A pony for Christmas?

A towel for a saddle, a dog leash for reigns, and the closest thing to a horse a 9 year old girl could find.......I think somebody really needs a pony for Christmas.

This and That

The animal lovers who read this blog will be happy to know that we decided to go ahead and treat Nelly's heart worms. I called around and found a vet that would treat her for half of the price the first vet quoted me. (I love half price!)

The downside of this treatment is that Nelly has to remain completely calm for an entire month, since the dead heart worms could dislodge suddenly and kill her if her heart rate increases. Thus she has been tied to the porch for three weeks watching birds fly by and children running around kicking soccer balls.


We went to visit Nanny and we had fun dreaming of her setting up a trailer house on our property where we could go visit her any time we feel like it. When I asked her what was new in her life, she expressed her complete and utter disappointment that she had just been to the doctor and found out her pacemaker is supposed to last seven more years. This is funny, because anyone who knows my grandma knows how much she would like to go home and see Grandpa. She prays every night, "Lord, if you don't need me in the mornin', don't bother waking me up.".........I guess He still needs you, Grandma.

Here, while Nanny is fixing a little crocheted trinket, Hope asks, "Nanny, why is your skin so bumpy? Oh, I know, it's because you're so old." Later Hope told me that Nanny must be even older than me!

One of the highlights of going to Nanny's house is the kids get to pick something out of Nanny's "treasure chest"/i.e. a dresser containing items won at Bingo or found in someone's throw away stash. This activity is way more fun that going to an amusement park. I promise. If you don't believe me, take your kids to Nanny's house, you'll see that it is true. We came home with a whiskey glass, a framed kitten, a couple of wooden spoons, a crocheted thread holder, and a bonnet.

Would you believe we emptied the entire file cabinet looking for a lien release letter from the bank so we could sell our car? We found receipts and bank statements dating back to 1993, but no lien release letter. Guess who had a good time burning papers and documents this weekend?


Oh, and we sold our Suburban. Listed it on Craigslist Saturday night with this photo and it was sold by Sunday afternoon. Man, I love Craigslist!

Goodbye faithful friend. So sorry we outgrew you.

Host a Russian orphan for 10 days

All of the children pictured below are Russian orphans available for adoption. They will be traveling to Tulsa next month to participate in Vacation Bible School programs and hopefully experience, even if for only 10 days, what life is like in a real family and real home. Last year our family attended one of their programs and we all left in tears, vowing that next time they were in town we would try to host one.

So guess what? We are going to have the opportunity to host this year! We are all very excited and anxious to find out which one of these beautiful faces will be "ours".

Can you please do me a favor? If you live in the Tulsa area or know someone who does, please consider hosting one of these children or at least tell someone else who might be interested. Several more homes are needed. If there aren't enough homes, somebody has to stay behind. :( Please, please help me spread the word. Thank you. We are really excited to be a part of this wonderful program. Click here to read more about it and feel free to email me with questions.

Alena, 10, calls herself “optimistic”, a description her delightful DVD demonstrates well. Alena, who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, smiled more as her interviewer’s English translations got longer.

Sergei, 11, knows his birthday is in the fall, but he’s been in the orphanage long enough he was not sure exactly when it was. At the time his interview was done, he had never had cake or ice cream.

Evjeniy Z., 12, wishes for a horse, pig, cat, and dog. He asked God to help him be a good student.

Lidia, 12, and Elena, 14, are sisters. They have lived in the orphanage over three years. Elena says she has gotten used to orphanage life. She finished eighth grade, where she was the best student. Lidia just finished fifth grade. Like her sister, she does well in school.

Dmitry, 11, shares secrets and everything else with his best friend. He likes visiting a teacher who makes crafts with him. Brother Alexander, 6, loves puzzles. He’d like to be a pilot in the future.

Vasily, 10, would like to have a real, little car. He says he once took a car apart with a friend, so he knows how to fix them.

Vitaly, 7, and Alexandra, 5, are siblings. A faith-filled host family is needed as no further information is currently available.

Evjeniy P., 12, said he is “trying so hard” in school. He speaks a little English and would like to practice it more in America. He said he would love to make the world a brighter and happier place.

Dmitry, 6, wants to be a soldier so he can protect people. He says he’s brave, though he is scared of snakes. He likes picking berries and mushrooms.

Dmitry K., 13,would like to be an archeologist because he’d love to go to Egypt. He said he’s read the Bible and knows that Jesus came to earth. He wishes he could help poor people.

Anastasia, 11, would like to be a rescue worker when she's older. She wishes for continued health (Sister of Anna, two photos below)

Confident Andrei, 12, having spent eight years in an orphanage, hopes for a good family. Enjoying both soccer and teaching, he hopes to meld these interests into a career as a soccer coach.

Anna, 9, wishes she could have a doll.

Anastasia, 14, enjoys physical education. If she could change the world, she would make everyone kind and nice. Anastasia was sick when interviewed, but did her best anyway.

Alexander, 12, is described by his orphanage director as a friendly boy, usually in a good mood, who needs a family very much. When asked if he has many friends, he said yes, explaining “the whole orphanage is my friend!”

Jumping for Joy

Sitting on the trampoline while her brothers and sisters jump around her is probably Ava's favorite thing to do in the whole world. Several times a day she looks out the dining room window longingly, looks over at me, and signs "jump". Sometimes I appease her and sometimes I pretend like I have no idea what she is trying to say. Each time I've been on the trampoline with her I tell myself that next time I'll remember to bring my camera out to capture the joy on her face. I finally remembered this time.

More proof that adoption is perfectly natural.....

Three wilted flowers

Our church has started a ministry to the local children's shelter, and I had the opportunity to go volunteer there tonight for the first time.

The boys were all out on an event so I got to hang out with the girls (plus one boy who lost his going-out privilege. Being outnumbered 15:1 should teach him to behave next time!).

There was one little girl who really latched on to me. She seemed SO sad. I kept trying to distract her with stories and games, talking about what she likes to do, etc. I asked her what was bothering her and she just shrugged her shoulders but continued to follow me around and hold my hand the whole evening.

I remembered a nugget of wisdom from Karyn Purvis about connecting with the hurt child, and I said, "Sweetheart, I would do anything in my power to meet your needs but you have to tell me. What do you need?"

Those were the magic words. She began to cry and she said, "I wish Daddy wasn't in jail. And I wish Mommy would get a job so I could go home. I miss her so much." I didn't know what else to say but "I know you do." And I hugged her and it took everything in me not to cry with her too.

(When I asked her to tell me about her mom, she said, "Well, she's pretty fat." :) Man, I love kids!)

I wish I could grant this little girl a safe and a happy future, guarantee her a wonderful childhood and life. To be honest I felt completely helpless knowing her hurts were obviously so deep and her needs so great, and there was so little I could do in a two hour period. I'll be back next week or next month but she may not be. I may never see her again.

That little girl picked three flowers for me on our walk, three flowers that are already wilted. Three little flowers that almost just went into the trash can, but will instead decorate my bathroom mirror to remind me of that little girl and will remind me to pray for her. I may have no clue where she is next week. I may be not be able to meet her every need and guarantee her a happy life, but I know Someone who loves her far more than I do and is far more capable than I of meeting her needs. You'd better believe I will be praying for her. Maybe you will join me tonight in prayer for my new little friend.

Water balloon volleyball!

A hot day+a bunch of kids+balloons+water+towels=Water balloon volleyball!!