How Did it Happen?

Christine asked, "How did you wind up getting both girls?"
The Lord.

When Mike and I were empty nesters, or near- empty nesters, we met our daughter Anna. She was a foster child here in the U.S. She asked us to be her parents. We were told she asks everybody that.... :) I'm sure she did. But it pricked our hearts. All children want parents, and to have a permanent family.
After prayer and paperwork, Anna came to our home. It was FAST. We didn't realize how fast until we became more aware of the adoption world.

After Anna had been home for about a year, she asked for a sister. We told her, "If God wants you to have a sister, he'll bring one."That is when we got the email about Sarah. Sarah is in the red sweater in the above picture. This was taken in Ukraine, before we knew her. When we contacted our social worker she was so excited... "I already had you picked!" 5 days later.... we had Sarah in our home.
Sarah was from Ukraine and came with an entire entourage of people. Papa Dima, Hal from the Pentagon, just to name a couple. :) She was 5 (almost 6) After being here just 3 days, we had phone calls and I looked at her and said, "Wow, for 5 years old, you sure do know some important people!" LOL
Sarah settled in just fine, and then began to open up abit about her life. She kept telling us about this little girl that was her best friend. They used to do hair together and she couldn't bend her arms, but she could do hair! And she was nice and not mean. And she wore funny shoes. And, she was worried when I left.... I hope she is ok..... etc.

So, I called those people back who called us, for information about who this little girl could be.
I saw a picture Sarah had brought with her, and the little girl in the picture had the saddest look on a child I had ever seen. In fact, it haunted me. I could not sleep.
( I took a picture of the picture I am talking about. Sorry it isn't clearer)The picture was taken on Sarah's goodbye day. Sarah was smiling and Erika was profoundly sad.
We were given a new picture, and I had it on the desktop of the computer for Sarah to see in the a.m. She was so funny when she saw it! It's her! How did you do that mommy? HOW? :)This is the picture Papa Dima sent to us.
Then, Anna and Sarah were both jumping up and down saying "Let's adopt her, let's adopt her!"

With the information I had, I found out she was available for adoption, but Mike and I couldn't possibly be the people to do this. After all, we already raised 4 boys, then 2 girls were here and we were after all, getting older! (I was still in my 40's lol)

So we asked around, sent emails, and let everybody we knew, know about this little girl. We were told she was very sweet and a "good girl" from Papa Dima. We were also told, she was too old to stay where she was, and would be going to a terrible place on the other side of Ukraine. It was a mental asylum.
No, Erika is not mentally ill; but there were no places for her to go.

We called our pastor and told him we were concerned for her. I blurted out, "We would do it, but it is impossible! Who has that kind of money?" He very wisely said, "With God, nothing is impossible!" He was so right!
A week later, an anonymous person came to us and asked us why we were not the ones adopting Erika? I let him know that it had to do with finances.
He said, "Is that all?" IS THAT ALL? That is quite a bit!
He said, "If you'll adopt her, I'll pay for it."

So, here we go, having NO CLUE, what we were doing, got a hold of Sarah's old agency and signed up. We payed our money and then adoptions shut down in Ukraine.
However, God was bigger than all that.
7 months later, they opened back up; but only for Special needs children, older children and for those who had already adopted Ukrainian children and FILLED OUT THEIR PAPERWORK~!
Though Sarah was Ukrainian, we adopted her domestically and we were not really obligated to do the paper work. We adopted her as an American Citizen. But we felt morally responsible to do so, even though she had only been with us for 6 weeks before the first report was due. Had we not done that..... I hate to think what could have happened.

God's hand was on Erika. She was supposed to leave the orphanage the VERY DAY our intent to adopt letter showed up on the director's desk, and he emailed us right away. "Are you sure you are going to adopt?"
Erika remembers her bags were packed and then she had to go back to the baby house and she was mad. She didn't know where she was going, but she was ready to get out of that place.

The Lord had her wait 7 long months. She was sad and abit depressed because she didn't understand what was happening.
She never imagined anybody would come for her, because nobody had before. She remembered crying again and again as children left with new parents. She had no one.

