THANKFUL!

I realize it's been awhile since I've updated.  Two months to be exact.  :)  Between dishes, laundry, school work, home study updates, birthday party plans, sewing Halloween costumes, and well, just LIFE, my blog has kind-of taken a back burner.  And really, I'm OK with that.....one less thing on my "list" is fine with me right now.  Buuuutttttt...... many of you have asked about Charles' new job and the status of our adoption, so I thought it was time for an update.

Here's how life has been treating us.....

ON THE JOB FRONT - Charles working again has definitely been an adjustment for the entire family, but we are so THANKFUL he has a job!!!  His new job comes with very early mornings, however, it (most days) leads to earlier afternoons as well.  THAT makes mama happy. :)  Overall, we have seen some wonderful things come from this new position.  Things that we may not ever have thought to have prayed for.  Things that we know could only have come from a detail-oriented God.  So, so THANKFUL!!!  THANKS friends for your prayers!

IT'S A PARTY!!! - Since my last post, we celebrated a birthday around here!!!  My second oldest, Joseph, turned SEVEN!!!  We are so proud of the little man he is becoming.  This year he celebrated with a Star Wars themed birthday party in our backyard.

A Death Star Birthday Cake for one very special Jedi

I had a gazillion more pics, but unfortunately they were lost to an untimely incident between a mug of hot chocolate and my MAC book.   Ahhhh......life with kids.  :)

Joe's most favorite present (besides the gobs of Lego Ninjagos he got)???  Losing a tooth right before bed.  And then, he literally LOST it.  So......he wrote the tooth fairy this little note......

Apparently in our house, if you lose a tooth ON your birthday, it gets you $5.  Lucky dude.  :)

HURRICANE NEWS - Unless you live in a hole, you've undoubtedly heard about a little Hurricane named Sandy wreaking havoc up and down the East Coast last month.  Fortunately, we live far from the coast and didn't experience any damage in terms of water.  The biggest concern where we live was the wind.  More specifically:  trees falling down due to the wind.  And OH!!  were there a TON of trees that fell!!!  During the height of the storm, we took our flashlights, pillows, and blankets down into the basement and camped out for the night.  Despite losing power early in the evening, we made the most of it by eating ice cream (Hey!! You can't let that stuff go bad!), playing Pictionary (by candlelight!!), and reading Detectives in Togas.   Memories were most certainly made!!

When we awoke the next morning, it seemed that everywhere we went, trees were down.  Blocking roads, on top of houses and cars, and resting precariously upon telephone wires.  In my brother's wooded backyard, approximately 20-30 trees fell, all piled up in a neat, not-so-little stack.  This is actually where we spent the week.  Our power went out on a Monday night and wasn't back on until the following Sunday afternoon.  With temperatures drastically dropping, it made for one really cold house.  :)  Honestly though, seeing the stories of the victims in New Jersey and New York, we felt quite fortunate that we merely experienced a slight inconvenience.  We spent the week at my brother and sister-in-law's house. My nieces had off from school for the WHOLE WEEK due to the storm, so we got to spend time with cousins.  It was an instant party!  So THANKFUL for family and friends in the area who helped during this time!!!

IT'S HALLOWEEN!!! - Really, I'm not sure where the year went!  Just a minute ago it felt like the beginning of 2012!!  Before I knew it, Halloween was here, and with it came the costume demands.  So......out came the sewing machine, and with a little bit of creativity, here is what we came up with.....

An Egyptian Princess...

A red ninja...

A green ninja...

And a princess....

SCHOOL - As if hurricanes, birthdays, and job changes didn't keep us busy enough these past couple months, there is always school!!  Our year has gotten off to a great start.  We have managed to keep quite busy.   Here are a few of the highlights so far....

Making mummies using paper mache.....poor Barbie. :)

Haha.  An attempt at marshmallow pyramids....

Class trip to Crystal Caves

Inside the caves with my little love bug.

Apparently soaking a raw egg in vinegar for 72 hours creates a "naked egg" (the shell has dissolved) that you can hold in your hand!  Who knew??!  My kids had so much fun with this experiment!

Field trip to the local dairy farm....

followed by a hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Gearing up for the Presidential Election....took a tour of the Capital Building in Harrisburg, PA.

The outside was beautiful, but OH MY, the inside!!!!  So fun!  We even got to tour the Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court!

