Royal Father Daughter Ball

It's that time of the year again...Royal Father Daughter Ball night. Kayla begins dreaming about it the moment the previous year's event ends! This year, Daddy offered to pay for a salon hair style. Kayla was tickled. Although, she started to fall asleep in the chair while getting her hair done. She looked lovely. Daddy was more than handsome. Together, a very stunning couple! How thankful I am for a husband who invests like this in his daughter. A wonderful man who understands the importance of "dating" his sweet princess.

Blessings,

High Tea

Today was a very special day. The girls and I enjoyed High Tea at Great Grandma Mc's retirement center. Four generations gathered together. Wonderful memories.

Blessings,

Little Words

During our Children's Church on Sunday, we've been learning about individuality, discovering who you are meant to be so you can make a difference. As I was sharing with the kids, I mentioned that God created each flower and animal and bird and tree individually. He spoke them into existence. Then, when He created humans, He formed them from the dust of the Earth. We were not spoken into existence, but shaped and molded by the very hands of God. We bear His fingerprints. One little girl raised her hand and asked, "So what are we made of?" Without missing a beat Nathan chimed in "Compost!" Oh how I love that boy!!

Blessings,

Genesis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life and the man became a living being.

Photos

Geology 101

Papa took the boys out into the wilds of Nevada to sample rocks. Nathan had recently obtained some very cool rock hunting gear for his birthday and was eager to try it out. They came home with pockets full of rocks and smiles on their faces. A wonderful memory!

Sampling together

Jeff taking a turn

Nathan in full geologist gear! Love this picture!

Blessings,

Oops...So sorry

Wow, just looked at how long it's been since I last posted here. So sorry, life gets away from us sometimes. Since I last posted we've celebrated two birthdays at home and one for our son in Guatemala. We've camped with friends and enjoyed our summer. Samantha broke her big toe, and it healed just fine. Rob and I took a trip to Guatemala to try and light a fire under Geovany's adoption. Time will continue to tell whether or not it was successful. However, I'm learning that success in our eyes does not equate success in God's eyes. God asked us to go. We went. That, in itself with nothing else, is success.

School is back in session. Four weeks under our belts and going strong. I must say I continue to be thankful that God has called us to make homeschooling part of our journey. It's something that teaches me and humbles me and stretches me!

I recently purchased a new cook book, "False Tongues and Sunday Bread: A Guatemalan and Mayan Cookbook". I can't say enough about it. We've had some yummy recipes so far and tonight it's Guatemalan Rice and Pollo en Pepian (Chicken in Red Sauce). It looks good and smells delicious. Might be a little on the picante side, though. We'll see how the taste test goes tonight.

We're looking forward to fall. Cooler weather and changing leaves. Crisp air and crunchy apples! I've added some pictures to wrap up our summer. If you want to see more pictures, Rob does a great job of posting those on our family photo site: www.thecarrnation.com.

Blessings,

Please Pass It Along

Pass It Along...

Got this information from our adoption agency this week. I'm not a horror movie fan to begin with, but really don't like the message this film is sending. Maybe, by spreading the word, and keeping people from buying tickets to see it, we can send a message.

From our agency:
There is a horror slasher film being released July 24 (Orphan) about a family who adopts an older girl who “is not what she appears to be. Warnings about her go unheeded until it is too late…for everyone”. The film is being promoted now (http://orphan-movie.warnerbros.com) and the adoption message being sent is extremely negative. There is actually a line in the trailer that says “it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own”.Without having seen the movie or read the script, it is hard to know if the entire movie is sending a ghastly adoption message, but the trailer certainly leads us to believe it is. This feeds the notion that older adoptees are very troubled and you should beware.... that's not an image any of us want the general public to have of our kids. It plays into people's deepest fears.There is a growing group pursuing a boycott of the film, sending out emails and posting on online bulletin boards. I urge you to forward this email to others personally involved in adoption, help disseminate the boycott message and write to the producers and distributors expressing your displeasure with the message being sent.The backers of this movie have deep pockets. It is being released by Dark Castle Entertainment with Warner Bros. set to distribute. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, which developed the material, is also producing.

To complain by letter or phone, here is the contact info:
Time Warner Inc.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY10019-8016
212.484.8000

Blessings,

He Reigns

Samantha loves to sing along with the radio. Rob managed to catch her singing along with the Newsboys to "He Reigns." What's really amazing is that she allowed him to video tape her. Usually, she stops singing and throws a fit when she notices the camera. The sound is pretty low, but I think you'll get the idea.

