both sets of grandparents are involved and we are so blessed to have them all in our lives! Isaiah got some new books for his birthday. He loves to be read to. We are always adding to our collection of good diverse books in our home. 

Our older kids went to a Christian Outreach festival and met one of their favorite rappers! Lila got a picture of course! They had a great time with friends. We love music in our house and rap is one of our favorite genres. You can hear it playing most nights during our kitchen clean up time. 🤪

Yesterday, we had a great day as a family. We enjoy all the festive activities around the 4th of July. We went to a parade with friends in the morning and the kids each got a huge bag of candy! Haha. After that we had some friends over for the day. The kids enjoyed boating, tubing, volleyball, basketball, s'mores, fishing, good food, and good times with friends. It was a beautiful day to create lasting memories of fun and friends and family. Speaking of friends, our friends Wendy and Gradon were here and they are an adoptive family too, and are currently waiting on this website too! So it is a wonderful community we have, not only because we have great friends who are great people, but also because we share adoption as a bond and the children have support and have many things in common. What a blessing. 

We love heading into town and going to the beach with friends. Our homeschool group meets up at a local spot weekly to enjoy the sand and water. Summer time is so beautiful. It is a slower time to enjoy activities and of course friends! Our usual beach day involves picking up a favorite snack in town and heading to the lake and then picking up a smoothie for the ride home. These small weekly adventures create such great memories. I think it is the little things like this that are the best! 

As a transracial family we celebrate this day. It is important for me, a mother of an African American son, to celebrate these days with our whole family. Part of that is growing in culture and knowledge of where all of our children have come from and their background, and ancestry. This is just one day out of the year to do that.  As Isaiah and our next adopted child grows, we will all learn together and grow together in how to navigate these waters of being a blended family. ❤️

 On Birth Father's Day: 

Relationships can be complex, maybe yours is a good and wonderful relationship in which you both aren't ready for a child. Sometimes the relationships between birth mothers and birth fathers can be less than ideal, and I understand that sometimes birth fathers aren't present at all. But I still wanted to take time to recognize birth fathers today, Isaiah's and our future child(ren).

As I get ready to celebrate my husband tomorrow and the wonderful Father he is, I pray for you too, our future birth father. Maybe you will be a big part of this story we are writing, maybe you won't. But either way, you are important. Happy birth father's day to you. 

Today I thought I would say a few words about our 4th child Naomi. She is 11 and she is a sweet girl. She loves deeply and is very excited for a new addition to our family. She loves being with friends and having a good time, she enjoys being able to stay up late and watch movies with her older brothers and sisters, but she also loves taking care of babies and playing legos with the little kids. She loves to be funny and silly. She loves horses and sports and she especially loves being able to walk over to grandma's house every day. Grandma tells them stories and always has a treat for our kids. 

As I took a bit of time this morning to read and pray, I was in prayer for you and your situation. I can't really put into words the complexity of this whole process, but I am certain that your end of this is heavy. As I sit here this morning, you are heavy upon my heart. I just wanted you to know. And I am in prayer for whoever sees this...it is the beauty of prayer. I'm not sure who exactly I am praying for, but God does. I find comfort in that. ❤️

We had a full weekend this past week! Grad parties, piano recitals, church and more. After the girls piano recital, we all went out to eat to celebrate their hard work. We couldn't all fit at the same table...lol...but the younger kids who sat with us had a great time! The older kids sat with grandma and grandpa. :) It is amazing how the ordinary small things of life can often be the most fun. I thought the pictures were cute, so I had to share. 

Lila, our oldest child, just had her graduation party this past weekend. It was such a special day for her! We had an outdoor party at our house with all our friends and family and community. She is so loved and supported. All our kids helped and enjoyed it. We love having large get togethers at our house. The bigger the better! ❤️

As I think about our children and how happy it makes me to have a vibrant home with lots of voices and lives, I am grateful for my marriage today. On this journey of adoption, it makes you think and ponder a lot of things. What is really important in a family? What is most important for our children and for your child? Besides the Lord I am convinced that a strong and loving marriage in the home is the most important and most comforting thing to a child growing up. I am so thankful for Tim today. I am thankful for our relationship. He is my very best friend, and our bond is so special to me. We love each other more every year and our relationship is sweet and loving. I'm so thankful for that for our children and their stability and security. 