The whole Ukraine trip was one of the most amazing things of our lives. We savored every minute of it. I could not believe the conditions I was seeing. I could not believe so many beautiful children could be in such sad conditions. Their little faces are forever etched into our memories.

So in answer to your question:

The Lord paved the way for us to go and get her. He is the one who made it all possible.
We are all very aware of that, and in awe of it. It never gets old. :)

And we trust that He knows what is best for us, for the rest of our lives. Will our family grow?
If He wills it, we are open. :)

LIFE IS EXCITING!
and that sad, sad little girl, has become a confident happy young lady who is about to turn 12!!!!!
And somehow, this is about as close as I think I will get to the Eifel Tower. :)

Treasures

Some precious new photos have surfaced. One of them I had seen before, but not the other one.
I cropped a few to get more detail. Sarah's fingers on both hands were fused together, and bent down to where she couldn't lift them. The first surgery she ever had, before she came home to us, was on her hands. I remember when our friend Hal Tait, (the guy who provides all the "somebody from the pentagon loves me" shirts) called, I sent him a few pictures of the girls, and he wept with joy that Sarah's hands looked so wonderful. He said, "WOW! She has separated fingers!" Of course, at the time, I didn't know why she had had the surgery. Now I do. :)
These pictures are so precious. Sarah looks just the same, and the one in the back with the ponytails is Erika! :)



Sarah and Erika only spent 11 months together in the orphanage. But it was a bond forged in love and Sarah never forgot Erika for one minute. Erika didn't forget Sarah either!

On March 18 or 9th, we left for Ukraine to bring Erika home. It was a long journey and we KNEW going, that Erika and Sarah belonged together, with Anna.
Here are a couple of pictures of them meeting once again in April, at the Airport in Dallas, after being apart for nearly 2 years.
I remember Sarah saying (in this picture) SHE IS SO BIG! And Erika not understanding what she said, and speaking to Sarah in Russian, and then Sarah saying, "I NEVER talked like that!"
LOL
Anna was ready to start playing, and was VERY happy to have another playmate.

Holiness

Ok, this is titled Holiness, so why the embarrassing picture of all the crud under my fridge?
Well, for some reason Christine's blog post about her fridge combined in my mind about what I am studying ; made perfect sense; probably only to me, who is now broadcasting the filth under my fridge to all of bloggy world, but there is a point to be made. My righteousness is like the crud under my fridge.

I am reading a book right now by J.C. Ryle. J.C. Ryle lived in the 1800's. However, his writings continue to bless us to this day. The book is called "Holiness, It's Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots". I am only on Chapter 2 and already I am drawn in, by the richness of this book.

I was reading about Sanctification this a.m., and as I was reading, about how the Holy Spirit makes us anew, when we have trusted in Christ. We are justified AND sanctified, and the true believer will have light, even if it is a glimmer of light, where before coming into the marvelous light, there was nothing but darkness.

This writer went on to talk of the false teachings that permeate the church. And this was in the 1800's! As I was reading I was drawn in and began to examine my own life, my own heart.... do I feast on the things that are lovely? Do I desire HIM, more and more?
Am I ABIDING in HIM?

Sadly, there are many areas in my life that I know are nothing but filthy. I don't want to be filthy.... I want to be totally sanctified NOW... I don't want to struggle... I don't want to..... yet this is the condition of my soul. God has made me alive in Christ, but has not removed my old nature. My old nature battles each day, with a renewed heart and mind. It battles to take back what it has lost. But Praise the Lord, through Jesus Christ for His infinite, wonderful, loving grace and mercy that he shows me each and every day. His mercies are new every morning and I rejoice in Christ my Savior and my Lord. I know that there is nothing good dwelling in me.
I know that I am only alive in Christ, because he called me out of the miry clay. He desires to mold and shape me. And I have the eternal hope that someday, I will cease to struggle and will be rid of this sinful flesh that weighs upon me, and I will be with HIM.
So why THIS under the fridge picture?
God chooses to see me like this: BECAUSE of Jesus Christ. There is nothing I can do to find favor with God, outside of Jesus Christ. In Christ, I am pure and clean, justified (just as if I'd never sinned) and am being sanctified..... :)

And now, I'll put my fridge back.

