Frustrating

I opened my mail from yesterday and found that a check bounced that someone paid for my headscarves with. This means I am out the $15 for the check and then the bank charged me $15 because she didn't have enough funds her in her account. This is frustrating because I would have rather just given them to her than to be out the extra money. I hope this issue can be resolved and it was a simple mistake. Life lessons always cost money. Now I wonder do I still accept checks?

Weekend happenings...

This weekend I had a shower to welcome in the new Larsen boys. Even though they are not here yet, it was such a blessing to receive so much love from so many different people. I feel so blessed to have family and a church and friends who love what God is doing in our lives and want to celebrate with us. It is only by God's grace that we are able to do what He calls us to do.

My little clean lion!

Harvest from the cousins' garden.

Yesterday, the kids were priveldge to go to a bee farm and learn how they get and clean honey. They said it was awesome. Now they all want to have bees too! I love homeschooling! There is always something to learn...an adventure around every corner...I just have to be looking for it!

This week...

Here are a few pictures from Lifelight. As you can see, Lydia thought it was a little loud.

This is the whole bag of cotton candy that they were able to eat.


She really liked finding the duck throughout the day.

We had special access to the VERY front for Remedy Drive. I must admit that it was pretty cool.


We went to the zoo with Daddy after it was all over. It brought back great memories of living in SF.

Today is my last day with only 2 children at home, so I am a mission to get things done- like run errands.

This week we had the privileged of seeing video of Titus and Silas. We made them a video and sent it with a traveling parent who showed them on their computer. Titus and Silas looked a little terrified watching it, but then towards the end Silas blew us a kiss. It melted my heart. I simply want to get on a plane today and go and get them! God's timing is perfect for our family and need to be patient - easier said than done!

Last night was an ear piercing party. My SIL bought a professional gun kit because with so many girls we are WAY ahead by purchasing our own equipment. We figured if the 17 year old could do it and Claire's, so could we! Here are Grace and Lydia's new ears! Two of the cousins got theirs pierced yesterday too. I think they look bigger today! (Don't worry it was done under medical supervision - her husband is a doctor:)

LifeLight

We made it back with loads of festival funk, you know where everything is smelly, out of place and completely nasty, but we all had a great time. I actually think Grace and Lydia had their pleasure circuits overloaded. They sat still for 10 minutes today visiting Carl's Grandma and they said they were bored. (Don't worry we had a little chat about appropriate things to say when you are at someone's house...that is not it)

There favorite parts were, not in any particular order: eating as much candy as they wanted, including a whole bag of cotton candy, watching Remedy Drive from the pit (that is the very front - with their special passes), getting backstage to watch Daddy work, going to the Zoo, eating at CiCi's Pizza with old friends, going on inflatables, swimming at the hotel pool and last but not least...watching the Newsboys.

The Newsboys was the long anticipated part of the weekend. They were so tired last night that they fell asleep from 7-9pm during Lincoln Brewster and it took me 20 minutes to wake them up to watch the Newsboys. It was actually hard to keep them protected from random people wanting to step on them while they slept on the ground.

My favorite part was watching my husband work. There is such joy in watching someone doing what God created them to do. I was so very proud of him this weekend. Second favorite was watching my girls have such a great time.

Now it is time to go and switch a load of laundry:)

...For all you worry warts out there...Adie is doing very well being spoiled as the only grandchild along with having two uncles out at the ranch too! Grace and Lydia were concerned that Adie would be jealous that she wasn't able to do all that they were doing. I had to console them by saying she really didn't care at this point because she was having her own fun (like picking up dead grasshoppers and throwing them outside, riding the 4-wheeler, eating her own junk food and being chased by her uncles.

LifeLight

I sent Carl off to LifeLight in Sioux Falls for the weekend. It is a free music festival that brings in anywhere from 60,000 - 100,ooo people per day - not too bad for South Dakota! He is the video directer for the weekend...which means that he is in charge of the video crew and his main job is to put up what you see on the big screens. He loves his job and all the variety that he gets.

Grace, Lydia and myself will be heading down tomorrow to enjoy the shows, see old friends and just hang out. Adie will be going to the ranch with her Nana...she won't be spoiled, I am quite sure of it.

So I won't be blogging until Monday or Tuesday of next week. Hopefully, I have great stories to tell - maybe the girls will be able to meet some bands. They really want to meet the Newsboys, but that is the busiest time backstage so I don't think that will happen but maybe Superchick or Remedy Drive.

Hovering near 60

Lord willing in 60 days we will be in Ethiopia picking up our boys. I am so excited and terrified all in the same breath. Once we step on that plane, our life will never be a family of 5. We will be charting new territory and stepping into waters never explored before.

I know what transition means when you add a baby to the family, but adding two two-year-olds is out of my league. Which brings me to complete dependence on God to provide for their needs and for mine.

For the next two months, I am trying to me very intentional on enjoying my life as it is right now, cherishing the time that I have with each of my girls. For example, Grace and Lydia have been my "coupon cutters" and they went to Walgreens with me to find the best deals. They even took their own money so that they could buy items for Operation Christmas Child. I was so proud of them for buying new toothbrushes and hair binders for kids less fortunate then themselves.

30 on the 30th

This year was it.

My golden birthday.

Grace cried last year when she learned that she would have to wait until she was 29 for her golden birthday.

It was a glorious day filled with an adventure that made me feel like I was 18 again.

Carl took me canoeing down the Sauk and Mississippi rivers. (We haven't done this in over 10 years.) It was picture perfect blue puffy clouds with a slight breeze, 70 degrees...not too hot nor too cold along with the perfect company it was amazing.

Time stood still for those couple of hours.

It was a wonderful blessing that will stay etched in my mind forever.