Merry Christmas

Greetings to one and all at this joyous time of year. It has been another momentous, extremely busy year for the Waughtals, and I wanted to take a moment to touch base with everyone we hold dear in our hearts and fill you in on happenings from Hillsboro.
The most awesome news of the year occurred in February when we received word from the Taiwan courts that Tyler was officially ours. We all 4 traveled in March to bring him into our family, and we are now a very close family of 5-he fits into our family like a hand fits a glove-it has been truly amazing how God had prepared each of our hearts for the addition of a son and brother, and he is much loved and adored by all of us, and it is apparent he feels the same way about all of us.
We have 2 cancer survivors on both sides of our family. 2008 was definitely a year for medical issues. Chuck’s mom had bladder cancer, my mom’s husband, Lee, had prostate cancer-as of Dec 18, they are both declared cancer free!! Praise GOD!!
My uncle from Greenwoood was in a major car wreck in Aug, and after 10 weeks in the hospital, went home, and is recovering and regaining strength and energy every day, again, another MAJOR Miracle in 2008!!
Chuck has had many issues with asthma over the past year, and it is due to this major health concern that we have decided to sell our farm. We listed it in October, and have had many lookers, some potential still exists for someone to come along and purchase it-but we are steadfastly waiting on God to direct and guide us through this very difficult season of uncertainty-we are determined to be in His will in our decisions, not rushing out on our own, and that requires much patience, wisdom, and more patience, as we wait to see what He has in store for our family in 2009.
Home schooling has been wonderful this year. We are again involved in a homeschool co-op through the church we attend, and it has become the momentum for our schooling-we have been studying birds and flying insects through the eyes of creation, and it is amazing and humbling to see how God has ordained EVERYTHING in our universe-and if He cares about the birds and insects, He cares about you too, dear friend!! And we have been reminded again, and again, how much He really does love us, and hears our prayers.
We are all looking forward to our much-needed time away with family over the next few days to celebrate Christmas, and we pray each of you has a special place and time where you will be together with loved ones remembering the Babe born in a stable, over 2000 years ago. May the peace and love of Christ go with you through the new year, and may his love shine in your heart and in your life!!

Blessings in His dear and precious NAME:

Chuck, Chris, Nick, Kendell, and Tyler

Endless Gifts

It is time to take a moment, each and every day, to begin to be thankful and grateful, really appreciate what is going on in our lives, what God has ordained for us, the ordinary gifts we take for granted, that are extraordinary gifts from our heavenly Father, loving provider, and Giver of every good and perfect gift.
Thanks to Canadian Ann Voskamp @ Holy Experience, I have ventured into the realm of the gratitude community. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and if nothing else, it should ensure a post, with a few pictures, on a more regular basis than my hectic, fly by the seat of my pants days have allowed for in the past few months. Check out Ann's blog, and her gratitude community, and see if you can find a few things in your ordinary day that cause you to stop, ponder, and thank our Creator for His favors He has chosen to bestow upon us.

1. Salvation through the blood of Jesus-Amen and Amen


2. More than enough Bibles to choose from, in my own home, to read God's Word at any time of the day or night
3. The beauty of 4 seasons in our rural Wisconsin area



4. 3 fabulous children placed in our arms by God through the gift/miracle of international adoption
   

5. A loving, supportive, hard-working husband

6. the grandeur of Fall colors

7. the approach of snow/winter fun

8.the ability to educate my children at home

9. the ability to work at home with my husband, making a life for our family as we all work side-by-side on our dairy

10. a garden that overflowed with goodness-of which carrots was the last to be harvested, and that just completed today, on a 35 degree, wind blowing 20 mph, cloudy November afternoon

this summer's bean harvest, complete with 3 smiling children snapping beans happily

Stop on over at Ann's and join in on the gratitude parade-a grateful heart is really the stepping stone to a happier, healthier, more productive life-and I aim to be living proof of that over the next few months!

Blessings

Chris

Sunday evening contemplations

Here we are, the start of another busy week-the end of another busy month. I want to ask again and again, "where does the time really go?" But I know the answer to that.