I was just horrified by the thought of what is under the stove!

New Skates

A couple of days ago, our neighbor's daughter Haley was cleaning out her things that she no longer wanted. She came over to play, and brought Anna a new pair of skates that were barely used. They fit Anna perfectly and she was so very excited! She has never had roller skates. She has never really asked for them, but after Ice Skating last a couple of weeks ago, she brought up the idea of roller skates.

It is so cool,when the Lord blesses our children with the unexpected. :)
For 2 days now, Anna has had roller blades glued to her feet. I'm surprised she didn't try to sleep with them ..... However, she is doing school with them on. LOL

The other blessing, that made my heart joyful, was that Sarah and Erika were truly joyful that Anna received such a nice gift, even though they didn't. They were all out there laughing and playing and dragging her down the drive way, and on the front porch. I love it when children can be happy for each other.

The other neat thing, was last night Anna showed me the special card she made for Haley to thank her for the skates.

Trying Times

Well, it has happened again. Just when I figured it was safe to post pictures of our baby goat, another life has been snuffed out. This time, it was by the goats own mother. She laid on him last night in the barn and killed him. It was an accident, but heartbreaking non the less.
We found him this a.m. in the barn when he didn't come out with the others for feeding time.

I think I am truly done with goats. We will keep one, who is trained by the girls, and is able to keep the lawn mowed. The others, we are going to phase out.

This has been a hard 6 months for our family, with all the health issues, and deaths of both family members, friends and animals. (not that any animal is even comparable to a family member or a friend)
As I write this, we have 2 more friends who are both dying. One I just found out about last night, and the other is our friend Phil, who is succumbing to a sepsis infection that has been ravaging his body off and on for over a year. We are trusting in our Lord, that He will bring about His perfect will and plan in all of this , and that our hearts will see the wisdom of His plan. But it is hard.

I don't have a picture to post that is specific, but somehow deep down, I find myself comforted by our Lord, that He is truly in control. I am so glad that is true. I could not imagine life without Him in control. So, I will rest.

There are no guarantees in this life. No guarantees of physical comforts or that life will be easy.
But we do have guarantees that the Lord works ALL things out for God for those who are called according to HIS purpose and plan; even the hard things.

I have reason to rejoice and be glad. My arm is getting better and better. I am starting to see more and more range of motion. The girls are happy and healthy. Mike has a JOB, which is something to be VERY thankful for. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings, and we are thankful for each and every member of our family and extended family.

The Lord blessed us with a small happy surprise for a short time, and brought smiles to all of us. He even blessed Sweetie Pie with a baby, when we all thought she was barren. Everything we have is His.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

A BIG Surprise!

Well, He is sorta little. Erika's goat Sweetie Pie had a baby yesterday to all of our surprise!
Sweetie Pie is 3 years old and has never had a baby. She has always wanted a baby, because when the other goats had theirs, she would be very attentive to their babies..... and then yesterday, we heard a baby goat Maaaa- Maaaaaa.... and there was Sweetie Pie, sorta freaked out by what had happened to her. :)
The girlies could not be more excited. I fear this one will be loved to death! :)


So, now, they need to figure out a name. I vote for Surprise. :)

Carr Family Leg Drive

Meet the Carr Family
Is having AN EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER! :)
We are happy for them. We enjoy seeing them at camp, and various activities at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Well, this time, they were in Hawaii, while we all went to the hospital for a leg drive. Ryanne wanted to donate legs for children who don't have any in Haiti. She is such a sweet little girl with an infectious smile. A foundation is taking the legs to Haiti for all of the new amputees over there.
The girls brought legs they had outgrown, and we all got to meet Paige, and the film crew
who were filming the show. They interviewed the kids and showed everybody signing up and yelling HELLO from TEXAS....
It was a lot of fun! The Carrs will be back from Hawaii on Thursday. We may drive out there to see them MOVE THAT BUS~! How fun. :)

Guess Who's Been Watching Ice Dancing!

