3000+ kms...

Christmas Vacation 2015 is officially done! And it was one for the memory books...it was really our first christmas as a family of 9 and it was epic. Our original plans were not to be and instead we drove over 3000km this christmas from Alberta to BC and back to Alberta and then to Saskatchewan and back to Alberta. We saw many beloved people and even had a few firsts for our whole family  - like spending Christmas morning with friends. It was awesome. Thank you to our amazing friends for opening your home to us at Christmas last minute...we love you guys. And I was worried about how all of this would affect our three newest - we had our moments but overall they did remarkable. Gave me a little confidence for our sumer road tripping plans:) Anyways...Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from our family to yours!! What follows is a "few pics" of our Christmas adventure....enjoy:)

beginning our vacation west...road trip!

Love the mountains...heading towards Jasper:)

Meeting Great grandparents for the very first time...such sweet moments. 

Me & my M

sibling love:)

Lego love:)

my girl

mild weather makes for some great snow days!

Snowboarding and loving it...first try!

no fear:)

Had a rough day with his T1D but man...he is resilient:) love him...

all smiles...

Christmas Eve...and sick:(

Merry Christmas!!

with all of the great grandkids...LOVE!!

cannot believe I have an 11 year old boy:)!

hang in with uncle and the stuffies...christmas morning:):)

cards with Dziadziu

my most favourite person in the whole wide world

And then back to Alberta where the girls and I took off for the to Sylvan Lake to catch up with some of my extended family at a reunion....skating on the lake:)

hangin on the ice:)

and another great great grandma...time with grammie!

Off to SK and more cousins...

Add in a birthday for our newest 11 year old!!

We love you!

playing with the cousins and grandma & grandpa's

and the littlest cousin...!!!:)

Sleigh rides at -20C...but having fun!!

sweet niece all bundled up...

needed a family pic with the horses!

Merry Christmas love...thanks for who you are  & all you have been over the last year...God  knew I needed you to live this adventure of life with and I thank Him every day...love you.

Blessings,

Candra

on living life...

"We want to live life, not be distracted by it"











It is too easy to be distracted...To just pound out the daily grind- work, chores, activities for the kids, laundry, pack lunches, tv, time with friends, go to bed at an unreasonable hour and then get up at an unreasonable hour and do it all again. 

Life is not long enough to just do this every day our life. At least not for me. As a couple & as a family we want to be available and ready for opportunities that God calls us too. We want to be willing and ready to risk to do things that much of the world may see as crazy. And we want to courage our kids and others around us to do this same. To not get caught in pursuing only things of this world- but to pursue things, relationships and opportunities that allow us to be active & invested followers of Christ. When we do this, we must trust God and put our whole hope in Him because really, there is no other way when you are willing to risk for His sake. 

Many of you now know (read earlier posts) that we are expanding our family again through adoption! If you would have asked me 11 years ago, before we had any children, if we would have 7+, I probably would have thought that it wouldn't be our family. But if you ask me now, it makes sense. Sometimes. Other times, it is just crazy but still is right. We thought we were done at 7:)  But a whisper is all it takes if you are listening... And we both were. 

This is absolutely the most surprised we have been to start an adoption. An eighth child! From a practical perspective, there is lots- most noticeably finances- that need to fall into place. But we are confident in His provision. It is hard to doubt when God has shown us time and time again that He is with us. This means we also have to do our part and already God has given us each some additional work opportunities. 

We have also been surprised at the support of our community and how excited they are for us. It has given affirmation that we are not as crazy as we sometimes think! Well, maybe we are but we love it! 

Risking and loving for His sake- even when it is crazy hard and you feel like giving up, or feel like no one completely understands, or you are utterly exhausted- is worth it. I have 7 living examples living under my roof right now. It is a long road that twists and turns but the redemptive work that God continues to do in the lives of each of our children and us is a reminder that He uses me right where I am at. And that adding another child to our family is a privilege- we get to continue living life by pursuing things after God's heart rather than being distracted by all the other stuff in our lives! 

 Blessings ,
Candra 

 PS if you are one to pray, we would ask that you join us in praying for: 

1. The heart of our newest child. That even now, God would be preparing them for a new family.
2. Our homestudy is done but now begins it's winding route to our agency. Pray that this would be done quickly. We are hoping before Christmas! 

3. Pray for provision financially. An international process is a significant cost and at times, can seem very daunting!
Thanks so much for your prayers. They are invaluable!

