Days Away...and a New Dog

So, there are quite a few exciting things around here. I'm not able to share them all quite yet. But, here are the first three...enough for tonight. :)

1) I am getting the wonderful opportunity to spend this weekend in Atlanta at the Created 4 Care Retreat for adoptive moms.

I don't even think I realize yet how MUCH I need this. It's going to be such a blessing, and I know I will get to sit with so many moms I respect and admire, and I will come back refreshed and encouraged and challenged and hopeful...and READY to have my baby home!!!!

But, sadly, this gift of getting away is not because I signed up in the first 4 minutes, like 400 other moms did. Because I actually didn't. I never even planned on going.

But, my sweet, dear friend, Heather, who DID sign up months ago, found out heartbreaking news right before Christmas....that her mom has cancer. And, she can now not go to the conference she was signed up for.

She has so graciously offered me her place. And, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be there, although I wish she wasn't walking through this, and I wish she was still getting to be at Created 4 Care instead of me.

{Will you PLEASE join me in praying for Heather and her family, and especially her sweet mom? Thank you.}

2) And the very NEXT weekend, I am leaving again {this is not a usual thing for this homebody mommy!} for the second annual Hope Mommies retreat!

You may remember this awesome blessing from last year, where I spent 3 days with other moms who have had to say goodbye to their babies here on earth, and hold on to the hope of seeing them again someday in heaven. So, this year I know that God has big things in store for all of us, as we worship together, talk together, remember together, and hope together. Erin, my friend and hero, and creator and founder of Hope Mommies, has been hard at work putting together an incredible weekend, and I can hardly wait to hug these dear women.

I don't consider it to be a "good thing" to have 3 new mommies who are personal friends or friends from ACU joining me this year. It's not a good thing to have said goodbye to your sweet baby. But, I am feeling blessed that we will have this time to visit, uninterrupted, and just rest and relax and share our hearts in this beautiful, quiet place.

I am leading a breakout group for mommies who have other children at home, and I look so forward to this time together! It is my prayer that from the healing God has given me, I will be able to share with others who are hurting so. Thank you, Lord, that you bring beauty from ashes.

{Please be praying for the Hope Mommies who will be gathered for this time away too!}

3. And....exciting event #3!! WE GOT A NEW DOG!!!

To those who knew our "old Annie girl", as she is now called, you know that she could never ever be replaced. (These pics are from the day we had to say goodbye...)

She was the perfect dog for us, and was loved and adored by her three girls.

Annie took such good care of our kids, and was with us for 10 years. After putting her to sleep in August, we had really decided we were okay with having no dog. {Okay, Mark and I decided that. The girls were never on board.}

But, I had a short lapse in judgment and got on Golden Retriever Rescue's site about a month ago, just to SEE what might be there. And, that's where I saw her.

Annie.

I mean, not only did she look JUST like her. Her name REALLY was Annie.

But, this idea was met with a quick "NO" from the hubby. So, I dropped it and never told the girls.

Fast forward to last week. Kendyll and Carlie are flipping through a big book on animals during our lunch break, and they decide to google pictures of each one. Well, they google "Golden Retrievers", and what do you think comes up?

Golden Retriever Rescue.

And, I'm sure you know what happened next.

Kendyll starts squealing and jumping and yelling "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" To which I calmly and sweetly say "Yes, dear?" Ha ha. Not really. I told her to calm down or I wouldn't listen. :)

She starts telling me about Annie. "She is 8 years old, Mom. She loves kids, she is housetrained, she looks JUST like our old Annie, and she has SEIZURES, MOM!"

Umm, okay.

"Mom, she NEEDS a home. She has SEIZURES! We have to get her!"

We go downstairs to eat lunch and Mark joins us for a bit. They start telling Daddy all about it. And, it quickly goes south. He starts lecturing about the needs of a dog...who will scoop the poop?...do you know how much dog food costs?...we don't need another dog...you know, GUY responses. Just about anything you can think of that totally puts a damper on the whole idea.