Blessings,

Vacation

Our spring vacation to Southern California was busy and fun. The kids traveled so well. We enjoyed a day a Legoland, quizzing at Point Loma and three days in Disneyland. We spent time visiting old friends and catching up on the last year. Lots of fun memories. Enjoy the photos.

Blessings,

Happy Easter

This is the final product...




This is the test run...Mantha may not always want to do what we ask, but she rarely wants to share the spotlight!

He is Risen!

Blessings,

Amy

March

I can't believe that March is gone and April is here and we're getting ready to celebrate Easter. Wow.


Jeffrey turned 12 in March. A tougher day for me than 10 was. Not sure why. Maybe I'm realizing there's one year left before I'm the mom of a teenager. Waahhh! But, I'm proud of that boy and the man he's becoming.


The trailer is ready for camping and we're getting excited about heading out. Rob and the boys are working on widening the gate to the trailer access so it's easier to get in and out of. That will make coming home so much more enjoyable. Rob does a great job moving the trailer around, but it's a tight fit right now, to say the least.


Samantha is talking up a storm. She's persistant in making sure you understand her, as you can see in the video. Nathan is now in glasses, but just for reading. I'm sure it won't be long until he's wearing them all the time. He loves them and was very excited to get them.


Kayla and Jeffrey both qualified for the regional quiz-off in San Diego, so we'll be making our annual trip the end of the month. Looking forward to a day at Legoland, quizzing at Point Loma and several days at the Happiest Place on Earth.


Enjoy the pictures from the last month.


Blessings,

Bible Across America

We had the priviledge of being part of the Bible Across America tour. This being the 30th anniversary of the NIV Bible, Zondervan is taking a bus across America and having people handwrite the scriptures. Jeffrey had heard about it on KLOVE and asked if we could participate. Just days later, I got an email from my mom letting me know they were coming to our town and wondering if we wanted to go. So, after co-op, the kids and I headed down to meet Nana. It was truly an amazing and unique experience. The four of us, Mommy/Nathan, Kayla, Nana and Jeffrey, wrote Isaiah 3:22-25. One of those once-in-a-lifetime moments. If you get the chance, see if they're coming to a town near you...you don't want to miss it!

Blessings,

Catching Up

Our Birthday Princesses...Great Grandma at 93 and Mantha at 2

Sunny, unseasonably warm days provide an opportunity to get out and play at the park.

I can NEVER find a Sharpie when I need one...

how is it that Mantha ALWAYS knows where they are?!?

Nathan bought PlayDough as a birthday gift for Mantha...Mommy wasn't thinking, as we bought the food and kitchen set...makes it a little harder to teach young child not to eat the PlayDough! But, they're having fun together.

I love these photos that Daddy took...

Our older two participate in Bible Quizzing. This year's study is the book of Exodus. It's Jeffrey's last year as a quizzer and his goal is to pull perfect...not miss a question. So, far, he's on track for making that goal. Three quiz-offs down, 120 questions answered, no misses...there's just one quiz left, the end of March. We're cheering him on and hoping for the best, but more than anything, we're excited to see him reading his Bible, studying God's Word and hiding truth in his heart that can never be removed.

How do you keep a rambunctious 5-year-old and an energetic 2-year-old quiet during a quiz-off? Jumbo suckers...courtesy of Miss Cynthia. On a side note, have you ever seen what happens when you drop one of those things on a hardwood floor? They shatter...into hundreds of little pieces...Mantha dropped hers and quickly hit the floor trying to lick up the pieces with her tongue! It was lovely!!

Future Quizzer getting in some practice time

Kayla with her 1st place team ribbon and her Perfect Round award,

given for completing a round of 20 questions without missing any answers.

Jeffrey with his team award and his Perfect Score medal.

40 questions, and 6 bonus questions...no misses...

As team captain, he led his team to a first place finish in our district!

So, to all my friends who have gently (and some not-so-gently) nagged me about updating our blog, here's what we've been up to. Birthday parties, mission trips to Guatemala, days at the park, PlayDough, quizzing and just living life, attempting to allow God to order our days and bring glory to Him in the exciting events and the everyday, ordinary moments.

We love you all and look forward to reading your updates...hint, hint, hint!

Blessings,