I Don't Know About You

 But we have been riveted to live stream video on our computer of the Chile Mine Rescue.... It is amazing how each minor coming to the surface is so very different in his response, and how each family reunion is unique. I have not grown tired of watching even one man.  Of course the 1st guy up was AMAZING, and the 2nd guy up was HILARIOUS, Yelling in the Tunnel Chile! Chile! Chile! Whoo Hoo! LOL
These are pictures of Miner 28's rescue.

There was the man with the small bible who knelt on the ground and thanked God. I don't know what number he was.... but it doesn't matter.  They are all coming out and we are so very excited for All of Chile and these families and these Men....

On the backs of the miner's shirts is written:

"Because in His hand are the depths of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His"  ( Psalm 95:4 )

..."To Him is the honor and the glory."

Thank you Lord for safe delivery of these men.
Psalm 139:7-12

Adoption and Disruption Thoughts I Can't Express Part 2

 Yesterday I wrote part one.

I was talking with my dear friend last night. They have just begun the process to adopt through a disruption.  Both of our hearts are hurting for this family and for this sweet boy.  And yes, he is a sweet boy.
I don't think any family goes to all the trouble to adopt a child with the intent of disruption.  I have never met one.  I have met families in a lot of pain, with a lot of confusion, but I have not met a family yet, that intended harm. There are families that get lost, overwhelmed, and wind up doing things they never thought possible.... thus is the state of human nature.

With that said, I am NOT sorry that our Sarah is with us. I am NOT sorry that many children have come from other families and are now happy in their new families.  There is nothing for them where they have come from, with the situation the way it is today.  Our girls were doomed to lives in institutions with no chance of escape.

So, I can honestly say I can see the providence of God in bringing the children home. In fact, had we not adopted  Sarah, we would have NEVER known about Erika.  She wouldn't have even been on our Radar.   But when a child has a NAME and a STORY, as ALL ORPHANS DO, we could not abandon her. We could not leave her there. We KNEW she belonged with us. And we knew that they belonged together!

God brings families together, however He so chooses.  That does NOT however, take away personal responsibility when we commit to be a family.
It does not mean that all is right and good and we can pat ourselves on the back to say we did a good thing if the unthinkable occurrs.   It is pain, plain and simple.

But, there is forgiveness. There is life past the pain.

My favorite quote from a very silly movie, "The Princess Bride",  "Life is Pain, anybody who tells you different in selling something!" LOL  But I believe it is true.
However, our pain is not the pain of one without hope, but of one with a hope and a promise!
I don't pretend to know all that God wills in this life, other than that He wills for us to serve Him.
I Do know that. He wills for us to serve Him in all we say and do.  And I'm not very good at that.

Sometimes I say too much, and don't DO enough.

Also,  many times what seems like a tragedy, turns into a triumph...What Satan intended for Evil, God intends for Good!  And our ways are not God's ways.  He is Sovereign !He sees things very different than we do.

And what HE does, is VERY GOOD!

Adoption and Disruption Thoughts I Can't Express Part 1

This post has been wearing on my heart.... for awhile. I have written, deleted, written again, waited until midnight when I could really concentrate, and then tried it again.   So here goes another post on Adoption and Adoption Disruption/Disolution.....
Please bear with me.
And for my dear friend, who has struggled for years with 2 children who are no longer at home.... I love you. I want you to know FOR SURE, this post is not about a parent who has to protect themselves from a child with severe mental illness.  Many biological parents are in the same boat.
You have NOT disrupted your children. You are still their parent.  :)

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that we adopted our sweet Sarah, from Adoption Disruption/disolution.

So we are the happy beneficiaries of our sweet, sweet Sarah.  She has been home since she was almost 6 years old.  She is now 11.

I recently posted an article by Russell Moore, because I find it to be a good article.
But I remember, about 2 years ago, the Southern Baptist Convention announced an emphasis on Adoption.....    On one hand, I say, that is good. On the other hand, I say that isn't good.

There are many reasons people adopt.  And yes, it is true that Scripture calls for people of Faith to CARE for the Orphan and Widow.  (James 1:27.  But, just like you would prepare to care for anything, in your life, PREPARATION is needed.