Voting Booth!!!  Tonight's decision??  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or Orphan Annie and brownies or ice cream for dessert.

 (for the record, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and ice cream won)  :)

The three oldest stayed up late watching the results come in and coloring in their Electoral College Maps.   

Philadelphia Art Museum field trip!!!

By far, the kids favorite was the Arms and Armor room.

Taking a break to play some chess.....

ADOPTION - And finally, our adoption.....all is trucking along there as well.   Due to Charles' new job (and the fact that 18 months are up), we are having to update parts of our portfolio.  Financial statements, insurance information, medical records, FBI fingerprints, clearances, and such.  I'm not at all excited to be back doing paperwork again (it's A LOT!!!!), however, THANKFUL to still be in the process! Once we finish up with our updates, we can be added back onto the wait list at the number we were "frozen" at.  Looking forward to moving DOWN that list again real soon!!!

THANKS again friends for all your thoughts and prayers!  We are certain that without them, we would have struggled much more than we did during this time.  We have so much to be THANKFUL for going into this season of THANKFULNESS.  We even managed to steal away last month for a little date night:

Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit - Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA

Have a wonderful THANKSGIVING!!!

Kirsten

Adoption News!

The wait is over.  After two loooonnnnggggg weeks of waiting for a decision regarding the possible termination of our adoption, we heard back from our case worker today.  And....it was the good news we had hoped for. :)

Our adoption agency has determined that we are still in good financial standing to continue on with our adoption.  They are granting us a 90-day grace period to secure employment and health insurance for our entire family. We will not lose our position on the wait list, and will continue to move down on the list as new referrals are assigned each month.  Such a HUGE, HUGE answer to prayer!!

Obviously, the hurdles are not finished for us.  In order to meet our end of the deal, Charles still needs to find a job that meets the income requirements for the Ethiopia program; all the while, being careful not to drain our savings, as this will reflect poorly on our financial status.  Time is ticking.  We also need to keep our dossier up-to-date, as many of our documents are beginning to expire.  So, the future holds more fingerprint appointments, criminal and child abuse clearances, and physical exams, but that is OK with me. :)  BRING IT!

As of today, we have moved down THREE more spots to #67.  We are expecting to move again, as the end of the month is rapidly approaching (can it be almost August ALREADY??!?!?).  

Thanks everyone for praying us through this obstacle.  If there is one thing the Lord is teaching me through this trial, it is that the body of Christ is exactly that, a body.  We were never meant to live this life alone.  We were never meant to bear the weight of our struggles independent from others.  We were meant for community.  A community of believers who bands together to lift each other up when they fall.  This is where we have lived this week.  Groceries have shown up on our doorstep.  Meals.  Thoughtful cards and emails.  Bible verses.  Prayers offered up on our behalf.  

"All of the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

~Acts 4:32

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us."

~Romans 12:4-6

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of different parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ."

~ 1 Corinthians 12:12

We are beyond grateful for your friendships and humbled by the love we have received over the past several weeks.  Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus, the body of Christ.  Please continue to pray for us, if you would.  Pray specifically for Charles to find a job within the next 90 days (preferably sooner!! :).  We anticipate the day when we can share what God has done.  What ONLY He is capable of doing!  He is so good, and so worthy of our praise.  

Kirsten

What's On My Nightstand These Days

Getting back into school these past couple weeks since the holidays finished up has been difficult.  I can sense that ever-too-familiar critical and overbearing spirit of the flesh creeping up.  It does this every once in awhile.  Forgets its place.  And I succumb.  Again.  Trying to remember how to live in the moment of grace.  It's a lesson I've learned thousands of times before, yet still I find myself forgetting.  So often I wish this sanctification process would be a once and done thing.  Oh, how easy that would make things!!  But no, it is a daily need to lay all things at the cross.  Day after day.  Moment after moment.  Gathering up my daily manna from heaven. 

Oh, "quiet times" are still there.  Nicely and neatly packaged up - relegated to their own place in the day.  Not to be re-visited until the next morning.  But is this the way He intended it to be?  A small chunk of my day dedicated to Him, while all the other thousands of moments rush by without so much as a second glance?  Don't each of those moments belong to Him also?  Moments where I feel frustration towards my children.  Moments where I feel over-worked and under-appreciated.  Moments where I allow myself and my emotions to take precedence to truth.

