Today, God is speaking my language.

I have been thinking about the ministry that my parents have been involved in throughout the years. Both of my parents love the word of God and love sharing scripture with others. My mom has shared exciting Bible stories with lots of children in every community we have lived in. My dad has discipled men over the years and has always studied scripture. The Seed Company is an organization committed to spreading God's word around the world.   They train translators and send them to people around the world who do not have the Bible in their language. For Mother's Day I donated to a project training women to share Bible stories with women. For Father's Day I donated money to The Seed Company to train translators. It's a gift from my parents that I can read God's word. It's time for all people to hear and know about God's love.

Playing Catch Up

Food really speaks to the kids. One night Robin was gone and so I took the 3 of us out to eat and then to the library for a quick visit. One of the kids said later, "This was a fun night." It was a simple evening, but we had been having a few days where one child was not very happy. For some reason, the outing of food seemed to soften hearts and helped us move past the anger. Anyway, a great night.

Our puppet group ended the year with a full service in Junior Church. We had a few hiccups along the way trying to put this together, but by the end of it, we had a GREAT time and it all went smoothly.

Robin loves his sound system.

We had a nice group of kids show up which always helps the puppeteers.

One of the moms came out and joined us for the last few practices. She was a HUGE help and we are so thankful she jumped on board.

We also pulled a ringer in from olden days. Kaylin was home and agreed to help us as well. Needless to say, she jumped right in and was a BIG help. 

We ended our time with some backlight fun. We had the kids make their own backlight props and then we just let them go. Emily did this with her group a couple of months ago at The Club. She said that it was a hit there so we borrowed her idea and it definitely was a hit with these kids as well. They loved it. 

Our final group. A really great bunch which we enjoyed so much. They pulled together so well and our show was a lot of fun.

Robin and I have gotten out a few times together over the past few weeks. On this night, we hired a babysitter for Gaëlle while Peter was at youth group and we went for a long walk on a trail near the church. What a blast.

Gaëlle had her first shot for Precocious Puberty in June. It was quite an experience. It was a large shot and she definitely felt it. And she knows that she'll be getting this monthly. So it called for a treat afterwards. She asked for a Starbucks Treat. Once we got there, she went for a fancy drink while I got coffee.

Emily is passionate about rights for people living with disabilities. One of her beliefs is that we  need to provide more options for adults living with disabilities so that they can have more freedom and a better quality of life. So she participated in a demonstration in front of a local group home. I went along because I also believe that we can do more. 

Robin had a birthday this week. Wahoo. Emily made him potato salad. It is definitely one of his favourites and I think this was Emily's first time making a traditional potato salad but you would never know it. It was great.

Kaylin made him one of his favourite cakes for his birthday; Lemon Meringue Cake. It was also delicious. 

I'm so blessed to be a part of Robin's life. I can't imagine a better partner to be sharing this journey with. Happy Birthday.

I'm just sharing this because... what a fun little bottle of ketchup. Last night Kaylin stayed home with the kids while Robin and I went out again, by ourselves. Wow. Robin had a burger and fries and they came with this little jar of personal ketchup. 

There's a grad in the house

Last Thursday Emily graduated from Dalhousie University with a degree in Neuroscience. It was a great day of celebration.

She has worked so hard and accomplished so much in her 4 years of university. And now this chapter is over.

When we were outside taking pictures, a professor insisted we get the eagle in the building behind us. She got on the ground to take the picture. 

Our own flying eagle.

Loving and hugging.

The happy graduate.

We couldn't be happier for her as she takes off on new adventures and challenges.

From one end of the province to the other

This week we had a lot going on. Peter has been playing volleyball and has been enjoying it. This week teams from his school went to Sydney (the northern tip of NS) for Jeux de l’Acadie. Robin went as a chaperone and from all accounts is having a blast. Not really. 

When he went to the parent information session he was surprised by how many parents were driving there (not going on the bus), renting a hotel room (not sleeping on the floor of a school), and not chaperoning (not responsible for junior high kids who are not your own). 

Let's just say, the next time Peter is going on a school trip, Robin will be driving, staying in a hotel room and not chaperoning. Junior High kids are known for their immaturity and obnoxious behaviour but unfortunately, it seems to be taken up a notch. Anyway, Peter is having a great time. And that's all that counts, right?

