Busy again...

Spent another Saturday at Volleyball...

M had her 2nd playdate...We enjoy watching her play. She is passionate and intense - in a good way.

Friends came to watch for part of the afternoon too...Thanks guys!
E. went home with them and enjoyed time playing together.

J & S spent the day with Gramma & Grampa...a treat for them...well and us - so nice not to have to worry about keeping a 6 & 3 year old busy during many hours of games :)

All in all, it was a nice weekend, despite the busyness it held.


Wanted to share J's "NEW" smile...look closely and you can see the small space on the lower right.

Not sure what the going rate is...but his tooth fairy brought $2 for his first tooth. That will probably go down by about half for the next ???

Pretty sure it could of been a quarter. He just thought it was cool to find a treasure under his pillow.

It was also important that the tooth was left so he could bring it to school and share the news with his class ... Gotta love a child's enthusiasm and zest for the simple things in life :)

On the adoption front, we spent some of this weekend preparing details for our first fundraising campaign...We were blessed by the help & encouragement received by a few special friends.
We should be ready to kick it off Sunday, February 1st.... Looking forward to sharing more soon.

As far as the "paper chase" goes... we are still making progress, little by little. We again appreciate your prayers for God's provision - in His perfect timing. We are excited to be moving forward on this God appointed journey. Thank you for your love and support!


Praying for a good week in the Lord....May you have the same!

TGIF : )

It's been a "Melonchaley" kind of week

Just a lot on my mind

I'm working through it

Slow but sure

I am thankful to have my dear husband & friend to hold my hand in the process: )

I am such a "doer"...

I am working very hard at being patient & still

And like I've said before -I continue to work on TRUST...

TRUSTING in God's perfect plan

So today I'm choosing to rest & be still

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Choosing to hold on to God's promises.

Thankful for "truth" that gives me peace

Happy Friday!

Cup of "Encouragement"

Had some friends lend some much needed encouragement my way... Thanks girls : )

It hit just the spot.

And I was reminded...

"...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own" Matthew 6:34

...to thank God for TODAY'S blessings!

He gives me just enough.... a "cup" full ... Just the right amount. Too much more might find me more overwhelmed & confused (drowning, so to speak - He surely knows I'm not good a swimmer:))

He gives me one puzzle piece at a time ... so I can figure just where it fits before He gives me another.

But this one piece/step at a time is NOT easy for me...I'm a planner, I like to know whats coming, what our next move should be...And I like to think it's the special way God "fashioned" me.

So I'm working on TRUST... trusting in God's "perfect" timing!

Because, He is in control and His plans are far greater than any kind of plan I'd come up with anyway, right?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

So right now I'm thanking God for today...for our home, sheltering us from the cold...for the children He has given me to love - children here in my arms and children in my heart.

And I thank God for friends & loved ones who very wisely point to Him for my strength and will also share in my frustrations & inadequacies with me....Thank You, thank you, thank you!

Looking forward to what He has in store.

"One step at a time"

Here we go...

MONDAY!
What else do I say?

The weekend went really fast...

We enjoyed our first (intense) JO Volleyball playdate.

M. played 3 matches, 3 games in each and ref'ed 1 match

It was fun to watch : )

She is good and really seemed to enjoy herself!

But the day got long (2:30-7:30, and we were able to sneak out an hour early)

Other News:
J. lost his first tooth Saturday...he was so very proud (he's 6 now-ya know?)...and was excited to put it under his pillow : )

Today...
Some daycare friends come to play

I'm hoping to tackle some adoption "details" this week

Those details have me feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment

...Praying for peace & discernment

Feeling kind of stuck!

Walk next to me Lord, guide my every step.

Happy Monday to you all...Talk to you later

OK : )

I tackled a few piles today-put things in their rightful places...or made it up while I went along
A few of them just got moved to out of sight places :)
I even mananged to play in the midst of my cleaning frenzy...
Kids and I played "Old Maid", "Crazy 8's", and "Go Fish" (Thanks for your encouragement, Aimie :))
Worked hard until it was time to pick the kiddos up from school

We returned home, hung coats up, had snacks and welcomed in our SW -for our last homestudy meeting
It went ok!
Gave her the tour of our home...so not a big deal
The whole family talked together with her for about an hour.
Girls were so kind and respectful -I think they even dazzled her with their talk of liking to share a room and the best part about their house, "It's small & cozy"
I couldn't be prouder: )

Like usual, I stressed over details I did not need to worry about...
I feels really good to have another step completed
I am going to sleep well tonight

Thank you for your prayers....They were felt
We'll let you know what's next
Blessings to you

Focus...