I set up some new frames for my kiddos pictures today....I thought I would share. 

I thought that maybe I would take a few blogs to highlight our children individually since the profile itself doesn't give a lot of room for that. I am so thankful for each one of my children and the personalities and gifts they have. Our Canaan is 6 six years old and loves anything sports related right now. His favorite is basketball and he tries so hard to keep up with the big boys. It is so cute. He is our child who wants twins and told our social worker so during our homestudy update. He has a tender heart and loves babies and little ones. He just recently lost his front tooth. That is a big deal in a little boy's life. He also loves being read to and loves audiobooks, even though he is an active little guy. I love that he has all his brothers and sisters to play with and love on him and wrestle with. :) 

This weekend Noah and Abram played with friends in the Gus Macker. They had a great time and we all had a great time going to watch them play. Even though we have a large family and you would think it would be hard to participate in a lot of things, or at least for all of us to attend, we all try hard to support each other in the things our kids and siblings love and want to do! Our children have a wonderful support system not only in their parents, but also in ALL of their siblings. It really is a wonderful gift. 

Today I just wanted to send a picture of a very informal and normal event at our home...dinner time! We love enjoying dinner together every night, Tim is taking the picture so you won't see him, but it is our time of the day to reconnect with dad after work and enjoy good homecooked meals together. It is a very important part of our day....no matter how crazy it is sometimes! Someone wanted a picture of the ranch beard he got while enjoying his dinner tonight! :)

Many times today, over the course of the day, you came to my mind. The new birth momma that will enter our life sometime. I wonder how you are doing, how you are feeling, what life looks like for you right now. If there is one thing I know about the adoption process on this end of it, it is emotional. I bet it is emotional for you. I am sure this process is full of mixed emotions. 

My heart longs to pray for you and to lift you up to our Heavenly Father as you go through this incredibly monumental time in your life. I don't know what you are exactly going through, but He does. I pray that He would bring you to mind when you need prayer, or encouragement, or anything really. I rely on Him for that. And I believe He will do that. So, I want to honor and celebrate you today, as I have Isaiah's birth momma...Happy Birth Mother's Day.  

Naomi, Sybil, and Canaan got to participate in a track day at our local school just to try out the events and spark an interest in the sport. My kids had a blast! (Somehow Naomi missed the portrait session!) 

This past weekend we had our kids choir concert. It is a large group of homeschool children that performs twice a year in front of our community. It is such a great time! Lila, Noah, and Naomi all had solos and we spent the evening with our good friends. We have included a picture of the whole choir below. Our kids are learning how to sing well in 3 part harmonies and perform and act, which lets them express themselves musically. They all love it from the youngest to the oldest. 

This past weekend we all took a short trip to Minneapolis to visit a college for Lila and to have fun celebrating Sybil's birthday! She turned 8! I can't believe it. We decided to stay at a waterpark and all the kids enjoyed it so much. What wonderful memories together. ❤️

When we were in Minneapolis last weekend we had the chance to go to a concert from the Gray Havens at a local church. The kids enjoyed it, we really do love all kinds of music and going to concerts. 😀

Here's another pic from the concert.

Minneapolis! 

One more picture

As our school year winds down, our older two children were able to do a fancy dinner at our local university and also attend a play with their classmates and parents.  It was such a fun time together! Lila got her hair and nails done and Noah went to a local barbar and played basketball with friends at the Y before the event. It was fun to spend time with our older children. It is very important to us as parents to spend quality time together one on one....or two. :) 

One of our favorite games to play with the little children is Matching Bears...which is just Memory with cute little bears instead. Our kids love being able to play with Daddy. They love to beat him! 

It is always a treat when kids get to lick the frosting from the beaters!! It is so cute when our littlest ones get to enjoy it too! 

As I, Lauren, pray and seek the Lord during this time of waiting, I am in constant thought of our future birth mother. And not only her but other birth mothers who are in a time of decision. I am praying for you today, whoever reads this, even if I never know who you are or never meet you. I am praying for you as you wrestle with a lot of decisions. I have a deep burden on my heart for you. I tell people all the time..I am praying big prayers to the Lord, for birth mommas all over our nation to find comfort and strength in the Lord. For Him to give peace and clarity and wisdom for all the trials you may be going through. I thought I would share a verse that I am really loving right now....it's in the picture below.