One of my favorite lines in the movie "Martian Child", was that of a girl who said, "Most people study more about how to raise tomato plants than they do children."  And, that is not too far off.

When we were adopting Anna, we mentioned that we would be taking parenting classes from the Local Child Advocacy Center. You would have been shocked at the response. "Why, you have already raised 4 boys!"  "Do they think you don't know what you are doing?"   "That is stupid!" and I could go on, but I'll spare you. ....
And the most famous comment we got, "You can't adopt! Don't you know you can't spank!"  LOL
I found that one the most disturbing. Golly, I hadn't even thought about finishing the paperwork and this person already had us spanking our child.....
And there were many statements along those lines which made me wonder, what kind of person bases their decision on if they can spank or not? LOL

So, once again we began to delve into the adoption world in preparation for our daughter.  We studied "Heart Felt Discipline" by Clay Clarkson (which is not about adoption) With Anna, I hadn't come across any real adoption books I knew about, so our classes sufficed, along with the book, "A Child Called It!"
There was enough information to help us see where our sweetie was coming from emotionally, and with my own personal background experiences, we were on our way to becoming a family.
When our Social worker said we would LOVE Bryan Post and Heather Forbes, we studied books by them, "Beyond Consequences Logic and Control, Beyond Consequences Logic and Control 2.

After Sarah and Before Erika, we added to our collection, Karyn Purvis, "The Connected Child", "Primal Wound", (which was VERY interesting) many blogs, and Daniel Hughes Books , "Building The Bonds of Attachment in the Deeply Wounded Child", "Facilitating Developmental Attachment",
and then, we were reading Bruce Perry's book, "The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog"....
Along with all that reading we read our Bible.

All of these books are good books. They all offer bits and pieces of information that may help to put pieces together as you study your child and get to know them and learn HOW to love them.

However, No child is a one size fits all child, and there is not one, "One size fits all" book, outside of scripture.
I  know many, wonderful parents who have worked very hard, to learn to parent their child according to that child's needs.
But in all the book reading and preparation, there is nothing like the real deal to let you know what kind of sin exists in your own heart, how much change YOU need to make for yourself, and  just how many issues you have put on the back burner to not deal with, and now all the pots are overflowing. :)

Adoption is not for the faint of heart, nor is parenting.   Put the two together, and get ready for a ride! :)
But, what a ride is CAN BE!  Our experiences have moved toward the positive. But our family is not perfect. No family is.
I was listening to a sermon yesterday on Moses and that he didn't enter the promised land because of his disobedience to God.... wow.... He was not a perfect man, but I know I have a long ways to go before I ever resemble a Moses.  Yet God, has brought these children into our lives to lead and guide into adulthood, and into the Hands of the Lord.
If we were to guage our children based upon their first 6 months home, I'm not really sure what I'd say, other than, maybe, we are moving in the right direction. :)  The work was hard, and took place minute by minute, hour by hour, meal by meal, day by day, step by step..... it was continual and full!

And then, each little girl began to branch out, blossom and grow in different areas at different times, but going in the right direction non the less.  It took some  a little longer to get to a "norm" for us than others, but those 3 steps forward 2 steps back and sometimes what seemed like 4 steps back, would always keep us on our toes, trusting the Lord to guide us, and remind us of how HE sees US!

Can you tell I'm having a hard time expressing this?
So here I get to the disruption part.

Many people will look at blogs and families and think everything was easy to get to where they are.
That couldn't be further from the truth.  Parenting ANY child is hard, HARD work.
Some families will wind up going into adoption,  because the "church" has called for it, or because they are bored, or because they don't have children, or because they are truly called. (these are actual words spoken)
They go through all the work to bring their children home, and then..... it gets hard. They haven't taken the time to try something different. They say "this is how I did it with the others, or this is how my parents raised me,  and this kid will have to fit into OUR lifestyle", they don't read those "psychology" books.... and they don't seek out help.
And then, behind closed doors, there is abuse, emotional neglect, and worse.... and then in desperation they dissolve or disrupt.    I used to think it wasn't that common. Sarah was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing.  And we still can't imagine the why with our Sarah.  But she has experienced the devastation of being twice rejected. (first at birth, and then after adoption)
Yes, she is happy. Yes she is very much our Daughter, Yes, she has her own personal pain that she will have to deal with the rest of her life.  That is reality. It doesn't consume her, and it isn't the end of her world... but she is STRONG. She is SO STRONG.  I don't know that I could be as strong as she is.