All three of the big kids are in school today
No "little" friends visiting

Our social worker comes tomorrow for our last homestudy meeting

I need to focus
Get something done
There is just so much to do, I don't know where to start

Here goes...
(Can't ignore my piles today)
Turn off the computer
Take a deep breathe
and just do it!

I'll let you know how I do :)

Bye Bye

Our univited guest has been escorted out...Thank Goodness

Praying she didn't leave any of her friends or family behind.

Just in case, we're "prepared" to see them out too.

bye bye

Back to School...

Kids head back to school today-

After a good Christmas break.

They are ready.

So am I.

Going to try and just enjoy the 'little ones' at home.

Don't want to be distracted by all our "piles"...

so this could take some effort.

Here we go....Wish me luck.

Happy Winter!

Uninvited Guest...

Without an invitation...we had a little critter come in from the cold outside to our warm inside....did I mention she came uninvited?

Much to my dismay this morning, while making breakfast with the kiddo's...I am informed that someone saw something move over by the sink. When I inquire "What did it look like?" Instead of a description like I was expecting (I figured it was a spider or something) She says, it looked like a chipmunk.....A What???? EEkkk.

J. than chimes in and says, "yep, mom I saw it, it was a mouse."

We quickly (and loudly-to keep the critter in hiding) finish making and eating breakfast. I call DJ to find out if we have any mouse traps...I'm put on hold, and during my wait the little bugger comes back out for a stroll along the cupboard base. I thought mice are suppose to be more scared of us, than we are of them...Apparently not this one!

Now I knew I did not like mice, but I had no idea that the sight of one in my home would cause me to jump on a chair and scream.....Seriously, did that scream just come out of me??? Good thing I was on hold, and DJ or worse, one of his co-workers did not have to witness the rucus coming from our home.

It's a bit more difficult to convince the kids that mice are nothing to be afraid of, with the "they are much smaller than you speil"...when they have all just witnessed you jump on a chair and screach!

When I called for help & encouragement during what I think was kind of a BIG ordeal, I was met with some great comments such as;

"What did you expect? It's cold outside & you live in a field."

"You know they say for every 1 you see, there are 10 you don't see."

"Where there is one, there is more."

"Did I tell you how many mice I caught last winter? 11"

*Thanks guys for your help of "laughter"....I stopped being freaked out by about dinner time:)

We did manage through the rest of our day trying to ignore the fact there was a real possibility one of us could run into our uninvited guest at anytime. PTL! She has not shown herself again and I'm hoping she will vacate and go back to her own house soon.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that another year has passed by... time must really fly when your having fun :)
We all enjoyed our Christmas break... some of the time with our extended family and other times just us at home - being. We played lots of games, fit in ice skating, and spent some time with friends.
We brought in the New Year at home...playing UNO & watching a family movie. The boys were tucked in hours earlier but Mom, Dad, and the girls were up til just after midnight to wish one another a "Happy New Year", give kisses, and head off to bed. A nice low key night.

Kids head back to school tomorrow...and I think we're all ready to get back on our regular routine. ...Mom & Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.....

On the adoption front:
DJ & I completed our individual interviews. They went well...so much easier than anticipated. :)
Our SW is scheduled to come out this Thursday evening to finish up the last of our home study visits. She will see our home, meet the kids, and ask the girls a few questions. Should be harmless but of course I can't help but fret some, when someone new is coming into our warm but lived in house. :)
Then we'll more thoroughly dive into the stages of completing our dossier. This requires many tangible steps like getting our passports, being finger printed by homeland security, getting newly issued birth certificates and marriage license, etc.
We do have our medicals completed...kids even had to have physicals and mantoux's to check for TB. The mantoux is a prick in the forearm, and is read 48 hours later...positive results leave a red raised bump at the site of injection.
Although pokes are not on the kids (or anyones) lists of wants, they were all troopers and passed with flying colors. And Mom is happy we are able to check off another step on our "dossier-to do" list.

We are hoping to kick this year off with some fund raising for the journey ahead...
And look forward to following the path God has set before us.
Blessing to you all, The Fisher Family