house on wheels

Well, not really.  It's no secret that our family has loved camping over the last few years.  We have been fortunate to live in places where camping is easy and accessible, and we love embracing adventure each trip. 

Here in New Mexico, the wind comes whistlin' down the plains quite fiercely.  Last summer, our beloved tent took a beating, and the wind snapped one of the tent poles.  That tent had been through so much....we initially bought it because Nugget's pack'n'play would fit on one side, as well as a KING size air mattress--  who doesn't take their 2 year old and 6 month old camping??!  But it has been the perfect tent.

After renting some pop-up campers from the base's outdoor recreation department, we decided to look into purchasing our own camper....the wind and the cold pose a greater threat here than our balmy Florida climate, and while it wasn't expensive to rent, it made more sense to find something moderately priced and used.  It took months of praying and looking and emailing and praying, but we found the perfect set-up for our (hopefully) growing family.

We picked it up on a Thursday afternoon from a lovely family in Lubbock, and that weekend, we set out for northern New Mexico.

Here's our new setup!  I'll get some better pics the next time we take it camping.

As you can see, we always pick the best weekends to go camping.  We had snow the first night, and we woke up to ice and sleet all over everything.

 Exploring near our site.

 Hot chocolate in the camper.  For those of you who know us well, do you recognize the bright and green and red blobs behind Nugget's head?  We never leave home without them!

 We drove across the border into Colorado and stopped to admire the mountains and colors.

 We found another campground in Colorado, and I know we'll be back to camp there!

 Mule deer were out and in abundance.....

...as were the wild turkeys.  These guys were EVERYWHERE.

 And we saw a BEAR!!!

 Practicing his ninja skills....

These red rocks are somewhere between home and the campsite.  Just gorgeous.

 

Needless to say, we love camping.  It's such an escape for our family. 

 

 

....and that isn't a bear, but did I fool you?  We sure thought it was on a first glance.

 

 

....

apple-ker-key

Sandman had a four day weekend over the Labor Day holiday, so we headed over to Albuquerque!  Until recently, one of the boys used this pronunciation.  Super cute, but as with most cute-kiddo-speak, it's been replaced with the correct name now.

We really enjoy the mountains there.  And that it's not flat in every direction.  And that you can see mountains. 

 Buddy and Sandman know just how to freak me out....take pictures near the edge.  Or 15 feet from the edge....we were so not going to fall.  I'm going to be a mess when we finally take that trip to the Grand Canyon.

 

We've been to the Sandia Mountains a few times now, but this was the first time there wasn't any snow!  We took advantage of being able to hike some trails without needing skis.

 

 

He claims he wasn't nervous.....

 Love my boys!

 

We visited the zoo twice and toured the aquarium again.  The ABQ zoo is one of our favorites...lots of wonderful exhibits and a great train ride.  The boys also experienced their first baseball game!  We watched the Albuquerque Isotopes and enjoyed fireworks after the game.  If anything, our little trip was a great escape after a crazy summer.  We wouldn't mind pcs'ing to ABQ someday!

first day of school

Yesterday, we started our 2012-2013 school year! 

Buddy is in the first grade and was on his way to a horse lesson, and Nugget is in pre-K at our sweet little preschool down the street. 

our summer picture overload

I had plans for continuing our homeschooling into the summer.  It was mostly going to be reading books together with some writing and other activities thrown in for good measure.  It turned into just reading, but I think we all enjoyed the break.

Sandman also had some serious work commitments, so we used our weekends to squeeze in as much family time as we could.  The boys went to there first rodeo where Ben tried Mutton' Bustin'.  We had a visit from Nanni.  Buddy lost his first tooth.  The boys got new-to-them bunks.  Buddy continued his horsebackriding.  We went camping.  Both boys had a soccer camp.  I got to visit some good friends.  Most of our days were spent at home, especially when the summer heat and sun were unbearable.  We ended our summer with a trip to Houston that was a mess schedule-wise, but we made lemonade out of lemons.  Be patient with the wonky pics....still working....

pre-rodeo excitement

watermelon fun!

Nanni brought some old Star Wars toys!







Father's Day Lunch with Mister "I won't perform for you."











unless we play rock, paper, scissors....







Nugget's New Nest

Buddy's Big Boy Bunk





Summer ride on Shorty



Where's Nanni?

We had to wear sweatshirts on the 4th of July!

British Soccer Camp

Prairie Dog Town

 

NASA!  Buddy was in awe of the Saturn V rocket

As much as I love a good break, I am craving a legitimate routine.  We start school on Monday, and I know it will be work to get us all back into the swing of things, but I know the boys will appreciate the routine, too.  Nugget will start preK in the same preschool he attended last spring.  He'll be there three mornings each week, and we love his little school.  Buddy starts 1st grade and will continue horsebackriding as a part of his school day once a week.  We are toying with him riding twice a week, and I've given myself two weeks to see how things go, but I imagine we'll go back to once a week.  We have chosen to not praticipate in this semester's homeschool co-op group, even though it's only once a week for 8 weeks.  I have gone back and forth on that decision, but ultimately, it means that four mornings each week we're up and out, and three is hard enough.  We will wait and see how things go for the spring co-op.  I imagine that this co-op will be more valuable when the boys are a bit older.

strong and courageous life

Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD.