As I've wrestled with the flesh this week, I've been so thankful for this book right now by Ann Voskamp.



If you haven't read it yet, I'd certainly recommend picking up a copy.  It is causing me to pause a little bit more.  To search for Him in the midst of ordinary life.  To literally count my blessings....One Thousand Gifts.  To quit trying to rush through life.....for now....this week.  A lesson being learned, yet again. 

This is what I am praying for this week....a thankful heart.  One that exudes grace, and beauty, and Him.  I'm praying for eyes that will recognize the Creator in every created thing.  Praying for a desire to glorify Him in my home.  With my kids.  With my husband.  In my attitudes.  In my heart. 

I'll leave you with this quote I came across this week.....

"Yes, give them God's law. Teach it to them and tell them God commands obedience. But before you are done, give them grace and explain again the beautiful story of Christ's keeping it for them. Jesus Christ is the only one who ever deserved to hear, "You are good", but He relinquished His right relationship with the law and His Father and suffered as a lawbreaker. This is the message we all need to hear, and it is the only message that will transform our hearts."

 -Elyse Fitzpatrick, Give Them Grace

Praying for grace. Kirsten



Remember

Well, I'd say 2012 hasn't exactly gone according to plan for our family. :)

For those who followed Anna's story, you certainly know what I am talking about.  Then, just as things began to settle down for her out in California, we heard news from Georgia.  Our three-year-old niece had pulled a chair over to the stove to help cook dinner just as my sister-in-law, Rebecca, had turned her back.  Let's just say, a gas stove and clothing don't mix well.  2nd degree to deep 2nd degree burns all over the left side of her sweet little body.  From her hip, all the way to her armpit.  Here's a news clip of our niece and nephew that literally circulated around the world this week:



         


I'd say we were the lucky ones of the bunch with *only* one trip to the ER this week with a two-year-old and her dislocated elbow.  Popped it right back in. :)

Yup, it's been one of those months.  And yet, through it all, God has remained faithful to our family.  In each circumstance, He has shown that He alone is God and that we CAN trust Him, even when things don't go according to plan.  The past couple weeks have been hard for our family as a whole. Yet, through it all, we have found ourselves surprisingly encouraged by our trials.  Sensing that something greater is happening that we don't yet see.   My sister-in-law posted this quote that she had read that same day that her baby girl ended up in a burn unit in Atlanta:


"Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your guide.Thank me for this day of life, recognizing that it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. Trust that I am with you each moment, whether you sense my presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from my perspective.  

A life lived close to me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route through the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead. No matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by my side."

                                                                  ~Excerpt taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young


I talked a little in my last post about not wanting to forget what God has done over the past few weeks. 


His faithfulness. 
His mercies. 
His unfailing love. 


But isn't that what we do so often?  Turn back to what is comfortable?  Life as normal?  I know that is certainly my tendency.

"Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children

and to their children after them."

~Deuteronomy 4:9

A few years back, I decided I did NOT want to forget the things God had done in my life.  In the book of Joshua, after the whole nation of Israel had finished crossing the Jordan River, the Lord told them to gather twelve stones from the middle of the river.  Then God told them:

"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?', tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.  When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.  These stones are to be a

memorial to the people of Israel forever."

~Joshua 4:6-7

 

The memorial was to be a constant reminder of what God had done for them.  Their children would see the stones, hear the story, and learn of our great God.  Enter my stones of rememberance:

Every time the Lord has taught me a lesson, impressed a verse on my heart, or allowed a miracle to unfold before my very eyes, I added a rock to my collection.  Lest we forget or go back to the comforts of an ordinary life lived out in the flesh.  Check out my newest stone:

So, I invite you to mark out a place in your home as a memorial to our God.  A rememberance of sorts of all that He has done in YOUR life. Over and over throughout scripture, God reminds His people of how far He has brought them. 

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

~Exodus 20:2

He didn't do this to pat himself on the back, but to remind His people of how far they had come.  Why?  Because it's too easy to forget His goodness.  It's too easy to look at our current circumstance and wonder where God is in the midst of chaos.  Won't you join me in remembering? 

As we enter through the doors of 2012, my prayer is that we would........that I would.........

REMEMBER.