Maybe it IS true that adoption isn't for everybody; parenting isn't for everybody.  But caring for the orphan is.  What about supporting those families that are trying to adopt?  What about getting involved in their fund raisers, or donating to funds to get children home?  How about not judging families who bring children home and those children struggle with behaviors that are not normal?  How about not judging the children!  (we have had that one recently) How about praying for families who bring children home?  Prayer is a powerful tool. Pray that God will give these families wisdom and discernment in raising their children.

I don't  know that there is any way to prevent a disruption from happening, if the parent isn't willing to try thinking outside the box, but in many other cases, where parents are simply struggling, we need to be open and have helpful hearts.  We need to be willing to come alongside and hold the hands of those who are despairing.  There IS success, GREAT success, when we reach out, and especially when those in need reach out for help.  Peer help is available.  Keep reading blogs, attend the BCLC parenting classes on line. Watch Karyn Purvis's videos online.  GET HELP.   It is available, and it is worth it.

Please don't suffer in silence. Reach out, and keep your family together.  But remember, change will come with YOU.

Today IS

Today IS:   10-10-10!

I can't say that again for a thousand years, so I figured I'd say it today. :)

What Is That Smell?

I was sitting in the crowd of children with this little girl of about 12 while Mike was talking to them up front. I didn't feel worthy to take such treasures, but she insisted.  And now, I am glad that I accepted her precious gift.

 I have decided that if I hang it, I will remember to pray for her.

SO, I hung it.... For her.

She is soon going to age out of the orphanage.  What will happen to her?

She is precious.

I woke up off and on last night, thinking about those who are suffering.  We live such a life of pleasantries, with family, friends and neighbors.  We can be very comfortable in our own little worlds.

But then, there are those smells, that wake us and remind us of what reality is for many orphans across the globe, including right here in the good ole' US of A!

I remember during our waiting period for Erika, while we were in relative peace with the process, leaving it in the hands of the Lord, which is where it belonged,and was anyway, there were nights I layed awake wondering if she had fallen that day. I wondered if she longed to be loved and held. I wondered if her feelings had been hurt that day, and there was nobody to tell her she was valuable as a person and beautiful inside and out.

We sent a package that never arrived. She didn't get the doll we sent, or the art supplies we mailed.
She didn't get our pictures. So, she was just there, waiting, to go to the mental institution.
Her life was over before it had even begun.

She had never been outside of her places of meager, monotonous  existence, except for an occasional trip to the hospital, where she was locked within those walls too.
She never really saw the beauty of the country in which she was born.... but she smelled the smells.... they are the same smells that haunt me to this day.

I remember that was the first thing I noticed. It isn't the same as walking into a hospital or a nursing home. Those places have distinct smells too.
To put my finger on it, it is the smell of old food,  urine, old clothes, heavily scented laundry soap, windows closed for too long, and the smell of tears and despair.

When we returned to the girl's orphanage 3 years ago, the first thing that came to me was that "smell"... I was nauseous and had to compose myself.  

I think all the smells together remind me of desperation.   I woke last night with that smell in my dream.  I was dreaming of a little one lying down on a tear stained pillow all alone.  I don't know who he was.... Maybe he was one to represent all orphans, boys and girls, who lay their heads down, and have nobody to sing them to sleep or rock them and look into their eyes and say, "I love you." "You are here for a purpose."

Our friend Steve, wrote this yesterday. His words were touching to me. Because many times people do say, "how can a loving God be loving when there are so many without homes?"
He is right.... God has given us instruction in what to do, and as believer's we don't do it.  We look at the walls and say they are too high. We look at the sea and say it can't part, and we look at the child and say, "What if?"  "What if there is something wrong with them?" "What if they are wild?" "What if they have FAS?"  What if?