And, as you can imagine with three girls who are desperately wanting a new puppy to LOVE...the tears start flowing.

I mean, red streaked faces, puffy eyes, and gasps for breath kind of cries. Kendyll even went and hid in her closet, she was so upset.

So, Mark talked to his almost TEN year old about this response and asked her if she thought this would be the way to get a dog. She realized that this probably wasn't the most effective strategy and she re-grouped---with her sisters---after apologizing to Daddy for being out of control.

They spent the next 3 hours in Kendyll's room. We were told we could not come out of our bedroom until they said so.

And, when we came out, I was just blown away with what I saw. I started laughing hysterically when I saw this hobo village for dogs that had been created, complete with cardboard signs.

"We are so sad. We need homes. We are starving. No one loves us. Please help the puppies. Poor little guys. Have a heart." {my personal favorite}

All the dogs were inside the boxes with wadded up trash, empty water bowls and no food.

Then, the program starts.

Carlie sings "Amazing Grace". Kendyll sings "Jesus is Tenderly Calling". Abby Kate sings "Please oh please can we have Annie". I really can't even express the hilarity of it all. We did video the entire thing, so we'll never forget. :)

Oh, and I didn't mention that they wore prom clothes for the presentation. Complete with tiaras.

Then, Kendyll read the speech written by the three girls, all about what it means for an orphaned dog to find a home. She appealed to her parents' hearts with the whole orphaned and abandoned thing first. Then, she explained why Annie should be our puppy and how they will take care of her, and what an opportunity this is for them to show responsibility. They even offered to buy the dog food.

HILARIOUS! And, there was a poster--that still hangs in our living room---where OLD ANNIE herself endorsed this adoption!

Her paw print and signature was included. :)

I had to rush out to a meeting, but Mark was left with the end of the show, and with the decision of what to do next. He knew what I would say. {YES.}

So, next thing I know, I get a text from Kendyll:

Online adoption application is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We WANT ANNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next day we were contacted by the rescue center, and three days later, we had our adoption appointment.

The Batchelors got to join us for the meeting, and it was love at first sight for EVERYONE.

There were tears of joy from Carlie, as she met her new Annie Girl.

It has been so fun to watch these girls just love on Annie, and become her best friends in just a matter of days.

She looks SO much like our old Annie, that it's almost freaky. And, the whole same name thing is just CRAZY!

But, some things are different. Like the seizures. This is something we didn't expect, since they told us she hadn't had any since the first week the foster family had her (two months ago). So far, she's had one every day she's been at our house.

I have alot more to share about that later...it has been a deeper experience for me than just caring for a dog. But, that is a whole other post.

I have learned alot from this little orphaned dog. It is so obvious she was abandoned and lived on the streets. She is nervous. She is fearful. She likes very small spaces where a Golden Retriever should not fit. And, she is desperate for love. As in, she does not leave my side.

I've really had some amazing realizations in the first 3 days with our little Annie, and I've actually thanked God for this little preparation He has provided for all 5 of us. We know this is "just a dog", but it has truly been deeper lessons than that for us...for what is coming into our lives sometime {hopefully} soon. More to come on that.

For now, I will close. And, go pack. And, go love on the dog who is sitting at my feet even as I type. :)

A New System

So...it's pretty funny how you can blog about "unknowns" in life and talk about how cool they are, and how excited you are about them. And, how it's so obvious that God is bringing you into a whole YEAR of unknowns, for which you will be very grateful.

And, then, you know, ONE day later, when the unknowns start happening FULL FORCE, and all of a sudden, I'm praying and begging God to just WAIT a minute and let me get a breath!! :)

It's all SUCH great stuff. All stuff that Mark and I have been praying for. And, some of it is has served as a good kick in the pants from God.

And, yes, I know I'm talking in code. Sorry. It is all His Chase and orphan related. That narrows it down for you, I know.