Anna and Sarah just broke into spontaneous dance. :) It is supposed to be on ice, so the kitchen floor sufficed. I thought they did pretty good!

We're Gonna Be Grandparents Again!

This is what Sam's little sibling looks like at 8 weeks.... :)
According to Sam, the baby is very small and growing slowly in Mommy's tummy! :)
Our children that live in Maryland, are expecting a new bundle of joy, and I am so thrilled for them.
Sam has been a temendous blessing to everybody he meets, and I just know this new little baby will also be a blessing.
We don't know if it is a boy or a girl right now, so for now, we will refer to this one as "Baby Grape"..... :)
I am always amazed, that by the time you find out you are pregnant, the baby already has formed arms and legs, a beating heart with it's own circulatory system.
This baby already has a personality, and features, and a soul. WOW.... that always amazes me.

King David in the book of Psalms 139:13 "You formed my inward parts" "You wove me in my mother's womb" Psalms 139:14 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made, my soul knows it very well. "

God doesn't make mistakes... EVER.... in his wisdom, love and compassion, He gives us what is best. Sometimes, that is an imperfect body. Sometimes it is a handicap, sometimes it is a special gift.... in all cases, each person, in personal worship, in total dependence upon the ONE AND ONLY, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, brings GLORY to GOD which is our highest purpose.
God knows us, very well. He knows what we need, and he knows what our parents need. Romans 8:28, says, "He causes ALL things, to work out for the good, for those who love him, and are called according to His purposes.

This little baby grape, can already, in his or her soul, bring glory to the Creator who has made him. As his inward parts are formed, as he is knit in Becca's womb, I pray that this little one will know that he is called to please the Lord and Bring Glory to Him.

I am excited for this future little Minich.... and for his big brother and mom and dad too. :)

The Chicken and the Cat

I'm tellin' ya, Anna the Animal Whisperer, has these animals totally tamed, even with each other!
Bob RARELY gets canned cat food. Usually on Christmas day, is the only time he has a delicious canned meal.
But today was different. He had a can of food. He was enjoying it, when the lonely chicken showed up.
They eyed each other.

He showed her his can of chicken cat food.
and she ate it.
What a cannibal!

Discovery Channel Show

At Summer Camp last year, the discovery channel people were there to film a segment of their show called "Life Without Arms". Because we don't have cable television, we were never able to actually view the show.

A friend called on the night of the show and said, "I saw Erika on TV!" I told her we hadn't seen the show but were curious how it came out.

At our camp, there are children with multiple limb loss or limb difference. It featured one of our campers who's name is Nadia. She is an adorable little girl who was born with no arms.

Well, when Mike came back from camp, we had a video recording of the show so we could watch it, thanks to Erika's friend Brittany. :) Thanks Brittany!

I was so impressed with how this show was handled. It featured a man who had no arms and was a professional musician and single father. It featured a girl with no arms who was flying a plane by herself. It featured Nadia too.

What a blessing to watch each of these precious people say, that living with limb loss is just no big deal. The biggest thing was that THEY viewed themselves as normal and as children, just didn't get what all the fuss was about. :)

That is EXACTLY what it is like for our girls who have limb loss, and our son who has cerebral palsy. If you don't know any different, it just is, what it is....
There are times when it hits you that you are different. But unlike an adult who loses a limb due to illness or accident, it just isn't a tragedy. As Nadia's mom says, "they are just comfortable in their skin."
And I am SO GLAD!
I'm really glad we got to see the show, and I even saw myself too. LOL

Erika and Daddy

Ever since Erika and Daddy set eyes on each other, it has been one of those sweet, sweet stories of a daughter and her daddy.

It is hard to put into words how special they are to me, and to each other.
There is really something special about the unconditional love that Mike showers on each of the girls, that makes him so very special. He has taught me a lot in the area of just accepting how things are and working with each child in a different way.

This weekend is family camp reunion from Summer camp. Usually up to 5 people can attend, but this year the maximum was 4, which would have left one of the girls out. We didn't want to do that, so we decided that it would be great for Erika and Dad to go together, and I would stay home with the girlies and do something else special.

