We're so popular.

The older 2 started school today. They had a great day and are very excited about their teachers. The little ones hung out with me. We walked to the park and played in the sand (in a week or two we will have to begin hauling the sand back to the park!), the baby likes to use his head as a bulldozer!

After school our house was again the place to be for the under 12 set. Especially since I picked up a package of oreo cookies this afternoon. Some of these kids, probably most of them, have lived here for 2 or more years. Take a few moments and think about that...all that time away from family living with people who, until a month ago, were just hired to work a shift. Now they are actually family's homes but the others seem to still run like Residential Treatment Facility. It will be hard to do everyday, but I plan to be outside just talking and listening to these kids after school. Who knows where this will lead.

Kids, kids everywhere!

This evening Albert and I looked around and realized we had about 20 kids hanging around our back porch! All of the kids from the other houses, not really all of them, but many of the other kids were there wanting to talk to us and hang out. Almost like what I felt needed to happen in Moldova. Someone to just be there.

Cooking... let me just tell you who I am cooking for...Albert, 4 kids that eat like there is no tomorrow (the baby would continue to eat as long as you put food in front of him!), and we also have Dane and his friend staying with us. Now that's a lot of food!

Albert has really been a huge help. This is a group effort to be sure. I feel like I'm part of a tag team. I know why most homes only take kids five and above. When you have 4 or more that need help bathing, brushing teeth, etc. Lots of work. But this is what God has called us to be about. Pray that we will be able to keep up.

Day One

Day one was exciting, exhausting and quite an adventure. All 4 of the kids slept great, problem is I didn't because I kept getting up to check on them. We all got up around 7 and had oatmeal and cinnamon toast for breakfast. Once that was cleaned up and everyone had on play clothes, we walked about a block to the park and ran, climbed, played in the sand and hada great time. We walked home, put the baby down for a nap and the girls played outside on their bikes.

At noon we woke up the baby and headed to Chuck E Cheese for lunch, oh, we also had Dane and his friend with us (I think they had more fun that the little kids!). The girls kept saying they had never been there before but their dad said the pizza was nasty. They no longer believe that.

From there we all piled back in the van and headed to Walmart. Just let me say, it might be a while before I take all 4 of them by myself...We had to get tennis shoes for two of the girls, a booster for the oldest and we got sand toys to take to the park. We forgot, a new baby monitor. Ours has ceased working!

Once we made it home, the girls rode their bikes and the baby, who has just started to walk @ 16 months, he pushed a riding toy all over the yard. Finally we can in and ate, took baths, youngest to oldest, and went to bed. Oh, and let me say, the two youngest girls have the thickest hair I have EVER seen! The oldest has Very long thin hair. Bath time will have to start early for me to do their hair!

Wish I could include pics. These kids are beautiful and precious, they have stolen our hearts already. Goodnight! I have GOT to getsome sleep. Getting us all to Sunday school sounds like a hugh undertaking

I Love a Good Mess!

I don't think I have ever been so happy to see a mess in my house! Wow, these girls can talk, and talk, and talk! They are soooo happy to be all together again. One of the girls doesn't like anything that the others do. She is funny. One says something about cows, I hate cows, etc.

The baby was completely quiet until we picked up the oldest, then he livened up! We are very blessed and ready for a roller coaster ride.

Ready to go

We are leaving in about an hour to go pick up our 4 new children. At least 3 of them will be in car seats! I am very excited. I got everything on my list accomplished so I think we're ready. Pray for us!

The big day.

Tomorrow is the big day. One day left to grocery shop and a good cleaning for the house. I am finding the tile floors to be a lot of work. They are also a life saver. Someone dropped a case of cokes in the livingroom and at least one busted. That would have been quite a mess on carpet!

We appreciate your prayers and can't wait for tomorrow afternoon! Enjoy the pic of New Mexico.

friends are important, all of them

I'm not feeling well today and was going back to bed when I heard my friend crying on the front porch. We talked and I removed a few stickers from her coat. She stayed until her buddy came back by the house. Then she happily trotted away. She got me out of bed and feeling a little bit better...what are friends for?!

I think God made Sunflowers just for me! While in Moldova, God revealed to me how children who have been hurt, emotionally or physically, are like the sunflower. They respond in their own time and the change is dramatic. God showed me fields and fields of these beauties right here in Texas.

New Mexico Trip

Waiting for kids is frustrating. After yet another setback, so Albert and I decided to get out of town for the weekend. We headed to New Mexico and ended up in Taos. The beautiful sunsets, interesting places and amazing scenery were just what we needed.

On Friday we ate at an authentic dinner, we liked it so much we stopped on the way back and Albert ate a Buffalo Burger?! In and around Taos we visited the Rio Grande Gorge, Albert said it was gorge-ous! We decided not to eat at the Stray Cats dinner, and loved the 55 degree mornings.