MEANWHILE...

While some of the exciting unknowns continue to play out in our lives, I am just going to share something easy and mindless and predictable:

OUR NEW RESPONSIBILITY STATIONS!!

It's a new year, and a new system is in place at our house: Responsibility Stations from Fisher Kids! What's funny is I actually bought the kits in September. Then, they sat at the pickup location for three months.

Fall was busy, what can I say.

But, even though it took me months to get going on it, it has been an awesome fit for our family.

Before this station idea came about, we were doing our own version of this, using Chore Charts from Homeschool Creations, which are also WONDERFUL (and easy to just print out!)

The concepts behind the two versions are very similar, and are definitely lessons we want our kids to learn:

1) They have responsibilities in our home because they live in our home. Not because they get paid for them, or because they get rewards for doing them. They help with chores because we are a family and we all contribute to taking care of what God has given us. (I believe it also gives children VALUE to be included even in work. They know they are important and they are needed in the family and they learn that they are hardworking, dependable, etc.)

2) We should be happy and thankful to work together, and we honor God for what He has given us and for how He takes care of us, whether that is by helping make drinks at dinner or making our bed in the morning or picking up the crayons for the sixteenth time that day.

3) I want my girls to run their own homes someday with joy, discipline, and knowledge of how to do things! So, I really like seeing them learning to do laundry, clean a toilet, or cook a meal! I jokingly tell them all the time that they'll get to do these things their whole life long! Isn't that exciting?!!

3) We also want our kids learning about how to manage the money God gives us, believing first and foremost that it is ALL HIS. And, every dollar we spend or save or give matters. (I'm learning this lesson alongside them, actually!!!)

So, basically, I just want to say that the responsibility station is SO COOL. And, the kids agree!!!

They each have their own board, which has a list of expected responsibilities for each child.

They also have a specific number of chores to complete each day, which are drawn from their chore stick bucket each morning before breakfast.

Each night they turn their sticks in, and write down their "commission" for doing their work on the attached notepad. (Have I mentioned that I LOVE that everything is attached and included on one little board? It is SO NICE.)

And, I love that this is all their responsibility to complete. There is no nagging or reminding (after the first week or so) and it takes my emotion out of it.

At the end of the week, they total their amounts from each day and bring it to us for their paycheck.

Then, they place the money they have earned in the three bags: Give It, Save It, Spend It.

Another thing I love about Fisher Kids is the idea that "save it" is not saving for a big item they want for themselves. It's saving for college, or a mission trip someday, or to help with the expense of a car when they start to drive. These are BIG things that they should already begin contributing toward!

Mark has been really wanting to get all of them personal savings accounts, which he did with them the week after Christmas. So, now their favorite thing to do is fill out their little deposit form and take their "save it" money to the bank.

And, the "Give It" bag gives them some ownership in what organizations they would like to support. They give some of it to church, and then get to decide where the rest goes. So far, His Chase is winning, but Kendyll has also chosen to give extra amounts to our Compassion kids too.

I love that this whole system works to teach them life long lessons about managing your time, taking care of what you've been given, and being responsible for your money.

And, by having their own little "stations", they are THRILLED to do the tasks and feel like it's fun!

And, honestly, the best part of all? I didn't have to prepare any of this. It came as an entire KIT, even down to the sharpie pen to write it with!

So, even though I really don't usually do "product review" blogs, I just had to share these new systems with my friends. They really are worth the investment and will WORK with very little arm-twisting or lecturing needed! :)

A New Year of Unknowns

I love looking back and seeing how God keeps changing me. He's so patient, really, with my heart that continues to wander. It has been a slow journey. But, He's continuing to make some progress in my old soul.

I'm not really one that loves the unknown, typically.

But, what I love is that God has slowly taught me to rest in it. I think this has come over time, as He has proven to me that He works His most amazing miracles in my life when I've been right smack in the middle of the "unknown".