-helping my little ones with school work

-helping my little ones with house work

-helping my little ones with farm chores

-feeding my family

-clothing my family

-putting up food for my family

-helping my hubby in the parlor, milking, cleaning, cheering and supporting

-sorting through mountains of paperwork that is months behind

-sorting the daily/weekly clutter from our counters and cupboards

-planning, planning, planning

The list really does go on and on, doesn't it? But, through it all, I have to keep trusting that God will make a way, when there seems to be no way!! A Sunday without church is quite uncommon for us, but this was a busy weekend of chopping the corn silage, and as we are completely at the mercy of the custom harvesters, and their schedule, we thank God that the silage is ALL done in about 15 hours of hard work, that it did not rain on us, that we again have plenty to feed out cows for the next year, and that we are able to pay for it all-steep prices, yes, but we can pay for it.

This coming week has so many things on the schedule already, there hardly seems time for family time, God time, down time. But, we are looking forward to the science co-op field trip to the Crane Foundation on Friday, and then coming home to fly to a fellow church-member's home for pressing apple cider. 7 bushels should make about 22 gallons of cider for us to enjoy all year long-and it really is not that long of a process-thank goodness for their wonderful family and the cider press they share with all of us.

So yes, it is a busy season of our lives right now, but keeping perspective is what it is all about. If we get lost in the list of to-do's, we want to just shrivel up and despair over the busyness of our days. But if we choose a humble, joyful attitude, and thank God for His rich blessings to us, we can take the busyness much more in stride, and hopefully, with a lot more smiles and teachable moments than frustration and hurtful moments.

Happy Fall to everyone, and may God Richly Bless you !!

In Him

Chris

My Boy loves Chit Chas

Can you see me now???

See how fast I can go????

Am I cute or what???

Here I am again!!!

Our new name for him is HOT SHOT HENRY!!

While doing Tyler's 6 month report, I was able to get a lot of photos uploaded to the computer, so now is a great time to do a little updating on what Tyler has been up to in the last couple months.
He is VEHICLE NUTS!! He still refers to them by the Mandarin term Chit Cha-I have no clue if that is spelled correctly, but it is phonetic-It does not matter if it is a horse and buggy, tractor, fast car, ambulance, helicpoter, anything that moves, he loves it-and the faster the better for him.
He has many riding toys (and they are Tyla's chit chas!!) that he has just about worn out this summer-and he doesn't just ride them-he rides them FAST!!
I think we will have our hands full when he reaches his teens!

Blessings

Chris

WELL, where have we been???

I can't believe it has been 2 months since I have visited my own blog, I actually had to stop and think, how do I get there, how do I get to "new post"!! UGH-I am continually amazed at how time just flies by-kind of sad when you stop and think-2 months are gone, never to be here again-makes me ponder the verse "redeem the time" , and how can I do that more effectively???

Well, a quick update on where we have been the last 2 months, and then in a few days, maybe I will give a few more detailed posts, with bunches of pictures, as things change so fast around here, only pictures can remind me where we have been and what we have been up to.

Seems to me, July was the month we started worrying about Chuck's mom. She was having bladder problems, and went in for several procedures, only to discover she had bladder cancer. After an unsuccessful first attempt to scrape the bladder to remove the tumor, the only other option they felt was good for her was total bladder removal-which didn't happen until Aug 28. For about 6 weeks, we were making regular trips to their home-75 miles away-visiting, encouraging, just being together. The surgery was quite intense and recovery required 9 days in the hospital, but the upside to it all is that she is now cancer-free!! Praise the Lord!!

On July 31, our little boy turned 4-he was sick, we were all worried about Marge's first surgery and recovery difficulties, but he was a champion, and thoroughly enjoyed his cake and presents-post with plenty of pictures will follow SOON!

!

The second week of August was a wonderful time of spiritual renewal as the church we attend held city-wide Tent Meetings, with various speakers, and each night, the service began at 7 and ended about 9-kind of late for us farmers, but what a wonderful week when God met many needs, opened many hearts to His truth, and healed many wounded hearts.

We were also in the heat of Home School planning for our new year. I now have 2 4th graders, and 1 pre-schooler. Tyler is not to be denied school time-he adores it, and wants to be just like his big brother and sister.

And just when you think you are really busy, we were planning a couple-night get away to my home town and time with Mom and Lee, and Dad and Ann, when an unthinkable thing happened. My Mom's brother, Butchie, was in a horrible car crash. He was hit broadside, and thrown into the back seat. After a long fight in the ER to keep him alive the first night, he was on a very precarious road the first 5 days-broken neck bones, broken facial, ribs, left arm, but thankfully, no paralysis. As of 4 weeks from the accident, the breathing tube has been removed, he is speaking some, he is starting to respond, starting to eat, and beginning rehab in the smallest degrees-although there are literally hundreds of hours to go before they even talk about letting him go home.

