Randomness...

I have been waiting for this moment of the day to come... the 2 little ones in bed for a nap and dishes happily cleaning in the dishwasher. I even put "blog" on my list last night so I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty today. And I don't! Yesterday was a tough day... I don't think my E has ever tested my patience so much! But 2 and half going on 10 is hard to rationalize with. Today has been far better...now to just get some sleep at night. This little one, as adorable as I think she is, is often up many times a night....

 too cute

 On the house front, we are close to getting the exterior basement walls up, amidst mud and snow. I am amazed at the commitment level of my husband to learn and do this for the sake of our family, amidst ministry and work. Even in the snow and mud...

fun times in November

And now to share some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head:

*If you get the chance to read a book called "Not for sale"...do! It has opened my eyes to a world that I often choose to ignore - the present day global slave trade. It is well worth your read.

*I love that every so often (more often than not), my kids play so well together. It brings so much joy to my heart as I hear them playing in the other room. Last night:
G: I have a book that I want to read to you M. It is called Orphans in the sky!
M: I love orphans.
G: well, orphans can be adopted into a family. Do you know someone who has been adopted?
M: yeah, my brother!
I love how their minds have already understood the connect point that children can become a part of a family in various ways and that it is part of their everyday conversation.

* I had the privilege of walking in the Adoptwalk last week and was able to meet some new people and hear their stories of their families. One in particular stood out to me. As she stood talking with me about how her children came to be part of their family, I realized that this is the "birth story". Because we have a commonality, I was genuinely interested to hear how her children came into her family. Having given birth to three of my children, I know that amongst moms, labor and delivery and the subsequent few days after is exciting to recall and share with others as it is when you first met your baby.  With adoption,  the same is true for the first day you meet your child, minus the physical labor and delivery. So I guess I wanted to encourage you to be as excited to listen & hear how a child comes into a family through adoption!! As this woman stood sharing with me, there was more and more excitement as she gave more details and I was truly blessed and encouraged to hear her story!


* I am so honored to be able to share some of our adoption journey with a mom's group in about 2 weeks time! I can't believe it has been a year since we knew we were gonna go for it!

and the beautiful completion

And just because I can....

a couple of days ago we had ALL finger food for lunch. And the kids loved it...and hardly any cleanup!

Like I said...random!

Blessings, Candra