Micah 6:8

I wanted to share with you tonite a bit more about this new journey we are on and where we are at. As I sat down to begin writing, this verse came to mind and so it is here that I will start.

Micah 6:8 has been a defining verse for me and for our family and how attempt to live our lives as followers of Christ. I probably like the verse even more because of its directness and strong language. There is no beating around the bush as he speaks! What does the Lord require of you?

DO JUSTICE.

LOVE MERCY.

WALK HUMBLY

WITH OUR GOD.

For us, these 9 words are a not an option. It doesn't say when you feel like it...or in this circumstance... rather it is a life to pursue. Each day...at home...in workplaces...in our transitions...in our church...as a a person in this world. And all of it - with our God. What a beautiful invitation to be a part of His kingdom...His Church here. Right now. 

The part that is doesn't say is this ----it will be incredibly hard in many instances. It is hard to do justice when there are so many injustices. When our lives become too busy to even see. It is hard to love mercy when we let judgement creep in. When we are impatient or upset. Or when mercy has not been shown to us. It is hard to walk humbly. When we want to be noticed. Or when we want the next best thing. It is is hard to do it "with our God". Because sometimes...we want the recognition. Or we want to be in charge at that moment.  

But living like this is...lifechanging- moving and living as part of His kingdom. Seeing our life and the lives of others transformed by His goodness and love for us. 

His story giving purpose, meaning and breath to our story. 

I wish I could get it right all the time. But I don't. In fact, I probably fail more than I have success. But by His grace we continue moving. Where He leads. And this is where I find myself as we have entered the last few months. Him leading and me attempting to walk humbly:)

stay tuned....

Blessings,

Candra

A Thanksgiving to remember...

We truly thought our family was complete. It seems that in the last 10 months. We have felt every emotion under the sun! But the light is shining brighter and there are a glimpses each day of a normalacy that is beginning to embrace our family.  And with that normalacy comes less survival and more dreaming about what life will look like for us as we move forward in this life.

So we begin our next adoption story...!!!

First thing I want to share is that we love our newest boys dearly. Each day it seems we are learning more and more about them and it is only by God's grace that they appear to be adjusting amazingly well. Life in a large family comes with its own set of challenges and not everyday do I remember to do something with each of them one on one (and I try not to feel guilty about it:). But each night we say prayers, we hug and kiss and we say goodnight and I love you. And even though some days are incredibly tough, I pray that they know that they are loved by us and by their Saviour.  I share this because I don't think we would even be at a point to consider an eighth child if it weren't for how well they are doing.  We know the road could be long & winding with all of our children and I pray regularly that God will direct our steps as parents- to give us patience, courage, compassion, wisdom and love (and probably a million more things too!)

Back a few months ago, we brought up the idea to each other of adopting again. Half jokingly (half not) we talked about how we had already made the jump. A 15 passenger van, a house that fits all of us, being that family that is already big etc. Another child would not be a huge jump and all of our kids at home, believe it or not, had been asking if we were going to bring another child into our family. So we earnestly started praying about it. And we came to the conclusion that we would step into the waters of domestic adoption.

This was a new process for us. We began meetings with a social worker in the summer and began compiling our paperwork to begin this process. From our previous experiences, the paperwork was night and day from international adoption. In a week we were practically done it all. Still just waiting on a couple of things to come back. We were feeling confident in our decision and decided to tell our kids that we were starting the adoption process again. They were excited but fairly quiet as we gave them cautious instructions not to tell a soul. This is a very hard task for children ages 5-11 but they succeeded! So we began the waiting...

I sometimes think God prepares us for something by letting us wade in slowly...but allowing us to wrap our heads around the idea and then.....launches us even further.

In early September, I started back to work. I love what I do and am truly glad to be back. I started a new job that I had transferred to during parental leave. Back to what I love in paediatric physical therapy:) The first week was busy - learning new procedures, reading charts of my clients, getting my computer systems back up and running.

And it was in the middle of this week that both Riley and I, as we prayed for our future child, came to the same conclusion. Compliments of the Holy Spirit:) We were to pursue another international adoption...we both had to let that process and sink in! Nothing about it makes sense. Most noticeably the costs of an international adoption are substantially more. The paperwork is more. The process is more. And in all honesty, the support once they are home is much less. It still seems a bit (just a bit) crazy!

But as we have learned through our last 20 years together...when He calls you...listen. So we are. And trusting hard. Less than a year ago our boys came home. It doesn't make sense and yet it does. Completely. So at present-to clarify- we have 2 processes underway (domestic and international) and we pray every night for our precious eighth child as we begin this adventure.