My parents came up this week because my cousin passed away. Gaëlle hauled out the cards and convinced her Grampy to play non stop with her.

Kaylin gave Grammy a computer lesson on printing her photos and resizing them. 

Kaylin has been in clinical for the month of May but she also was home for the long weekend. Snickers was super happy to cuddle with her. we are always happy to see her, but Snickers truly shows it.

Gaëlle's school had a multicultural day on Thursday. So here she is in her costume representing Haiti. It was a little difficult to come up with a costume because to my knowledge Haiti doesn't have a national dress or costume. But I figured if we went for colourful skirt, we couldn't go wrong.

It was nice to have a full table for breakfast. 

The burial was in Sandford which would be the other end of NS from Sydney. We stopped for lunch and saw a photo op. 

It was a gorgeous day and I'm so glad we were able to go.

Gaëlle has a cousin who is her age. They don't see each other often but when they do, they get along great. So they had a chance to play together after the burial. I'm really sorry for the circumstance of my parents trip and our trip to Sandford, but I was glad that we could visit with family. Gaëlle always seems to love the connections and trying to figure out who is who. And what does that mean for her? 

Mother's Day 2014

I've been singing a song lately by the band "Downhere" called Lving the Dream. So for Mother's Day I was given a really fun decorated mug with those words on it and all of my kids names at the bottom. I absolutely love it. It was Gaëlle's idea to fill the mug with Snickers Candy Bars. Love it. And everything else my family did to show me love today. It's such an honour to be a mom to my 5 kids and to be a daughter to my amazing mother.

This week Ann Voskamp wrote about an initiative to share the Bible orally with woman in Asia. I immediately thought of my mom because she is one of the best storytellers I know. I was also blessed as my kids donated to The Esther Initiative. I can't wait to see the fruit of that ministry. 

I'll finish with the song that has been played in our house over the last few weeks. I really am "Living the Dream". So blessed.

On the bed - On the bookshelf - On the table

Mia is in the house. And on the couch. And on the table. And under the couch. And basically everywhere. Emily moved out of her apartment last weekend in order to get ready for her summer travels. And after that, she will be heading to Alberta for grad school. So, now there's a cat in the house. As much as we want to support our girls, we also unfortunately don't want a cat. So, I think there will be a parting of the ways soon with Mia and the family. Unless the girls can come up with another solution. 

Just a snapshot of one book each of us is reading. Gaëlle has discovered the joys of American Girl books and before she goes to bed we are reading "Jess". Peter is reading the Hunger Games Trilogy. This is a popular series that most kids his age have already read or at least they have seen the movies. I am reading a really interesting book about how we as North Americans try to help those who are materially poor. Are we doing it well? Can we do it better? I highly recommend "When Helping Hurts". Robin has just finished a book by the founder of International Justice Mission called, "The Locust Effect". This book is about the effect of the lack of justice in developing countries. The author describes a little bit of the background of the justice system for countries that were previously under colonial rule and how that is impacting their view of justice today. The author believes there won't be any real progress in development until a strong justice system is in place.

One of Emily's friends from camp last summer came to visit last week. Khalid is from France and he decided he wanted to see Canada. So Emily did her best to show him all around. They even took a brief trip to Montreal. In this photo he joined us at an international potluck here in Halifax. We even sat at a table with a francophone from New Brunswick so they spent some time speaking together. His English is great and so he didn't have any trouble getting around. That's one of the nice things about Emily's experiences in Thailand and Wisconsin. She knows people from all over the world.

Another First

Today was another step in our precocious puberty journey. It was the day of the MRI. This was just to rule out other reasons for the early puberty. Unfortunately, We didn't have a lot of prep for the procedure. When we received the appointment, they didn't give us a lot of details and I didn't get my questions answered. But we have had great experiences at the IWK. The staff have treated us well and  I knew once we got to the MRI area, it would be no different. 

I had to fill out a few forms and this is when Gaëlle started showing her anxiety. The questions started. The technician was very nice and let us know what to expect. Gaëlle found the room cold so they brought her a heated blanket. Jealous. I love those!!!! She also got to choose a movie to watch. The machine is loud so she wore earphones to block out the noise and to provide the sound to the movie as well as audio to the technician. The movie was in the glasses that she wore. She was also given a call button so that if she ever felt like she needed something she could press it and the technician would talk to her. 