Kirsten

A Year of Gifts

Well, I had meant to write this post a week ago for the New Year, but in light of our week, it never got sent out.  New Year's Eve our little family spent the night doing what we do every year.  We watched old home videos.  We call it, "The Gregoire Year in Review."  :)

2011 (in no particular order).  So, so much to be thankful for.

#10  Spending the week in Duck, North Carolina for a family reunion with Charles' whole family this summer....8 adults and 16 grandkids all under one roof.  So fun!  Here is Gran and Papa with 16 of their now, 18 grandchildren.

 "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. "

~Psalm 127:3-5

#9 Spending many a weekend with my parents, Cessa and Pop as they are affectionately called by my children, down at their house on the Chesapeake Bay.  Fishing, crabbing, boating, kayaking, swimming, biking - a child's paradise. :)



#8  Getting to spend one more year with my grandparents.  Truly an unexpected blessing.


#7 Starting a homeschool group in our area.  A first for me, but it has proven to be such a blessing.  The friendships alone, both for myself and my children, have been invaluable.

#6 Our family keeps growing!!!  My kids (as of a week ago) literally have 21 cousins.....and counting.  Our newest gifts this year are:  Nevaeh Noel (ok, she is technically a 2010 baby, but she squeaked in at the very end!), Kensley Mae, Sadie Rose, Zoya Praise and, just last week, Micah William.


"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
~Psalm 139:13-14

#5 We have been blessed with a WONDERFUL church and have been going there for almost 12 years, since before Charles and I got married.  When we moved further away, we continued to make the trek thirty minutes every Sunday because the people had become like family.  But after 9 years, we began to feel that God was placing it on our hearts to worship with a local body of believers.  Our church had already planted several church plants throughout the tri-state region, but strangely, we felt compelled to pray specifically that our associate pastor and his family would feel the call to move up our way and plant a church in OUR town.  For six months, we, and a couple friends of ours started to pray diligently about this.  One Monday morning back in June, I got a text from my husband.  "Call me as soon as you can."  So I called.  And wouldn't you know!?!!  He had just received a phonecall from, none other than our associate pastor.  He and his family were feeling called to plant a church where WE lived!  Glory to God!  Tomorrow will actually be our last Sunday with our current church.  Mixed emotions.  Excitement to see how God is moving and where His plans will take us, yet sad to say goodbye.  Sad that Charles won't be there.  Thankful that he gets to be in California.



#4  Posted a picture of our pickle jar last year when we first began our adoption journey.  At the time we were unsure how God would provide for our adoption, but we were willing to trust in Him.  Today, we have raised OVER $20,000 in only 8 short months!!!  2/3rd's of the way to our goal and holding fast at #86 on the waiting list. :)





#3  Christmas morning 2011
Spending Christmas with Charles' brother, Dan, and his wife Rebecca, and their 7 kids!!  6 adults and 11 kids all crammed into our little townhouse for a week.  SO.  MUCH.  FUN.

#2  My sweet family
My adoring husband, Charles, and our four littles.....beautiful and sweet Kaya (8), passionate and crazy Joseph (6), sensitive and funny Jackson (4) and feisty and independent Sophia (2).  We are truly blessed!

#1  Thankful that as we enter through the door of 2012, we do so celebrating so much LIFE. 

Old lives.  New lives.  Restored lives.

"The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have LIFE,

and have it to the full."

~John 10:10

Kirsten

Thank You!

Well, it has been quite a day for all of us.  Quite a week, really.  Full of highs, and lows.  And hope.  And sorrow.  All twisted and blurred together in one ginormous whirlwind.  There has been little sleep, and much praying.  I can't keep my eyes off of FB and email and text messages.  They have been coming in from all over the world.  Literally.  It has been such a crazy, surreal time....and I can't help but to wonder what God is up to. 

This blog that we started less than a year ago, was originally meant as a tool to be used to share the progress of our adoption journey.  Normally after a post, I'd get about 50 or so hits.  The past three days ALONE, we have gotten over 10,000 hits on our blog.  It is insane!!!  I can't wrap my brain around the amount of people who are watching and praying.  We've had strangers reach out to us.  Neighbors.  Family.  Friends.  A good friend from our small group stopped by tonight with a meal.  My sister-in-love set up meals for us for the entire time Charles is gone.  Our small group raised enough money for a plane ticket.  Friends and family have offered playdates with my kids.  The list goes on and on.

And we are just absolutely humbled and stunned   BY.  IT.  ALL. 