Mike has a busy day every day running an auto shoppe, and it is really hard for him to get away, but he made it! He and Erika took off yesterday afternoon. They share the same likes in Christian Music, so as they were leaving , Erika shouted out the window, "We are going to rock and roll all the way to camp!" LOL

The one question I had this a.m. when he called was, "Did the morning ritual take place?"
It did. :)
The morning ritual is that Erika puts on her legs, gets the straps nice and tight, and then comes out for breakfast and asks daddy to tighten them because he is the only one who can get them just right. :)
It is an early morning "I love you" ritual.

What thrills my heart most, is that these little times are memory makers for our children that they will carry with them the rest of their lives.
I'm so glad they got this time together. :)

Daddy And Erika Went To Winter Camp

Soooo, Mommy, Anna and Sarah went out on the town!
We went Ice Skating. (correction, THEY went Ice skating)
They did so great for their very first time! After that, we went to Chuckie Cheese
and tomorrow we are going to a gymnastics class to try it out!
We took Katie along with us, and we all had a blast! I'm sure Erika and Daddy are having
a great time too. :)

The Star Spangled Banner

These little girls are amazing! They are 6, 7 and 8. My friend and co mother to our son and daughter, :) posted this on facebook. Thanks Susan! :)

Moving On From Loss

This has been a tough week.

We have had a lot of loss, but we trust that the Lord is Good.
We had two baby goats born a few days ago, and both of them died not long after birth.
It was so very sad. The mama would not care for them, and we tried, but there was definitely something wrong.
Then, our little kitty, (I have known she was having either kidney or liver problems)
was just not growing. She stayed the same as a two week old, and last night, she died.
There have been questions about kittens and heaven.
Are there animals in heaven? I believe there are. (so there is my picture of kitty in heaven)
What a LOT to deal with!
The girls have shed their tears, and I was most concerned about Sarah. She tends to just brush things off. Not this time. She really cried, and was comforted by our talks and snuggles.

We found out yesterday, that all of our neighbors lost baby goats and adult goats over the last 2 weeks. One neighbor lost 15 babies and some adults. The other neighbor lost all her adult goats.
We are not sure what caused it, but it was very swift.

I was talking to the girls about disaster striking and how many times people blame God, not seeing the blessings before them, or the peaceful blessings from the past. People tend to forget to thank Him for the many wonderful things he provides for our lives. So we thanked Him for the goats we still have, and that we are all healthy and have a home to live in.

We also talked about what we can do to get prepared for our next step in animal adventures.
We will be waiting for a while, and investigating different "hearty" breeds of dog.
Some time in the next few months, there may be a picture of a puppy around here. :)

The Old House

The girlies and I went to the old house with Mike, to fix it up for selling. There is still much to do, and not much I can do but be a good conversationalist and sweep things. :)
My body is not ready for hard work, but my heart is there. Does that count?
Anyhoo, Mike likes the company. :) And the girls loved the idea of stopping at Chick Filla on the way.
Mike and I bought that house the year after we married. We leased it the first year, and in fact, we got married in the den. I moved in 6 weeks before we got married, and he just visited for dinner. :)
We raised all of the boys there, we have good memories of that old house. As I was walking through, all these memories flooded in, and while a white tile floor may not mean anything but extra mopping to one person, it means more to me. My husband layed that floor. Our friend Chris and he grouted it. He handmade the wooden countertops in the bathrooms, and his dad and he put in the front door and shower.
I think that is part of the reason it has been hard for him to let go. We have wanted, or I should say, NEEDED to sell for a long time.
But now, the time has finally come.

It was funny watching the girlies run through there and see how really small that house is compared to where we are today. (1,300 sq. ft. compared to 1900 sq. ft.)
They were saying, "Wow, I can't believe all of you lived in such a small house!" I never thought our house was small. Actually, I like SMALLER to LARGER.... it is much easier to live simply, and not collect "stuff".
The home we have now is larger, which means more stuff can fit in. :)
Smaller is easier to keep clean! I could not imagine having to clean a larger house.
I can barely keep up with what I have now!