Please continue to lift him up in prayer-there is MUCH work to be done yet! And his family and he have a LOONNNGGGG road ahead of them!

His hospital is 2 hours one direction, Marge's hospital 2 hours another, and 2+ hours in-between-we spent a lot of time on the road in the last 4 weeks-life through a windshield is not a lot of fun, but it did give me some good prayer time, and some more good God time, as I have listened to many messages that have rekindled the embers of my heart.

We are now into canning season full-swing-we have done peaches, pears, some raspberries, sweet corn, green beans, and tomaotes, and apples will be coming soon. My raspberry bushes are huge and bearing a huge crop this year, but we are sharing our bounty with many friends-as long as they are willing to come and pick.

I still have potatoes and onions to dig, as well as many weeds to pull and fall tilling to do.

As for school time-we are thoroughly enjoying our science this year-we are doing Jeannie Fulbright's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day-birds, insects, bats, anything with wings, and it is wonderful. We are doing it as a co-op with several other moms, 4 of us are taking turns teaching when we get our 16 children together every other week for 2 hours and review the week's lessons-very fun, very hands-on, and we are all falling in love with insects-they are just so interesting when you take the time to learn about them.

I will close for now-but promise to return in the not-too-distant future with more details from our summer and our home-school year. I have many pictures of Tyler that are begging to be posted, as well as news of our farm adventures-so, check back soon-and thanks to all who have kept checking for 2 months-I have had many posts written in my mind-if only for a laptop-all those hours traveling or sitting in hospitals could have been used to keep up on so many things-but, not to be.

Blessings In Him

Chris

In Other Words Tuesday-Valleys

Today's In Other Words Tuesday is a quote from a wonderful author I have a great deal of respect for-in fact, it is probably not a simple coincidence that I have decided to participate in this weeks' post, and this just HAPPENED to be the quote to respond/ponder/meditate upon.

When you are in a valley, it is really nice to know you are not alone, and that others have gone that route before you-and I am feeling like a pilgrim lately, lonely, fatigued, battle-weary-wondering where the joy went.

“The Christian life is a pilgrimage. At times the road is difficult and we get lonely. Sometimes we may get discouraged and consider abandoning the journey. It is at such times that God will place a friend alongside us. One of God’s most precious gifts to us is friends who encourage us and lovingly challenge us to ‘keep going.’ “ By Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby from their devotional book, Experiencing God

Ok, I am kind of surprised at the way God has chosen to bring someone along side me this time. It's not the hand-holding, lay your head on her shoulder and have a good cry type of friend, but I have been mighty encoouraged to keep on keeping on never-the-less.

In the midst of the valley of despair, discouragement and disgruntled confusion in which I have been contemplating next year's homeschooling, I have been feeling quite a failure, very inept, and basically a mess. All I see is last year's unfinished projects, last year's unmet goals and aspirations, and piles of papers I have found on the internet in an attempt to find the "PERFECT" activity for my children which will engage them, encourage them, and inspire them.

I wonder why I even attempt to teach my own children, when I feel my own life is such a mess of disorganization, unfinished projects, and disarray. Basically, I am having a pity party, and it hasn't been much fun.

Enter a dear old friend I had shelved for a while due to busyness. Wipe off the dust, open up the pages and begin to be refreshed, revived, and rejuvenated by the words of this dear book I have read several times already, but really needed the relief it provided this weekend.

No, it was not the Bible. But it is practically my homeschooling Bible. Written by another homeschooling mom, who has also written her own curriculum, Heart Of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson was just the instrument God has used to renew my vision for homeschooling and give me the gentle nudge I needed to trudge forward with new hopes and dreams for the coming year.

Robin has truly BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!!

She knows how it feels to be defeated by circumstances, and to take your eyes of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. She also knows the victory that comes with returning to our first love, Jesus, with a new vision and new sense of trusting Him to provide for our every need.

In the book, she compares our homeschool experience to the Israelites leaving Egypt, having their every need met by a loving and faithful God, and yet, they still manage to mess up, forget, murmur and complain, worship idols, and turn their eyes back to Egypt instead of focusing on the Promised Land.