Thank you everyone for your love and concern for our family.  It has truly been confirmation that God's people are meant to be the ministering hands and feet of Jesus.

We haven't heard much in terms of any updates on Anna.  Things remain the same for now.  Surgery went well today, her vitals are stable and there is no bleeding.  The doctor has also said that he feels like she has turned a corner as far as the DIC is concerned.  Continue to pray for NO bleeding, NO infection, for the blood clots to dissolve and for her blood counts to improve.  We did learn that baby Micah was discharged this afternoon.  Charles' dad (affectionately known as 'Papa') took all the kids on a "field trip" today to the hospital to bring their new brother home.  What a sweet time. :)

Well, that is all for now.  Even though my mind is reeling, my body is weary.  Heading to bed. :)



Kirsten

Got Thanks?

It’s that time of year again!!  I don’t know about you, but our week has been filled with finishing up all our school work so that we can move onto all things Thanksgiving.  Pilgrim and Indian costumes are being pulled out, Thanksgiving books are being dusted off and read, names like Squanto and William Bradford are being thrown around at the dinner table.  One new activity we did this year was to make our thankful tree (or our variation of one).  Take a look:



I particularly love it because I used our new laminator to laminate the leaves, so they can be wiped off and re-used next year.  Score!!



But as I reflect on the holiday coming up and all that it stands for, I am humbled by the lack of gratitude in my own heart this week.  Oh, it’s there alright on the outside.  As I’ve said, I’ve done my fair share of TALKING about being thankful this week with my kids, but does my heart reveal something different?  Was that a spirit of thankfulness welling up in my heart when my (almost) 2 year-old took marker to my couch?  Or when the kids were fighting…..AGAIN?  Or when I felt entitled to some “alone time”?? 

Then this…..Enter Matthew 5.  The Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  Nope, not me.

“Blessed are the meek.”  Not me again.

“Blessed are the pure in heart.”  Ouch.  That hurts.

“The peacemakers…..the merciful.......those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  You get the idea. 

And there I am  left.  Again.  Realizing that that little ole Pharisee in me is having a field day.  Like so many things in life, it is a choice.  Do I CHOOSE to be thankful?  Even when things don’t go according to plan?  Even when my so-called “rights” are infringed upon? 

And so again I remind myself…..

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his mercies never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

~Lamentations 3:22-23

~

Or, in some cases, every waking moment of every single day.  And THAT is something to be thankful for. 

So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful that HE sent His Son, His only Son, to die in my place.  Thankful that He came to this earth to wash away all sin, even the sins of the heart.  The ones nobody else sees but me. Why?  Because it was the only way a sinful man, like myself, could one day be in the presence of an Almighty God.  Thankful that it is nothing that we can DO on our own.  We cannot earn our way to Him. It is a free gift called grace.  And it is available each and every moment of the day.  Even when we don’t deserve it.  Even when we are ungrateful for that gift and turn away.  It’s still there.  Beckoning us to come.  To sit.  To bask in the wonder of a King who would step down from His throne in heaven to take my place. Our place.  Totally unwarranted grace.  All we must do is receive it.  And I’m thankful for that.

So today I've resolved to start my week of thankfulness (again), after already having started it again a couple times. J  Based on my leaves on the tree, can you guess how my week began?? J 

Thankful for new beginnings.  Thankful for His grace.  Thankful that He loves us so incredibly much.  Just plain old thankful today.  And that’s a good place to be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kirsten

Thank You!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and words of encouragement this week!  We were so blessed by email after email of people letting us know that they were praying for our home study visit to go well!  And....I think it did! :) 

My mother-in-law was so wonderful helping me clean my house from top to bottom (literally!!) and I spent weeks organizing closets and rooms.  I was so proud of the work we had done, and honestly, I don't even know that our case worker took notice or checked half of it.  Oh well!  At least I have a clean and organized home - for a couple days!!!  :)

So, anyway, at this point we are just waiting to receive our approval for our finalized home study.  Best case scenario?  It could be approved within the next week.  Worst case?  It could bounce back and forth between us and our case worker for a couple weeks because of revisions needing to be made (very normal!).  Obviously, we are praying though that everything goes through quickly!!  Pray along with us that we would have favor with God and man.

Thanks so much for pouring out your love on our family!  Can't wait to update you all soon. :)


Kirsten