I always have this secret IKEA dream of a way to live in smaller sq. footage and be clever about where everything is placed. :) I love their 500 sq. ft. apartment displays. :)

Anyway, we are finally going to let the old house go. I say goodbye to that old house with fond memories and pray that the next people who live there, will love and care for it as we did when we were there, and that there will be laughter and love throughout that home.

It is time to move on. :)

(the picture is not our old house, but the one 5 doors down that looks similar. I don't have a pic of ours)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day Ya'll!

Erika is Getting More Mature

My sweet Angel is getting more and more mature, right before my eyes!
She and I had a wonderful afternoon together. We went out for a lunch and then shopping at Target.
While we were out, I asked her, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
Boy was there!

She asked me to tell her every single thing I knew about her Birth mother without holding anything back! Whew.

The truth is, I don't know too much, but I did know some.
So I told her everything I knew.
I finished with letting her know how scary it is to find out a child is handicapped. I was scared when Tim had his brain hemorrage. I was scared when I heard the word Cerebral Palsy.
And I bet her mom and dad were scared too. Things are different in Ukraine. It is very hard to live there.... it would be terribly hard for her to live there now.

After that, there was a pause. I asked if she was OK, and she said yes.

She then went on to ask about her early years and what we know. It isn't much.
She has a vague memory of being in stocking and laying in a crib and having her diaper changed.
She said she was very little. This must have been in a laying room.

She then has many memories of the orphanage and how much she didn't like it there. She talked happily about the day we came and how surprised she was to see us.

I turned the conversation back to God's plan for our lives, and how suffering and sorrow, play a role in life.
I let her know that we can allow suffering to make us angry and bitter, OR, it can be used as a chistleing tool to mold and shape us into pure GOLD~!
We talked about the refiner's fire, and how gold is made.
And then talked about how the Lord brought her HERE for a purpose!
She had a smile on her precious little face, and seemed very satisfied that the sting of rejection, only serves in her life to cause her to trust Christ more. She is an amazing little girl.
She understands complex things way beyond her years, and I just know the Lord has much to teach us, through her little life. :)

There are Little Elves Living Among Us

The Most Snow Since The 1800's!

Adorable Sleepers

I just love capturing pictures of them when they are asleep.
They will awake to a new winter wonderland, as the snow is still falling and we are now at record snowfall. Yea!

More Snow

The grand girls came over to play! It is still snowing. It hasn't stopped yet.
I know some of you are sick of snow, but we get it so rarely, that it is a real treat.
Tonight, everything will have a hard freeze, so I don't think much will be open tomorrow in the A.M.
Lilly couldn't stop saying "SNOW! SNOW!" I think she was tasting it.

Charlie's First Snow

Isn't he just adorable? :)

Creative Kids

Anna read in a book about "Ice Cream" and how to make it. So it was a very handy thing that it snowed today. :)
She took a little heavy whipping cream, a little sugar, a tsp of vanilla extract and SNOW....
She mixed it up, and it was really delicious! Of course, we made sure she picked her snow from a good place where no cat or goat had been. :)
She now understands what "Don't eat yellow snow" means.

I think she is proud of her creation!

Giving Erika a taste.... she just woke up. :)I think she likes it!
Now it is Sarah's turn.
The ice cream gets a Thumbs up! :)

Thanks Anna, we all enjoyed your creation!

SNOW!

My Very First Award

Thanks Diana :)

Are We Missing The Point?

I have been thinking about the subject of "Sex Education", and how it is taught. Every family is different. Some families are very open, some never mention it and leave it up to the schools.
In Mike's case, his dad left a book in his top drawer, where he knew Mike would snoop, and would then become "educated". LOL

I remember my mom asking me if I had any questions. I didn't. I didn't want to talk about it with her. I didn't know what "IT" was anyway..... she insisted on telling me, and then I was grossed out.
And there was no more discussion. I was only left humiliated again and again and she retold the story of my response to her explanation of where we came from. . "Do you mean you did that 3 times???"
eeewwwww!

Ok, it was a funny statement. But I didn't know it then.