God doesn't say for us to only do things that are easy for us.  When He took the chidlren of Israel through the desert it wasn't easy for them. Yet, God fed them, provided for their each and every need, including parting the Red Sea when the time came and knocking down walls!
We had more Walls knocked down for us than we could have ever imagined, and it seemed we were definitely just riding a HUGE GOD Wave.... :)

I do not want to forget that smell. I am thankful when it wakes me, so that I can pray for that little one who is suffering.
Erika was comforted many times while she lay, alone.  She remembers less and less,  and for that I am thankful, but we documented all she said when things were more fresh in her mind.
She remembered laying in her bed and being comforted by what she described as "The Lord". She does not know how she learned to pray, only that she prayed.
Our prayers are not for naught.
God chooses to work through the prayers of His people.

He also calls us to action.  Why do we in America have these giants houses, filled with furniture and extra rooms, but don't fill them with people to sleep on those beds, or read those books?
Why do we have pantries filled with more food than a few people can eat, but we don't bring somebody into our home to help us eat the food God has blessed us with?

Each and every child has a name, a story, a life lived and to live.  You can make a difference just by obeying God's calling to care for the orphan.

(the picture was from the Girl's orphanage, on our trip 3 years ago)
Igor, in the blue shirt, has Cerebral Palsy. He reminded me so much of my Tim.
The little boy sitting with the care worker was such a sweet child. He remembered Erika and Sarah.
He sat quietly with me and looked through our photo album and the tears quietly flowed.  I do not know why he was there, but he was such a sweet little boy.  He has moved to an Internat since then...
I wonder about him often.  :(

Here is the artwork from the girl who has no name, the one I had my arm around. The one I loved for just a day, but who has never left my heart. :(

Could This POSSIBLY Be Gluten Free???

Yes! And I'm planning to eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven! :)

A New Sort of Hug

Sarah and Erika up EARLY, making the family coffee. :)
I feel loved!

Haunted

Kristina

One of the things that happens when you adopt a child from an orphanage, is you are haunted by the things you see.  Forever imprinted in your mind, are the children left behind. You leave with one child, knowing there are countless others left behind to rot. Literally rot.

Words cannot describe the feeling. You leave, and your heart hurts. Your entire body aches for the ones left behind.  You will never forget the smells. You will never forget the sights, the desperation of a little one reaching out to you saying.... love me... Please love me too. :(

You ache, because, if you could, you would pack away most of the ones you meet and bring them home with you, if it were at all possible. It isn't. 

But why isn't it?  If nobody wants them.... why NOT????
Why do they have to suffer so? Why ?

Babies rocking back and forth in cribs, neglected of a mother's touch.
Overworked orphanage workers, tired.....

Parents willing to love.....
Nobody can seem to connect in the strange world of International Adoption.

When we do, it is like the Red Sea Parting..... it is always a God thing. :)

Our children are not refuse. They are not throwaways.
They are angels. THEY are special.

We ache, we hurt, for those left beind.  But we are not millionaires.
We are not even thousandaires. :)
We are not special.
We are not angels.
We are just parents.

Adoption

Is the Orphan My Neighbor

Please take time to read this post. It is a wonderful post regarding adoption by Russell Moore.

And I think he hits the nail on the head.  :)

Thank you Mr. Moore.

Yummie Lunch on Pretty Dishes

Lunch is so much more lovely when pretty dishes are used. :)
Today we are having tomato, cucumber and onion salad, and parmesean  herb red potatoes. :)

More Green Life.....

I posted below an Update on My Green Life.... but also wanted to show what we are doing in preparation for winter.
I have posted pictures before of our wood stove. We invested in it a few years ago, and it is WONDERFUL!  This stove has an outside air source so it does not draw cold air into the house and only heat one room.  Our house is not HUGE, but it is the biggest one I have ever lived in.  It is 1,900 sq. ft. and this stove heats the entire house well.  Because the door is sealed, we can put wood in at night, and safely burn it till morning.  It payed for itself the first 3 months we had it.

