I hear ya

Last night, Mindy came to the shop and I cut and colored her hair. We got talking about what's been going on with us and the adoption and I told her that I am more stressed out than ever about it all. The whole money thing just has me questioning how and when and everything else. She really was encouraging me to send in our application, start the homestudy, and go from there...see what happens. I told her that I know I'm over analyzing it and I need to stop thinking about it so much and just go. She told me that I should be excited about it, not stressed out. That's what I want, and I know I haven't been able to let myself get there yet. I let too many other thoughts get in the way.
So, there I was on the way home. I got in the car and was thinking about our conversation and was asking God to help show me what we're supposed to do and to help me just listen to His plan for us. Just then a song came on KTIS that I actually really don't like (a rare thing since I like most all the music they play) so I turned the station for a bit to Delilah....ya know Delilah?? She's the cheesy, overly sweet, love ballad dedication chick on the radio at night. Anyway, just as I changed to her show she said something that I couldn't believe. I even pulled the car over and wrote it down quick, cuz I didn't want to forget her exact words.
"Are you one of those people who has to wait before you leap? Do you think things through...sometimes too much? Do you think about things so much that you never leap? Just take the chance. Take that leap and see where it takes you." At this point, I'm looking around me to find God himself in the car disguising his voice as Delilah...and then He...er...she said, "You have to be excited about life. Just breath deeply and live fully."
Then she played the song, I Can Only Imagine...one of my favorites...and a Christian song on a secular station. Here I was tuning into the Christian station to begin with hoping something would speak to me and God made them play that ONE song I really don't like so that I would turn the station and hear His words at just the right time. I have no doubts. I don't believe in coincidence like this, I think He uses all sorts of ways for us to hear Him. Okay, I'm listening.

What to do...

I am just writing this cuz I've been trying to process it all since Tues. In the morning, I got notice from one of the daycare parents who's child I've watched for over a year and then in the afternoon, I got notice from another girl I take care of. Both had job and circumstance changes that prompted them to have to leave. So...just like that I'm down that money every month. Money that we save for our adoption, money that makes it a little easier to put up with even doing daycare when Lord knows I'd rather not, money that has to be replaced somehow or I'll have to do this longer. So, that last option is not even an option....I'm not doing this longer. I could replace them, but that would be rediculous too for only 5 months...I"m not doing that.
By Tues. night, I was telling myself I would just quit and figure out how to work extra hours at the salon and make up for it. Then I talked to mom on Wed. and she made me realize that was a hasty decision. So, now I'm at the point of trying to figure out if I can go back to working Fridays during the day and get a backup to watch the only 2 or 3 kids I will have. I'm liking this option the best so far. I've had time to think about it some more and I know I was jumping the gun at first....not that I ever do that....HA!
I know what I really need to do, I really just need to pray about it. I feel so strongly about this adoption and that we are meant to have this child that I have to believe that even this latest event puts us on a better path to get to her, not a harder one. It seems like a roadblock, but I think I need to just trust....have faith. We've come so far with everything. I feel with all my heart that there is a little girl in China that God wants to be a part of our family...so if thats true, why would he discourage us...He wouldn't. I think He's saying "Go this way instead". Am I strong enough to listen?

Timmy's team wins championship!

I'm so proud of him. He did such a good job playing for his first year! He was just about the smallest kid on his team, but that didn't stop him from being quick and fierce. He always played most of the game when they had one and he would do a good job of knowing where the ball was and going after it.

Tonight's schedule

How does this work exactly??

4:30 - Last daycare kid leaves
5:00 - Sit down for dinner
5:30 - Bring Tyler to football practice
6:00 - Get Timmy to field for his pre-game practice
6:30 - Take Tony and Trae to wrestling practice (Timmy will have to miss tonight)
7:00 - Pick up Tyler from football practice
7:00 - Hurry to Timmy's game to start
8:15 - Pick up Trae and Tony from wrestling (probably missing Timmy's game winning play in the 4th quarter of his game)
8:30 - Timmy's game ends
9:00 - Go home and eat yummy apple crisp that mom made today.
The boys think this is to celebrate Timmy's championship game, but I think I will secretly be celebrating how we manage to get through our crazy life and live to tell about it.

A picking we will go....

Today, we went to an apple orchard. Actually it was someone's private property. Our friend, Helen, knows someone who has about 30 apple trees on their property and they let us come pick as many as we wanted for free. Hey, can't beat that.
The house was out near Stillwater by Helen's parents' house. We got invited to their house for lunch and then to go picking. It was such a beautiful fall day out...the sun was shining and the air was crisp, but it wasn't too cold at all....a perfect day for apple picking.




Watch out for falling apples....daddy's shakin' the tree...



This one looks good....



Yummy....







This should be enough for a pie...or 2...or 5...







I'm not sure what they enjoyed more...picking the apples....



....or climbing the trees.

Wii quit

Wii are done trying to explain to the boys that if they don't take care of their things, they won't HAVE any things. Wii are tired of them losing, breaking, and throwing their things. It shouldn't matter if Wii paid for it or if they did themselves. It shouldn't matter how MUCH Wii paid for something.....whether $5 or $500 it should still be taken care of. Wii talk to them about respecting their things and Wii try and teach them to be grateful for what they have.....yet it seems Wii just continue to fall on deaf ears. Soooo.....Wii will be instilling some serious consequences.
This is what Wii went downstairs to tonight.

Notice how from every angle it looks like a pig sty....





No place is safe from their madness....









Wii want you to pay particular attention to the Wii components just laying around....



...like an old rag that no one cares about or some old popcorn that has gone stale. Who cares....why does it matter....



....it's just a game, right? We got it from Santa, so it's not like mom and dad paid $500 for the console, extra remotes, guitar, and games....nah....doesn't matter....



Would you believe they are actually SURPRISED when their games, CD's, and DVD's don't work and are scratched...Hmm....go figure.



This ends today.....



From now on, when you disrespect your things, Wii take them away....



Say buh-bye to the Wii, boys. You won't be seeing until after Halloween. Obviously taking it away for a day or even a weekend isn't enough for you to learn a lesson.....so it's gone for 3 weeks. Wii will not miss the mess, Wii will not miss the argueing over games, and Wii will not let you have it back until you have proven you can be more responsible. Good luck!

Hopeful

Last night I had a client, who is a nurse, tell me that she thought Tanner would be feeling much better by today. I was hopeful, but when I got home and saw him still thowing up and with a fever...I wasn't so sure. His new symptom was this terrible cough, worse than it's been the past few days. The kind that makes you almost gag cuz you're coughing so hard. I was sure he wouldn't be able to really sleep with that going on, but he actually did really well. He only woke up once and I gave him a drink...other than that he slept a long time and didn't get up until after 9am. This morning, he is still coughing, but he is really looking more like himself. The fever has broke, he ate something and kept it down, and his headache is gone. Thank you God....he was so sick, poor thing. So far...and I say this with fingers crossed....no one else has gotten sick, including me which is a miracle considering all his bodily fluids I've been in contact with over the past 4 days.
Jason and I had been planning on going out to dinner for a date night before our Couples in Christ group gets together on Sunday, but with Tanner being sick we weren't sure we could. Well, we are going to and then hopefully make a trip to Target if the boys aren't tearing the house apart by then. As long as he is still feeling okay, we're gonna try it. Wish us luck.