Oh, how easy it is to let life carry us along on a riptide of emotions, instead of letting Jesus' grace and strength provide for us. How easy it is to take our eyes off Jesus, and focus on the difficulties, the failures, and the messes we create.

Well, I am not sure I am completely out of my valley-I still feel pretty empty when it comes to enthusiasm and zeal for the new school year. But, hopefully, with a bit more reading in HOWTA, as well as God's Word, I will find my strength renewed, and I will be able to mount up on wings as eagles, to walk and not be weary, to run and not faint (Isaiah 41:30).

So, even though we have never met in person, we have communicated a bit in email and I consider Robin Sampson a very good friend, and a worthy companion and mentor on this road of homeschooling, and I so appreciate her insights, her loving words of encouragement, and her reminder to focus on the one who gives us strength in our times of weakness.

And thank you to Bonnie at INK IT BLOG for hosting this week's In Other Words. Hop on over to her blog and read what others are writing about this week's quote, and be blessed along your own journey, wherever it may be taking you this week/month/year!!

In Him

Chris

Strawberry picking

The children and I spent a delightful 2 1/2 hours picking berries Saturday morning.
I remember the sweet, delightful aroma of fresh-picked berries from my childhood-either the large, domestic berries I would help my mom pick and clean and eat, or the itsy, bitsy little ones I would pick in the ditches with my Grandpa and Grandma. I could always smell them along the dusty country dirt road when it was time to pick them in June, and Grandpa and I would head out with our ice cream bucket, and see who could find them without stepping on them. The best part was the eating them in Grandma's red kitchen, with fresh cream poured over them and dunking fresh bread into the strawberry and cream mixture-ummm!
Sweet memories of picking with mom at all the u-pick patches also flooded my memory today, and I wanted to provide the same fun and memories for my children. Even though we have berries in our garden, we don't get enough at one time to do them up and freeze a bunch, but I do get enough for all the fresh eating we want, along with pies, shortcakes, and fresh with yogurt. I will also use my own berries for making jams this week.
But for the big job of freezing mashed berries for winter shortcakes and Angel Food cakes, I opted for the u-pick patch run by our friends with the greenhouse.
Tyler entertained himself for a long time with his trike, and then once the owner's girls came out to join us, of course he wanted to be right in the middle of things too-and he and the 4 yr old friend then entertained themselves with wayyyy too many strawberries for a mid-morning snack-despite mom's attempts from 5 rows away to remind him he was probably full, he decided to keep eating, and wasn't long and he had a tummy ache.
We had to laugh at him though-the tell-tale signs of strawberry over-indulgence were everywhere-face, shirt, hands-he was literally covered in strawberry juice!
Kendell, Nick and I managed to pick 40 pounds-about 6 full 1 1/2 gallon icecream buckets-and after paying for them, and returning home with our stash of berries, promptly put Tyler in bed-actually he put himself in bed-where he slept for an hour, and woke up telling me "Mama, owwie all gone" after patting his little tummy, and heading to the bowl of berries I was in the process of cleaning.

I LOVE berries, but after hulling and washing berries for FOUR hours, I was a bit tired of looking at them, and was very glad to get the last container finished before the frozen pizzas were done in the oven. The angel food cake from the Amish at my morning's visit to the Farmer's Market was cut and ready for fresh mashed berries and Schwans ice cream, and I had 5 1/2 gallon containers froze, as well as a 5 pound cottage cheese container-and I was thinking-No, I don't need to pick more berries-we will make jams with whatever we get off our own patch.

They will taste really good though this winter!!

Blessings

Chris

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa Nelson

Well, how cool is that when your mom marries someone who has the same birthday??? At least I am assured to never forget my Step-Dad's birthday that way!

Happy Birthday Mom-I love you, we all love you. I am glad you are not selling real estate any more, especially with the craziness of this year-Grandma's death, cleaning her house, Lee's health and now selling Grandma's house-the only problem with all this is, we never get to see you!! But, we know you are busy, and we are planning on a visit to Ripon and Berlin in August-so beware, we will be heading over there soon enough, but hopefully we see you sometime between now and then.