We live in an all electric house, so heating is more expensive than cooling. We don't keep the house that cool, as that can get costly, but we can keep the house warm all winter, and all it takes is a little planning!

This year we will be sharing wood with another family.  We have agreed to store the wood, since they don't have room, and they have been out getting wood. We have all participated to one degree or another,  in unloading, cutting and stacking.  We are in various forms of some finished, some not, some seasoned and some not.

We will most likely go through 3 or 4 cords of wood this winter between our two families.
A cord of wood is 4x4x8 TIGHTLY STACKED, not criss crossed like an apartment type stack.  When people buy wood today, they are not buying a real cord. It is usually called a "face cord"... Most wood is cut at 16-18 inches to fit a modern fireplace, so people get ripped off thinking they are buying a cord, when they aren't.

We get our wood in a few ways. A tree service gives away Orange Osage. It is a Poppy kind of undesirable wood, but does very well in a wood stove with a sealed door.  The popping doesn't matter because the door is shut. It has a similar quality to coal!  We also pick up wood after people have cut down trees waiting for the city to dispose of it.  Most people are glad to have you haul it away!

This year we had a friend moving away and they gave us some of their seasoned oak!

We should have everything finished being cut and stacked by the end of the month. It is a family project that we all enjoy...... and it is putting already cut down trees to good use. :)

Here's to being GREEN! :)

UDATE on my Green Life

I posted in August about wanting to be more green and giving up my paper plate habit. :)

It has been 6 weeks and I am happy to say, we have not purchased any paper plates in that time.
BECAUSE of that, we have saved some money that I have invested into some fun dishes.
I am rather eclectic in style so I have found Target to be a great source for fun and decorative plates and bowls.

We use bowls a lot because of the types of foods we eat..... We eat soups, rice dishes and pasta dishes or salads.  Instead of buying large plates, we bought some larger bowls and salad plates.  It has worked out really well!  We all like eating out of our pretty dishes way more than eating off of our paper plates. :)

We are also being careful not to use the garbage disposal. We have a dozen and a half garbage disposals outside who would love nothing more than to eat what we were planning to waste. :)
The only thing is, now that we have been feeding them regular scraps, as soon as we open the door we hear "MAAAAAA_MAAAAAA!!!"  I think they like our cooking! :)

We also got this old thing back out! More dishes means more washing.... but we have found it easy to do quick washes and save the dishwasher for 1 use a day.  Once it is full, it is the old fashioned way that works.  If you wash in hot soapy water.... not too much, and then rinse quickly with hot frest water, you wind up not using too much water AND no electricity. :)

I'm feeling crunchier by the moment. :)

Sequoya's Cherokee Syllabary

Today in History we were learning about various Indian Tribes in the United States and some of their most famous members.  One such member of the Cherokee tribe was Sequoya.  He was famous for putting the Cherokee Language into writing.  He did not make an alphabet but  used "syllabary".
Here are some examples of the Cherokee Written Language. 

The girls had fun using their ink wells and calligraphy pens.

 Of course Sarah had several of the sounds and syllables memorized and sounded very Indian to me! :)

Safe In His Father's Arms

Pokin' Fun at 99.5 the Wolf Ahhoooooo!

The girlies are getting to the age of wanting to listen to the radio, and not just pre planned music on the mp3 players. 
We were going through stations and came upon 99.5 the Wolf....  It was hilarious listening to "Country Music" songs.  Of course they always seem to cover some tragedy, or break up, or anger management situation gone bad..... and don't forget the dog and pick up truck.

I couldn't handle it for the trip home. I had to change the channel, but not before the girls got a good taste of country.

So here is Anna and Sarah's spontaneous,  made up rendition of "Country Music on 99.5 The Wolf".

Creative Daddy!

Erika has been in need of a handrail. She typically just uses the wood railing near the porch, or somebody's arm.  

Mike has wanted to get a railing up for her for a while. When he went to a nearby Garage Sale, he found the tool he needed to do it; a very large pipe bender.  So, he got to work on designing a rail.

And here he is putting it up.