And, this is the thing: I'm finally starting to realize that it's in the NOT-knowing, that the ALL-Knowing can take me on the most wild and exciting ride---and it's exciting not because I know what is coming next, but because I don't have to!!

Last January 1st, I rang in the New Year in the middle of Ethiopia with my fellow travelers on a Visiting Orphans trip.

Three days later, I landed in Rwanda, a dream come true, but never expecting what would come from that trip.

(This will forever be one of my favorite pictures, hours after we landed in Rwanda, where I was already crying and crying, because it felt like home. Powerful moment for me...and I got to cry in my {delicious Rwandan} food with one of my favorite people in the world. :)

I didn't know then that I would love it like I did. Or, that it would feel like home so quickly. I fell in love with the land, the hills, the beauty. But, even more so, with the people, the children, the orphans, and the great sense of family, even among those who have none to call their own.

{Vestine at 4 months old, when I first beheld her beauty :) }

I look back at texts I sent Mark in early January, and I smile. God was doing a new thing in us, yet again, but it was all completely unknown. 2011 was going to be a good year, I felt it in my bones even then. Even though I had no idea what the rest of the year would bring, the Lord was giving me a tiny inkling---a little whisper---of what He had planned. Not enough to plan for, but just enough to rest in.

"I'm a crying mess. But it's all for good reason. I just get overwhelmed by what God is doing with us." - text on Jan. 8

"Didn't get to tell you everything tonight, but I think God may be presenting our next project and it's an awesome one...Just dreaming, of course, but we need to start praying. Can't wait to see what God will do next!" - text on Jan. 11

And, here we are, exactly a year later, and are able to look back at the story God is just beginning to weave. Mark returned to Rwanda two months later, in March of 2011, and we returned with our first His Chase trip of 40 volunteers (including our children!) in July.

His Chase projects were begun and trips were planned, projects were finished and trips were completed. Our hearts broke in new ways for His children who deserve so much more than they have. And new children became our own, even though they live a continent away. Our hearts will never be the same.

Our family has changed.

Our children have changed.

Our marriage has changed.

Our faith has changed.

And, no, it wasn't all while in Africa. There's a whole lot that happens in the daily living of life that changes us too. He has been faithful to us in both.

And, I think this is important to note: This doesn't mean it was a perfect year. There were lots of junky days. Lots of days that I wasn't a good mommy, or a good friend, or a good listener to what the Lord was telling me. Lots of days of doubts, or worry, or wonder about what God could possibly be thinking! And lots of days where the struggle between what I wanted and what I knew had to be were downright painful.

And none of it we knew anything about last year at this time.

Whether it was in a foreign country, in the middle of homeschool, or on a vacation with family, He was constantly surprising us, and using even the hard times to show us His bigger plan.

And, it makes me more excited than I can stand, as we enter 2012!!

What will it be this year, God? How will you change us even more? How will you stretch us? Grow us? Open our eyes to Your will and Your ways? How will you even use our disappointments and our struggles and our bad days to bring glory to You?

Will it be new projects, new trips, new opportunities to fall in love with orphaned children we don't know yet? (Please, Lord!) Will it be adding to our family through the miracle of adoption, after years of praying? (Let it be so!!) Will we get to return to Ghana and Rwanda, to shower love on those we miss and love? (Ready to GO!) Will it be a new ministry that we don't even know you are forming in us now? (We're saying yes!)

Whatever it looks like, we are so excited for 2012. And, the most fun part of all is that we have no idea why! Only God knows what is ahead, but it feels like new things are on the horizon, and we are waiting with great expectation!

So, I don't really have big resolutions again this new year. I just have one goal. To be comfortable in the unknown. To be okay with seeing only one little step in front of me at a time. Because after all those little steps, I'll be able to look back---NO MATTER WHAT---at the end of this year and say "God was faithful to lead us!"

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning." Ps. 130

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time...if it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come, it will not delay...the righteous shall live by faith."