This picture was taken the day of my Grandma's Memorial Service in May

Sorry Grandpa Lee, I did not have time to find a new picture of you and all 3 kiddos-this was already on the computer, so for the sake of time, I settled for this one, even though it must be 4 years old-if not 5!!

We wanted to wish you a happy birthday today too!! We love you, and certainly hope the doctors get to the bottom of all these health concerns soon. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day, and we are continually lifting you up to God for healing, strength and God's peace throughout all of this.

I am very blessed to have both parents still living, and they both have remarried and have spouses we all love and enjoy being around. Our only real dilemma is that they are almost 2 hours away, and while that is do-able-it is still tough with the daily demands of the farm-

but this summer, we have determined that each month we are taking an overnight away from the farm-our sanity and our family are at stake, and WE NEED TO DO THIS!!!

So, hopefully our July visit will be with family and friends in Black Rive Falls, where we lived for the first 16 years of our marriage, and Chuck grew up. Our June trip to the Dells was such a success for all of us, family time and away time, that we are really hoping it will work out each month to continue this!

Well, time to make breakfast for my family-Hope Mom and Lee have a wonderful day on the golf course, playing, not working, and enjoy your special day together.

Blessings

Chris and family

Perseverence

Today is Tuesday, and I am participating in a meme "In Other Words Tuesday". The host for this week's quotation is Deborah at Chocolate and Coffee-stop on over and see what everyone else is writing about, as we ponder persevering.

By perseverence, the snail reached the ark.

By Charles Spurgeon

Now, I would really like to read the book Spurgeon wrote that quote in, as I love his work, his preaching-it is deep, it is thoughht-provoking, and I am sure I can not do this justice tonight, but here are my thoughts on persevering.

When we think of persevering, we think of enduring, of sticking to it, following through, finishing, hanging on, patience and steadfastness, as well as triumphing over any hardships, trials or left turns that may occur along the way.

I think, by nature, I am a stick-to-it person. I dig my heels in, I hang on by my last thread, and I will not give up unless I know I absolutely have to. Some people also call this bull-headedness, but I prefer tenacious myself.

However, in view of God's Word, and how He speaks of persevering, it may not always be a "fast" finish-like the snail, that moves ever so slowly, it could be a life-time of hanging on, a month, a year, a season-whatever it is that God has called us to do, He will also enable us to finish, if we but TRUST in HIM!!

I guess the thought that comes to mind with hangin' in there is-if we totally trust God, if we totally believe that He has led us a certain direction, if we totally sell out to Him and say, "Yes Lord-I will take it"-then how can we NOT persevere???
How can we just decide-this is too tough, too hard, too long, too painful, too....... and walk away from what God has placed in our path for a specific reason???

Life is not about starting the race, and then not finishing it. It is about following through, answering the call He places on our hearts, and then hangin' on, because when you are sold out to God, there is no telling the places He may take you, but, the key is finding joy, contentment, and peace along the journey!!

Blessings in Him

Chris

Vacation time at Wisconsin Dells

We have officially been on our first vacation since we got Tyler home with us. We made it away from the farm for a total of 30 hours, and we are thankful for the employees we have that gave us this chance to spend a lot of together just having FUN!!

We only traveled 1 hour away, and we happened to choose a touristy hot spot for Wisconsin, but it is sooo handy, there are sooo many things to do, and we all love to play in the water, so finding a good motel with a nice waterpark type pool is usually going to be a hit with our family. We chose the Wisconsin Dells because of their unique attractions, it is close to us, and it was unseasonably cool (mid 70's compared to last year's 90's) so it was not so very busy.

We started out Wednesday afternoon with a picnic lunch at the Hillsboro City Park, which was a grand way to begin our day-we have not had a picnic in forever, so we all appreciated the quiet, shaded beauty of the little park in our own town. On our way to the Dells, we drove through some flood-ravaged areas of the country-we were hit with torrential rains 2 weekends ago-around 10 inches-and while we in Hillsboro had a lot of high water, we had nothing compared to the people south of us in Reedsburg-the entire city was nearly under water, and when we drove through on our way, there were endloaders cleaning up all the stuff that has been taken out of the houses to be trashed-tvs, computers, couches, beds, EVERYTHING!! You could see by the mud marks on the homes how hight the water had been-we were humbled and thankful for no loss of life, and I found myself thinking-"how do they just go out and start buying everything all over again? what about the pictures, personal memories, things that are irreplaceable?"