 He also, decided that everybody has just gotten TOO good at backgammon, so he created a new game with the same board. It is still backgammon, just done differently.
We use all 4 dice for 1 move. If you roll the same numbers, you can't have doubles unless the numbers land on the same colors.  The combinations are endless!  To get out, you have to land on exact numbers. This has really caused some exciting end game upsets! :)

 Of course, Sarah has already mastered this, and keeps my head spinning.

 So while daddy was finishing the railing, Sarah and I were testing out the new way to play. :)

Here is a close up of the rail, attached to the wood.  Daddy is one talented guy.  I can't wait for Erika to see it. :)

I think she likes it!

Thyroid Regeneration

I am just wondering if any readers out in bloggy world have had their thyroid regerate or begin to function again after numerous years of non functioning status?

Here is the scoop:

I had Grave's Disease when I was in my 20's.  At 30, right before Mike and I married, I took Radioactive Iodine as a treatment plan because it just wouldn't calm down.  My vision was impaired permanently; I didn't need glasses until this condition took over.  So, a year later, I developed tumors in my thyroid.
I was assured that it was nothing, but as a precaution, a needle biopsy was done, and there was cancer in the biopsy.  I did not have full blown thyroid cancer, just cancer in the tumors.

So a thyroidectomy, of the side with the cancer was done.  A month later, I was sentenced to a life time of the pill a day every morning and blood draws every year to keep my thyroid levels normal.

So, years went by, and it has been a total in the past sort of thing, except for the obvious scar where the surgery was done, and the pill a day thing.

Well, for the last year, I have been hot and had many MANY of the symptoms of the original Grave's disease, but considered it was Menopause.... Yes that is going on too.

6 months ago,  I found out my thyroid was too high. So my meds were lowered.  Same thing has been going on, and I just had my blood work checked again, and again, my thyroid is too high.  So meds have been lowered to the lowest dose I have ever taken since this whole ordeal happened.

I have not noticed any change, as it will take a few weeks, but.... the doctor said something to me I have never heard.  He said, "Maybe your thyroid is trying to make a comeback!"

I googled it, and sure enough there are some cases where this has happened, and interestingly the ones I read about took place around 20 years after having the initial thyroid removed.

It would be AWESOME if it comes back AND behaves itself!  :)

So I'm wondering, does anybody have any experience with this?  If things don't settle down, the tests will have to take place, but until then, I'm hopeful that my body is actually healing itself.

More Truman Pics

Team Minich Runs the Rock

Come and visit our fund raising page to raise money for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children!
We will be joining other families on a special day to run and raise money for our very special Hospital.

The New Collossus Part 3 Erika Style

Erika's recitation!

And now, they all get to watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie! :)

The New Collossus Part 2 Sarah Style

Here is Sarah's version of "The New Colossus"

Poetry Revisited

We are working on poetry, thus the Colossus poem..... But here is Anna's Original Poem.

Fall
Summer has gone.
Fall has begun.
The leaves are falling
The wind is calling
The grass is dead
We put quilts on our bed
The wood is chopped
Away, the rabbits have hopped
The birds have flown away
They will come back another day
The milk has gone from the cow
The farm is lonely now
It is time to stay in
Spring will come again.

The New Collossus Recited by Miss Anna

Way to go Anna!
You can read about this poem here:

Random Thoughts Revisited

This is a repost from 3 years ago. :)   This is Joe Becca and Sam (3 years ago)


I was looking at some pictures of our new little grandson Sam. Look at how he is engaging his mom at 3 weeks old! His mommy and daddy are his delight. He trusts them fully. He does not doubt that his mommy and daddy will take care of his every need. When he cries, they are there to comfort him. When he is hungry, they are there to feed him. When he is cold they keep him warm. He is cuddled and loved by them and he adores them.
And now Here we are 3 years later, and I see little Truman Shepherd being loved and adored from his mommy, daddy and big brother Sam, right from the  first minutes of his life.