And, I thought this was so perfectly timed, read at just the right time, in Streams in the Desert this morning:

"This is the blessed life---not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, nor eager to choose the path nor weighted down with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following the Shepherd, one step at a time."

Bring it on, God! We're ready for 2012: A New Year of Unknowns!!!

Christmas 2011

As I mentioned before, we are blessed by a BIG family. And, because of that blessing, we have Christmas all month long. In an effort to put them all in one big ol' post, I've named them all...

1. Santa Sweaters & California Christmas

Every year, we get together with Mark's extended family from California, as well as cousins from Denver and Florida.

For the last few years, we've developed some pretty fun traditions, most of which involve eating.

So, this year, while Babe's still made the cut for the family dinner, we added a new twist: Ugly Christmas Sweaters. It was quite hilarious to go out as a family in some absurd outfits, and laugh at each other's finds. Mark was determined to find our family's outfits at a true thrift store for as cheap as possible. (Did you know that there really is a market for these ugly sweaters? If you have old ones in your closet, you could be holding on to hundreds of dollars!) Anyway, he was very proud to purchase 5 sweaters for our family for under $27. And, he informed me on his way home that mine was "two-piece". WHAT? I found out soon that mine had a matching skirt. And, it gets worse. I actually owned it 20 something years ago. Yes, I did.

And, Mark wore a cross-stitched Nutcracker vest with turtleneck. And, the turtleneck had a holly leaf and berries embroidered on it. I couldn't stop laughing when I looked at him!

Anyway, it was a fun family night, and we even got to vote on our favorites. Best Girl Sweater award came to yours truly. I'm so proud. Best Guy Sweater went to Pops, with his girly button-up, and best Kid Sweater went to Sophie. She was very deserving as well. And, the best overall Ugly Christmas Sweater went to the man who thought of it all: Uncle Chris. Complete with a turtleneck dickey with a jingle bell on it. WOW. Here are all the winners in our victory picture.

It was a fun weekend just hanging out with the family we don't get to see enough. We scratched plenty of lottery tickets (Uncle Joe's awesome gift each year) and we ended up with $57 for our family! That is BY FAR a record for us!

2. Holiday Hunting!

We celebrated Christmas Eve Day with Grandad and Grankay, with a DELICIOUS spread of food and the kids' usual tradition of hunting for their gifts. They receive a wrapping paper pattern (or two for the older ones!), and they get busy discovering what is theirs under the tree.

It is HARD work, as you can see.

They have to think hard,

carry heavy loads,

and try to navigate their way behind piles of presents.

But, boy is it fun when they achieve their goals!

Even Brewer looks excited about the challenge!

(And, Mark and I may have found a few other times to cuddle this little man. OH, how I love him!!)

And, this is also what I love. This room full of craziness, with so many cousins and sisters and grandparents...mass Christmas chaos. :)

Grandad and Grankay always do such a good job of finding the perfect things for the kids, and they were all squealing left and right at their surprises. They also gave all of us a date night gift card, which is HIGHLY appreciated!! And, I really wish I had a picture of the stained glass cross my grandparents gave us. (See them there in the middle?)

My grandfather made it by hand and carved Chase Allen in the top. Means the world to me! And, I stare at it every day over my kitchen sink now.

3. Feasting and Fountains

On to Pops and Grandma's house! And, oh my, did we FEAST!! Uncle Chris was the chef this year, with Grandma's assistance. And, they are one amazing team. We had the most delicious meal and were stuffed to the brim. It is always fun to see what Chris creates, and this one had to be his best ever!

And, of course, we got more fun cousin time! I just feel so blessed that my girls are growing up with so many cousins as their most favorite friends. And, they are all the perfect playmates for being SUpEr SiLLy!!

We were amazed this year that posing for the Pops and Grandma Christmas picture was actually easy! The kids are growing up! Even the dog cooperated. This might be a first.

And, the chocolate fountain tradition continued again!