It was a good reminder to us to not think about ourselves so much, there are always people who have things more challenging than anything we are dealing with.

Once at the Dells-the water park capital of the US, we found a motel with a nice pool/ and a free breakfast-and proceeded to our favorite spot-the Deer Park!

It is a huge wooded area with European Deer in one section, American White Tails in another, you buy expensive Rye crackers to feed them-they literally eat it out of your hand, and there were many baby fawns there this time of year. We have been there in the fall before, and they have all the daddy dear penned up as it is usually breeding season, but this time of year, they were all running with the does, and we found it incredible to feel their soft velvety antlers, feel their soft nuzzley noses, and rub their muscled backs.

We are always delighted with the personalities of the deer. Some are quite demanding, and will not take "No" for an answer after they have eaten their share, they will nose into your pockets, hands, anything, to find some more to eat, and some are quite tentative, hanging back and twitching their little noses in the air, begging for a few pieces to be thrown to them.
The children thoroughly enjoy feeding and petting them, and Mom and Dad really enjoy this as well.

Next, we stopped at one of the original Dells attractions-it was originally designed as a frontier-type park 30-40 years ago-and there are several Indian shops where souveniors are sold-trinkets, junk, stuff that tourists buy-but the kids were excited to see what a teepee would have been like from the Laura and Mary days-they both read Little House books and love the 1800's time-period.

After a really nice meal at Ponderosa-a typical fast-food steak house with a great buffet, we headed to the motel for the coveted swimming time. We chose a quieter/smaller pool, and we were very blessed with being the only ones there during both of our swim times. The children splashed and played, and Tyler was one big smile the entire time.

I was particularly thrilled to see my 2 older children catering to Tyler's every need, and foregoing their own fun on the bigger slide to make sure he was enjoying himself-and in turn, they ALL enjoyed themselves immensely.

After a really good night's sleep-11 hours-and a good breakfast and more pool time, and a nap for Tyler, we headed out to enjoy a few more exploits. Another Wis Dells attraction is the Ducks. They are aquatic/land mobiles that were actually used in WWII. They give you a little tour of the area, and float through the Wisconsin River, and the driver gives you a little folklore about the area. I have always enjoyed this, and I think all 3 children enjoyed it this year as well.

Here we are standing on a bridge that used to cross Dells Creek-up until 2 weeks ago, there was water everywhere, but with the huge rains we had on June 6th and 7th, tragedy struck the Dells.

A huge section of Lake Delton shoreline washed away, taking the 267 acre lake with it into the Wisconsin River. Lake Delton and Dells Creek are now dry, and the remains are a soggy, muddy mess of debris, houseboats and pontoons, and 4 $500,000 homes that washed away with the shoreline. The 20 resorts around the lake are going to be hurting this summer, as well as one of the area's top tourist draws, the Tommy Bartlett waterski show-they cancelled their summer schedule and let all their skiers go so they could find summer employment somewhere else. The photo below was taken from our Duck seats while in the Wis River.
This photo shows the pines growing out of the sides of the very porous sand stone that is along this secion of the Wisconsin River. There are only 4 places in the world where this type of sandstone is.

This is a rock-outcropping called Hawk's Beak-of course, there is Indian folklore that goes along with the rocks, but I will settle for showing pictures

Here is may family standing next to one of the Ducks. They are quite a sight to see running up and down the roads of the Dells, and we enjoyed our 1 hr tour through streets, wooded areas, we even saw 3 deer and a turtle, and the water tour on the River.
Overall, I would say we had a wonderful time away from the farm, and are looking forward to another little getaway next month, as we have decided each month we need a little away time, family time, and we just aren't going to get that kind of quality time if we stay home every day and tend to the farm.

Blessings

Chris

Thankful Thursday-abundant life

Today is Thankful Thursday, and my list of thankfuls begins with my dear husband. My trusted friend, my lover, my hard-working, yet playful partner for life. He is burdened with many thoughts and worries about the farm, feed prices, and milk production, yet he is trusting God and desiring to give his anxieties to the One who can bear them better than we can. May he turn his eyes upon Jesus, and keep them there, even when the cares of this world do become a huge weight on his shoulders.