Psalm 31:24

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.

Psalm 18:32

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

The Lord will give strength to His people;  The Lord will bless His people with peace. 

Psalm 29:11

The LORD is my strength and my song. 

Exodus 15:2a

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith.  Be courageous.  Be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Isaiah 41:10

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 

Phillipians 4:13

Surely God is my salvation;  I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord  is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  

Isaiah 12:2

The Lord is my strength and my song;  he has become my salvation.

Psalm 118:14

I have struggled with confidence.  I have struggled with fear and self-doubt.  These are just a few of God's promises that give me strength and courage during those weak moments.  

Being strong and courageous isn't about being agressive or physically powerful.  For me, being strong and courageous means facing and fighting the difficulties in this life with a head held high because He has given us this great strength.  He has given us power.  My past is full of pain and loss, and I still hurt sometimes.  But He is my comfort and strength, and it's a conscious decision to not let the fear and pain and lack of confidence consume me because HE is my strength.

I also have two sons. I pray that they would become strong and courageous men of God. To be bold, to live with integrity, to love fiercely, to serve others. 

And I pray that our family will make strong and courageous choices as we follow God.  I pray for a willingness to go whereever the Lord asks us to go.  And for someone like me, that takes great courage.

adoption

So what the heck is going on?

We still plan to adopt.  We are still burdened with adoption and orphan care.  We still desire more children, and we want them to join our family through adoption.

But we aren't sure of much more than that at the moment.

We've had two moves, a few setbacks within our control and many outside of it, and we've been dealt some agency/country/etc. policies that have changed our situation.

To those of you who have donated, purchased, prayed, asked and wondered....we appreciate your support tremendously.  We still need this support.  Prayer is huge.  We need encouragement.  I remember reading years ago that the adoption process is not for the faint of heart, and as frustrating and ridiculous as it seems, I am still deeply committed to adoption.  But I have hurt and been discouraged at times, and sometimes I withdraw into those emotions.  Sandman is a rock....I blame his military training for his insane ability to compartmentalize his feelings and view things rationally, while I melt into a weeping pile of sludge when we get news about something that wasn't part of "THE" plan.  (read: MY plan)

Hopefully, we will have more news within the next month or two.  To be honest, I don't mind being asked about the adoption, but it has been difficult for me to have to keep saying, "well, we're back to square one...so I don't know" or "well, the agency has changed its policy....so I don't know.."  or "well, we're changing agencies/providers/countries again...so I don't know."  I guess it makes me feel like I'm disappointing the person who asked (who, of course, was being kind and genuine....)

The Lord has been laying some things on my heart lately, but because I don't know where to go with them, I am keeping them to myself.  I have never been so committed to praying for things...some of them being so unknown, and that's something new to me.  It's been sweet, and in some ways, I'm at peace, but in other ways, I know our son is out there, and I desperately want to find him.

So if we don't put lots of updates on the blog, it's probably because we're facing some uncertainties, and I'm guarding my heart.  What I will probably do is write a number of blogs but leave them unpublished until I am comfortable going public with the info.  And sometimes in adoption, it's better to keep things private.  Sandman wants things fairly "sanitized" anyway, which is why you will probably not see our real names here, so our goal is slight anonymity from the get-go.

Thanks for being patient.  I have not been patient.  But I'm getting there.

Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

my dandelion boys

Our little military 'brats' never asked for the life we have chosen. I have struggled with this identity myself, although after years and years as a military wife, I can confidently say that it is part of who I am. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started falling for that cute ROTC boy back in college.  But I think most military spouses will admit feeling this way to some degree because it's necessary in order to plow through life alone at times, to face frequent moves, to establish a home in a new place, and to bear the unpredictable realities of each day.

This quote and the blog that follows sum up many of the prayers I have for my Dandelion Children as they face this life. (April has been designated the Month of the Military Child.)

"The official flower of the Military child is the Dandelion. Why? The plant puts down roots almost anywhere, and it's almost impossible to destroy. It's an unpretentious plant, yet good looking. It's a survivor in a broad range of climates. Military children bloom everywhere the winds carry them. They are hardy and upright. Their roots are strong, cultivated deeply in the culture of the military, ...planted swiftly and surely. They're ready to fly in the breezes that take them to new adventures, new lands, and new friends." (copied from Shades of Green's FB page)

This blog calls our kids "unseen heroes."  We have been so fortunate to have Sandman home most of the time, but he's been TDY and downrange often, and we know there will be more goodbyes in the future.

I pray that Sandman and I equip and encourage them to bloom where they are planted.  To be strong and courageous, knowing that the Lord is with them in new towns, with new friends, when missing the lives we leave behind each time we move.  We pray that we would cultivate in them deep roots, not just in the military culture, but in our family culture, in their faith in God, and in their desire to serve others. 

And let's be honest, even though dandelions are considered weeds, they are much loved in our family.  Like most kids, my boys can't bear to leave one standing, and they take great joy in watching the little seed pods fly away.