By the time I was in high school, "Sex Education" was really more about contraception and venereal disease. There was no discussion on marriage or being set apart for 1 partner. It was only about body fluids and function.
And the BIGGIE! How to prevent a disaster! What was the disaster? Not sexual intercourse before marriage, not the emotional damage caused by multiple relationships and partners.... NO! It was the most awful thing that could happen of all! It was the ending of youth. It was the ending of LIFE ITSELF! It.... it was.... It was a BABY! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

How sad when you think about it. A baby, was presented as the ruiner of life. A baby was presented as strapped on, excess baggage to be mourned and gotten rid of.

This got me to thinking long ago about how to present the long handed down information of reproduction and how God intends our families to be created.

If we only teach our children that the reason to refrain from sexual intercourse is to keep from having a disease or having a baby, we are doing a HUGE disservice to them. All that is going to teach them is to have sex carefully, and with contraceptive protection.
It will not teach them about the values in Scripture that say that Fornication is wrong.
It is sin.

We told our boys that God has reasons for forbidding fornication. They are to prepare us to be separate, and in self control. They are to prepare us for the spouse that God has chosen for us. They are there to prepare us for a family in HIS timing, not our own.
There is much reward spiritually, for following God's plan.

1. Becoming one with a spouse and NO guilt. No hiding. No shame.
2. No regrets.

It is an amazing thing to look back and have no regrets. I have never talked with anybody who had sexual experiences before marriage, without some regret, or emotional baggage.

I want to teach my children that God knows what is best for His Children and that a baby is never, EVER a burden, an albatross, or a punishment.

Teaching sex education to our girls is very different from teaching it to our boys.
We emphasized with our boys, how they must be responsible, turn their eyes from
temptation, and save the pleasures of marriage, for MARRIAGE.
We are teaching our girls about saving themselves for marriage, but also about not being a distraction or a tease. We are teaching them that their value is not wrapped up in acceptance from boys.
We are continuing to teach how the baby that is born in an untimely way, or out of a sinful relationship, will have undue hardship because there was no thought about the responsibility that comes with having sex. This does not mean that the baby is to blame, or should be blamed. The baby is an innocent party and is STILL a gift.

In raising our little kitten, we have had many conversations about what it is like to parent a baby. One of our girlies was feeling rather impatient, because Isabella, our kitten, was being so fidgity and fussy while feeding. I was quick to ask her, if she would be impatient if Isabella were a baby?
She thought for a moment and said, "I don't think I should be a mother!"

I told her, many mothers feel that impatience, but have to learn to not act on it. Mother's find all sorts of areas in their lives that they must turn over to the Lord and ask him to help them with.
And this is a good way for her to see areas in her life that will be challenged when she DOES want to become a mother.
So we looked at our precious Isabella in a new light. Not as an annoyance, but the gift that she is. And our daughter continued to feed her and took more time to give her the attention she needed. And in that moment, I could also tell her about how it is best for babies to have 2 parents, so they can help each other to care for the baby.
If she were having to parent the kitten all by herself, without the help of the rest of the family, just think about how stressful that could become.
Our bigger focus however, is on holiness. and why we would want to follow what God teaches us in Scripture in the first place.

As we teach our children about more mature things, we have learned to not just sit them down to throw some information at them, like giving them, "the talk", but instead, it is more like a continual ongoing natural conversation where there is much room for humor, seriousness, warning and encouragement, always directing them to the ONE who is their real guide through life. HIS plan, and HIS map book for figuring out life, is written in HIS word, the Holy Scripture.
It is so wonderful to have a book of guidance and comfort that we can turn to and glean from at the tip of our fingers.

I do pray that our children and grand children will come to understand how important their marriage relationships will be, and how there is a great plan for bringing our little blessings into our families. I also pray that they will not see sexual intimacy as the focus of their early adult years, but they will put it in its proper place in their lives.

One season at a time, is what I tell them. Right now you are in the season of childhood. Don't be so quick to want to get to the next season, but enjoy this time that God has given to you.
The same goes for the next season and the next. If we don't enjoy the seasons we are in, that is when we get into trouble trying to enter the next season before the proper time.

Erika Finished Her Drawing

She wants to design a quilt like this......
Outta my league! :)