The peace that passes all understanding is with us these days. And we are excited to be on this journey once again. Friends...in advance we thank you for your prayers, your friendships, your wisdom and your encouragement.

And for all of this we are incredibly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving - a beautiful first Canadian thanksgiving for our three newest (who LOVE turkey) and and a great one at home for the rest of us!

Blessings,
Candra (& Riley)

We have been home as a family of 9 for 9 months....

Life is good....

....sometimes challenging...

...but the smiles return....

....and love abounds...

Enjoy my beautiful kids:)

 **all photos done by a. christensen

I am sitting on our front step.

Listening to the birds in the park across the street.

Watching the sun go down.

With a chai. Gotta have my chai. In my favourite mug. My Hawaii mug.

Peaceful.

Thankful.



It has been a long time since I have stopped by here to write. Three and a half months to be exact. It is not for lack of thinking about it. I have been wanting to write for a very long time. In fact, I've started several posts but never finished them....




It has been 6 and a half months since we brought our three boys home forever. Since we became a family of nine. And in that time, so many of you have asked how we are truly doing. We have been honest and shared with many of you that these last few months have been the most difficult months of our marriage and for our 4 children who were already with us. There has been stretching, reshaping, remoulding, teaching, patience, self control ( all the fruits of the Spirit for that matter!), blending, perseverance....the list goes on. Riley and I in the last 16 years of our marriage have been incredibly intentional with growing and investing in our marriage. Without that foundation and without our God, this would have been 100X harder than it already is (or maybe impossible).

But...as I prayed about what I wanted to share- it wasn't all the hard stuff. God has brought us to this point as a family of 9 and we trust Him and His purposes for our lives. Sure, it is likely the most challenging chapter of my life so far...but it has taught me so much. About trauma and sorrow. About loss& sacrifice ( for our 3 boys who have been adopted and for the life our 4 "original children" have lost) About redemption. About intentionally each and every day seeing people through His eyes. About community. About learning to love. About provision. About thankfulness. About blessing.


6 and a half months feels like forever ago. As spring and summer have come( thank goodness!!)...so too has a season of change for our family. I feel like we are coming into a little bit of green- a little bit of new life. It has come as we have tended to our family & drawn in and cared for each other. It has been watered by our community of friends and family- near and far. It has grown with more peacefulness in our home, more laughter, kids loving kids and more moments of joy. 

Growth and change is hard. Blending a family is hard. But worth it. They were ready for a family. And we know that this is supposed to be. We love being a large family (which by the way is super fun---and there is always someone else to play with)!

Thankful. 

I want to share just a few moments that we have been so thankful for over the last 6 months. I think it important to share and maybe encourage some of you. There were ( and still are:) days where I want to lock my door. not deal with the arguments, questions, the intentionality of teaching how to be a part of a family...but these moments reminded me in huge ways to be thankful.

* meals brought twice a week for 2 months after we got home.

* anonymous gifts in the mail to help us out

* my parents and sister coming to hang out and provide sanity when Riley has been gone for work.

*meeting a friend for the very first time who said she has been praying for our family daily...You have no idea how very important that moment was for me Jody.

*facebook prayer requests and conversations to my fellow adoptive moms. 

* text messages of Scripture & prayer

* Best friends coming to visit in February-- and tolerating the insanity!! we needed that time with you more an you know. 

*Baptismal weekend with family and friends

* A huge answer prayer with a new to us minivan

* Suppers out with you Joni and dreaming about how God can use us...

* Starbucks chais being left on my doorstep with an encouraging note

* Our one and only date night so far in Camrose- had one in Stoon too!

* A husband who kicks me it of the house for time to rejuvenate..who encouraged me to get healthy and run...who takes all 7 kids ( with ease I might add) to movies and all sorts of other adventures. I am soooo thankful for him.




I could keep going but I hope this paints a picture. I have shed more tears, doubted myself as a mom more than ever before and wondered if I could do this. But each time, God has provided encouragement and a reason to be thankful. 




So- it is going well. We are moving in the right direction. Our steps are small. But our determination and fierce love for our kids is strong.....




I hope to be here more often now...Thanks of reading and will see you all soon.




Blessings,

Candra

I'm still here....I promise! Life has been full to say the least...And while I have limited time tonight, I thought you may enjoy a few pics of our family ( 3 months home tomorrow!)

Blessings,

Candra