My next blessing this week is for my youngest son. Tyler has only been a part of the family for 3 months, but he has become firmly entrenched in our hearts and lives. He padded out of his nigh-night earlier than ever this morning, gave me a sleep grin and a "Hi Mama", then proceeded to climp up on my lap, lay in my arms, and I was so blessed by our quiet time together this morning before the older children got up.
My next thankful is for my dear aunt and uncle-I spent the day yesterday traveling 5 hours round trip to spend the day with them at my Grandma's house-they are preparing to head back to Colorado via Mayo Clinic. My Auntie Marlie has had rheumatoid arthritis for most of her adult life, has become severely crippled with the arthritis, but is still a smiley, cheerful, loving woman who loves her family and her Lord. Last year on their Wis trip, they also stopped at Mayo Clinic, and she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. This year, they are hoping to determine how far it has progressed. Praying for it being at a standstill!!!!
I am also thankful for rainy days that encourage us to slow down a bit and find some quiet time to rest and refuel.

I am thankful for God's protection during last weekend's storms-no power for 15 hours, flash floods roaring through our area, dams giving out, yet no loss of life! Praise God!

I am also thankful for our employees-without them, I would not have been in the house this morning to enjoy the rare, quiet side of my littlest son, or be inside when the thunder awoke the sleeping 9 year olds 30 minutes later.

I am blessed by the opportunity to be a wife, mother, friend, daugther, and to have the choice every day to speak life and encouragement to many women who read my words here, or on the email groups.

This morning, my time in the Word was spent dwelling on Jesus' words in John 10 where He speaks of being our Good Shepherd-and how He has come so that we might have life, and have it abundantly. I had to pause for many minutes and meditate upon that phrase-abundant life. We live in the land of abundance, we have abundant food, entertainment, choices, job opportunities, homes, etc, and yet, that is not the abundant He is speaking of. But how easy it is to get caught up in thinking those abundants should make us happy.
I want to strive today to focus on the abundants that we have that are not tangible, that we can't hold in our hand-His peace, His love, His grace, His salvation. Also, family, their love, their support and encouragement. Also, His Word, and how it never fails to amaze me how whenever I read my Bible, I come away with a nugget of truth I can hold onto for the day.
Join others on this Thankful Thursday at Iris' blog. See what other women are thankful for, and enlarge your own world as you contemplate how Good God is, ALL THE TIME!!
Blessings in His Name
Chris

Tyler Pictures

Our little guy loves that thumb yet, and when he is ready to crash, it doesn't matter what is going on around him. Here, he decided to use his big sis's chair to take a 5 while we were CLEANING the basement, and cleaning is definitely NOT Tyler's favorite thing to do!

Tyler finally konked out on the way home on one of our recent 2 1/2 hr journeys-leg cocked over the side of the chair, insisting on a pillow behind his head, and thumb barely still in his mouth, but he slept, and for that, we were thankful.
Notice the stance on the stool?? He doesn't think the stool gets him high enough while brushing his teeth-he needs to use the sides to reach higher-typical boy-Nick always did that too!

This is what we call the "side-lip look" and it is always accompanied with a pained look in his eyes-it occurs usually when he is being scolded about something, and you would think you have just broken his heart-but we also see it when he really doesn't like something-like his first haircut

Here is Tyler and Katurah taking a rest from all their hard work Friday night while we were potting mums-prop your feet up, ask for a naynay (drink) and something to eat, and enjoy each other's company!! The picture really doesn't do them justice-they were actually both covered in potting soil


Here are Tyler and Nick and Ken at their first time of DRESS UP-Tyler was wearing some of Kendell's doll's clothes, and they all had a blast showing off for Momma and Daddy
my 3 little darlings at the Hein's greenhouse earlier in May for a homeschool fieldtrip-hard to say what is cuter, the flowers, or my children!!
Another greenhouse we visited had a trike with a back seat-and of course Tyler had to enjoy the rides all over their property-

Tyler is doing so well-he speaks so much English, and probably would not be using some select Mandarin if we didn't still use some of it-he is a lover boy-loves snuggles and cuddles, loves naps yet, loves his puppies, his big brother and sister, playing outside, playing school while Ken and Nick do school, and LOVES EATING!
He loves visiting with Ahmas and Bumpas-he has 3 sets of them-and just overall loves life!
We are TOTALLY BLESSED!
Thank you Lord for the 3 perfect children you brought into our lives through the gift of adoption!
In Him
Chris