SupaDAD!

What happens on a day with Dad in a new city, while Mom's at her big writing conference?? 

The boys play with sharks, come within feet of wild animals, hang out near sharp cactii and become spectacles themselves when they prayed at lunch (My husband said they got some looks!) 

I threatened him with his life if he lost one of the boys at the Indianapolis Zoo that day, but there was nothing to worry about because he is SUPADAD!

I SPY!

Not my favorite shot from the day!

Aw, my favorite animals in the world, PENGUINS

Hanging out with some funny looking creatures!

The Indianapolis Desert 

Sporting the appropriate attire!

My Writing Update

I just added a nifty button to the writer's blog I have become a part of...The Writers Alley. It has been so much fun already- just getting to know some great women via cyberspace! I have been in such a writing funk since the big conference, I am glad to feel that tug of desire to keep on writing now that I will be contributing every couple of weeks to a blog dedicated to my passion.
So, if you want to gain some great advice and inspiration from nine awesome ladies, (plus me), head on over to The Writers Alley and read on!

Besides writing, I have a new goal:  to read more Christian fiction since I am enjoying writing it so much! So the book I have started, and hope to finish on my relaxing Hawaiian vacation, is An Irishwoman's Tale by Patti Lacy. It has already captured my intrigue, and it will be the first book I've read where I have actually met with the author!

Within Me.

These legs aren't strong enough to be felt with a kick...

She may not have curls and bows, but she is definitely a girl...

Her mouth may not breath air yet, but it opens and closes. Her ears may be small, but she hears.

I saw her vertebrae, I heard her heart, I saw it beat healthy and strong. 

I don't choose whether she's human or not. I see humanness to her very core.

 She is LIFE. 

In its purest form. 

She is my daughter and God has knit her together in my womb. 

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My Not So Grand Calling

So, I want to send out a thought into the great wide open, and hope that I can make sense of the jumble in my mind without completely offending you. Having been studying the Holy Spirit in my Bible study, we inevitably ask the question...what does He want me to do? It's funny how a lot of these studies, radio programs, preachers preach to us as if we've missed our calling or we are about too if we don't shape up and tune in. They also build it up as if the Holy Spirit wants us all to take an uncomfortable plunge into a monumental task, a most admirable calling--one for the books.

What if...just WHAT IF...the Holy Spirit wants some of us to live life in obedience, in an American neighborhood, being a light to those around us, giving where God calls, and raising our children to be God fearing contributors to a future society.....and THAT'S IT! Would we have missed a calling to adopt a downtrodden child, or to save a village in Africa? Would we be less worthy because we chose to invest our time and energy in our homes instead of in the latest Christian advocate movement?

How much I have struggled with this because my heart BLEEDS for orphans, it BEATS loudly for Christian advocates, it ACHES for Africa. But maybe, just maybe, my prayers are my calling?

You may think I am taking the easy way out...just prayer. But SERIOUSLY, not every person can be called to the next popular mission proposed by the Church...can they? And really, how do you know it's really your calling, when EVERYONE is choosing one of these paths lately??

It has been a source of guilt for me. People see me as populating my own planet--having my fourth biological child on the way--not wanting to share my love with those who already reside here and need a home. Believe it or not, adoption has always been something I assumed I would do. But we have focused on raising our own children against the grain, in this world, not of it, with them knowing the God of the universe, and being men who will lead our city and nation towards a Christ-loving society. Isn't that something grand? And I know that my husband and I are capable of equipping children for this great task...my own four children.

Who knows, maybe adoption is still a whisper of the Spirit, and one day we will hear it loud and clear. But for now, I will continue seeking the Spirit, and not putting all this pressure on my heart to decipher what I am suppose to do according to the Spirit-filled tasks listed out by those who have a more admirable calling than mine.

My Rescue Plan Squelched!

Last night my son was in tears when we went over the make-up work his teacher sent home before our vacation in a couple of weeks. The school's policy being, get the work done before you leave, so you don't have to play catch up when you get back. But to see it laid out-- a full week's worth of school work and homework, on top of his regular homework-- was a tad overwhelming.

So after giving him hugs and reassuring him that we will get it done, I put my super mom cape on, and went downstairs to make a plan on how to tackle it all before our trip to Hawaii. 

Yeah, well, super mom wasn't so super when he got home from school today.

I was so ready to sit down and get going on the work... knowing which subject we would tackle first and what sheets. When he told me he did most of it in class during reading time, I almost started to cry. "Why? Mommy was going to help you!" I was frustrated that he went ahead and took it into his own hands! What a baby am I!

Me and him on his 8th

He has been such a self-motivated third grader...sitting down with his homework at the same time each night, getting it done with little questions asked, I felt the "mommy's-here-to-take-care-of-you" urge rise up in me at his first tears over school-related stress. It was as if he was sick with the flu and I wanted to cuddle, watch Nemo (the movie of his choice last time he had the flu...at about 15 months old), and nurture him until it was all better. But no, he had to go and do it himself, and take away my chance to be his super mom!

I am sure there will be plenty of chances ahead, not only for him, but for his brothers, to see a glimpse at their mom in action. And I am so thankful for how capable he really is at 8 years old. But I can't help and admit, I like it when he needs Mom To The Rescue every once in a while!