She was laying down on the bed, covered with the blanket and she started crying. She told us her stomach hurt. I was actually so proud of her. She never lets us know when she is legitimately scared and this time she did. I affirmed her and said that it was hard not to know exactly what was going to happen. I really didn't know either, but the technician has done this a lot and we could trust her. It only took her a few minutes to calm down. She was slid into the machine and it started. 

She did so well. Towards the end, she had a needle to inject dye so they could trace the blood flow. I think. She wasn't thrilled with that either, but she handled it like a trooper. 

Anyway, now we wait for the results. I'm not expecting anything, but at least we will know for sure.

Catching Up

On Good Friday our church put together a turkey dinner for a local shelter. The kids made some cards to give out during the meal. 

The kids also decorated some cupcakes. I have done this with birthday parties before and the cupcakes end up loaded with candy. But the kids always enjoy their masterpieces.

Wow. Just a week ago was our annual Bunny Day hunt. I made up 5 bags of candy for my family but only one child chose to hunt this year. 

Did she find one?

Kaylin was along to give out some hints. Found it!!!

Gaëlle enjoying the fruit of her labour. Interestingly enough, Peter was the first one to go through his candy this time. Usually Gaëlle obsesses when there is candy around, but this time she handled it well and ate a bit at a time and didn't constantly hound us. I hope this continues for her.

Volunteering for Life

Emily has had several volunteer opportunities over the years and sometimes finds herself over committed. And when she commits to an organization, person, idea, she doesn't just show up; she totally involves herself, which contributes to her overcommitment. This year she was recognized for that type of enthusiasm. 

She has spent lots of time with an organization called THE CLUB. They offer programs and drop in times for youth and adults with mental and physical disabilities. They basically welcome anybody who feels excluded. So not only has Emily spent lots of time there, she did what she does best and she initiated a therapy option. She started a puppet club. Now that sounds simple enough but Emily is one who goes above and beyond and made sure anybody who wanted to, could participate. She really put a lot of thought and creativity into the performances. It has been a wonderful tool for some of the youth who don't normally get excited about other activities. 

This Wednesday the ceremony was held, and she received recognition for her efforts. Way to go Emily. I know this isn't just a way to pass time for Emily but a way of life. 

I'm ending this week with a picture demonstrating how much Peter eats. This is his second plate of food one night this week. He had already polished off a full plate and this was his second go. He finished off his meal with a bowl of ice cream. It's no wonder we never have left overs around here.

Junk food to soothe our souls

Well I don't have any pictures of Peter this week, so instead I'll post a picture of what Peter did. We made whoopee pies last week and used Fluff for the icing. So, of course I bought the larger jar and we have lots of fluff left over. What to do? Make fluffed nutter sandwiches. Sunday morning I came down into the kitchen to see Peter's attempt at spreading the fluff on top of the peanut butter. Clumps of fluff and not much else. 

Just so you know, I'm not entirely a bad mom when it comes to nutrition. The declaration has been made, that fluff only comes out on the weekends. Both kids have tested this during the past week, but I remain firm. I don't need the kids bragging about the marshmallows they have for breakfast. 

On Monday Gaëlle had an appointment with the endocrinologist and had blood work done. Blood was taken, then hormones were injected to stimulate the pituitary gland and after 40 minutes, another sample was taken. She was very nervous and anxious about this appointment. She was hyper focused on the nurse and IV as this procedure was taking place. Lots of questions. There was a second nurse in the room helping to keep the arm straight and stationary and she tried her best to distract Gaëlle, but she was focused and would not engage with this nurse. Our experience has been great so far and I'm so thankful for a wonderful children's hospital in our city.

As you can see, we brought the tablet so she could watch a movie and she had a bag of sun chips, so it wasn't all bad. Looks quite comfortable to me. 

We've already received the results and we have decided to pursue treatment for precocious puberty. I first heard about this from another adoptive mom's blog and until that time had no idea what this was and what the issues were. As this is quite common with our adopted children, please feel free to ask me questions privately. 

Friday night and all is well with our world. We purchased the movie Frozen and Gaëlle enjoyed her bowl of popcorn and the movie. It's such a clever movie about the love shared between sisters. We absolutely love it and we love the music.