Every year, Pops surprises us with some disgusting food to dip in the chocolate first. And, this year was a BRUSSEL SPROUT! YUCK! The kids get a kick out of this, and then we all dive in with our bananas, strawberries, pretzels, and cream puffs. My stomach is growling even as I type it!

We returned the next morning for gifts, and the girls were once again pleased with more big wishes coming true. Carlie got the Madame Alexander dolls she had been DREAMING of, and was so incredibly happy (and still is!)

Kendyll is just getting WAY too old, and her gifts have grown up too. She got her first pair of earrings (to be used in just a couple months, when she turns 10!) and she was beside herself about her special silver jewelry box, and is hoping to put it to good use as the years go on.

And, after opening her fun gifts, Abby Kate spent her time playing with Ty's superhero dress-up. That girl cracks me up! :) And, I of course have no pictures of her!

Aunt Jodi and Uncle Brad have started a collection of ornaments for the girls, and this year, they were excited to see what years they got on their candy canes!

So many thoughtful things given and so many blessings poured out on us. Whew.

4. Noel Night's Nice Nativity

Our next stop was east Texas for a trip to Gammy and Papa Ron's on Christmas night! It was a great getaway and was perfect timing for some yucky weather...because it forced us all to just be still and hang out, drinking coffee, playing games, catching up, eating, and staying in pajamas all day.

We were originally hoping to get to camp out or do a bonfire breakfast with our new family tent we got from Gammy and Papa Ron (!!), but the day "off" was pretty good too!

We also decided this was the year to finally start a nativity play with the cousins, after talking about it for a couple of years. First of all, we had the cutest baby Jesus EVER. (He was fed well in utero.)

And, all the kids were great ages to play the parts and understand what they were doing...and they were SO CUTE!!

We had our narrator, who told the Christmas story, complete with Christmas carols sung throughout.

The most beautiful angel, Avery, who was very good at flapping her angel wings.

Then, we had Mary and Joseph, who were quite the pair.

They prayed, and the angel came to each of them...

Then, the shepherd (aka Caleb) came to visit with his "sheep", Ruby, Pearl, and Tobias.

The wise man (AK) kept being called a "wise woman" and she (I mean he) did NOT like this. So, (s)he insisted that I put the hair in a bun so "everyone would know she was a boy". She took this job VERY seriously.

She brought her purple sparkly Caboodle treasure box and laid it at the manger. And, I really did almost cry. She was so excited to give her gift to Jesus. Even though it was a funny thing to us, they really did such a good job with their parts.

And, the homemade costumes (well, really, they can't even be called costumes. They all came from a cardboard box full of dress-up accessories!) made it even cuter.

They ended with the whole group circled around Baby Jesus, singing Away in a Manger.

Oh, I could eat them all up!!

It is definitely a tradition we will continue. :)

The cousins also exchanged books as their gifts this year, and we sisters were a little worried that they might think this was lame. But, it was THE sweetest thing to see them all group up around the house and start reading together.

It made the aunts so happy to see this. :)

5. Cousin Christmas Continues!

And, THEN, after east Texas time, it was time to go west! After a couple of days, we headed to Abilene to see Aunt Carol and Uncle Chuck, and the Abilene cousins!

More wonderful meals and family time + cousin dress-up and slumber party + another year of fun Chinese gift exchange fights {I mean, gift giving} + time to sit and soak in Christmas = NO PICTURES to show for it! I can't explain it. I was just in relaxation mode.

Okay, there was one cute cousin shot! :)

So, there it is! Jacobs Family Christmas 2011.

We came home to welcome in a New Year, and we look forward to what 2012 will bring! We're praying it brings more opportunities for service through His Chase, a trip or two to Africa, and a new addition to our family!!! Praying always for God to continue breaking our hearts for what breaks His, and allowing us to join in---even deeper---with Him as He rescues and redeems the broken of this world.

We hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season, and are ready for what the new year will bring for YOUR family! Love you all!