Now, I think our our own dear little girlies. Left in beds. When they cried, nobody came, so they ceased crying. When they were hungry, nobody fed them, so they found other ways to satisfy their most basic needs. When they were cold, they shivered. When they wanted to talk to somebody, there was nobody, so they cooed to themselves, they comforted themselves, they rocked themselves.

To think, that every moment of every day for Sam's first 5 weeks of life now, he has been cared for; I couldn't imagine his needs not being met, even for 5 weeks. That would be terrible!
But, I know, our own dd's needs were not met for YEARS. How can we fathom Years of neglect?
We nearly can't. Our hearts would break.

What amazes me even more is that they are all blossoming into lovely young ladies, full of love and compassion for each other, for their own mommy and daddy, and for others outside of their immediate family.
I am amazed at their capacity to forgive, move on, grow and explore their new world. It IS a new world for them. To see little babies being cared for the way they never were, has got to bring a tinge of pain to them. After we see the babies, they ask if we can rock them. We do.
I cannot make up for their loss. I cannot change their loss. What I CAN do, is grieve for them, with them, and guide them to maturity. I cannot pretend that they were never neglected or that it hasn't effected them in some way. It has profound impact. My prayer is that they will use it as a tool of understanding that most will never know, and not an implement of destruction to continue the cycle of neglect. I have a sneaking suspicion, that they will use it as a tool for the positive.

Thanks for hearing my heart break for them.
Now I will turn around and smile at them, and continue to love them.
They always have a way of mending my heart.

Please Listen

This is precious to my heart for many reasons which cannot be written about here. 

Introducing Truman Shepherd Minich

Here is is, fresh outta the oven. :)
Becca looks GREAT!
7 lbs. 15 oz.  20 inches long.

Welcome Baby Truman!  Happy Happy Birthday

 He is amazing!

 Truman Meets the World

 Sam Meets Truman

Precious moments with Mommy Daddy and Truman

I can't wait to hold you, see your smile, see your joy and awe at the World God has made.
I pray that you make a huge impact in this world. That you glorify the Lord in all you say
and do, and that you serve him all of your days. You are fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
God Knit you together in your mother's womb.  Such things are too wonderful to imagine.
Love,
Ya-Ya

(Truman was my dad's middle name, and Shepherd is a family name from my Gramma)

When The New Baby Comes Home

Then what? :)

I remember clearly when each of our children came home.   But there was one instance I remember so very well, that took place over a period of several weeks.

When our youngest son Marcus was born, we had a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a one year old.
Marcus was a preemie too, so he had to stay at the hospital. 

Our son Joseph, who's new son was born today, was 17 months old when Marcus came home.
The thing is, when we brought the baby home, he looked at him with a shocked look. It wasn't one of admiration. It was one of betrayal!  He looked at us like we had gone to Walmart and picked out a new baby..... So, needless to say, Marcus had two brothers that loved him, and 1 that didn't care for him too much.  Of course that was to change relatively soon after Marcus got more interesting. LOL

Well, Joe's first weeks of having been usurped by baby brother Marcus were interesting.
He for some reason knew he couldn't HURT the baby.... that would have been way too bad.
But, nobody said he couldn't make his protest known.  So every morning... and I mean EVERY morning, he would peer into the crib when I had removed the baby for his bath. He would follow me to the bathing area, and then disappear. I would hear a loud boom, and then, know that Joseph had once again tipped the crib over. (It was a porta crib, we didn't have a full sized crib)

He was so young, it was hard to explain to him that he couldn't do it, even tough I tried to.
Every morning, same thing. Boom, crib toppled over.

I was at a loss.  I decided to catch him in the act, so I removed the baby, and then put him on my bed. Then I hid in the closet with my camera.  Mr. Joe came toddling into the room and peered into the crib. NO baby!  Ha!  He climbed up and rocked until the crib fell over.... but to his surprise, Mommy was in the closet.... I  said, "Joey! and took his picture!"  He had a shocked look on his face. I then picked him up and said, "no-no, don't knock the crib over." 

I don't know why that worked, but it did. He didn't do it again.  I guess he made peace with his baby brother. They really did become best friends. :)

I can't wait to see Sam's face. :)

Late Breaking News

New Grandson On the Way! YEA!