Conserving energy...

If you've met Yana, you probably know that she hates to exert any more energy than necessary! :) Here is the video to prove it:

AN ORPHANS HANDS

I was born into a world whose hands do not welcome me, so I lay alone swaddled up tight.
I cry out to a world whose hands do not hold me, and soon all my cries are silent.
I hunger in a world where no hands will feed me, and I get used to the ache of never being full.
I play in a world where no hands will join me, and soon I retreat into my own silent world.
I go to sleep in a world where no hands will rock me, and so I rock myself, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
I awake to a world whose hands do not welcome me, so I lay alone swaddled up tight.
-KM

As Tavi played in the rain today I thought of the sad reality of how many children will never feel the rain, or know what it feels like to jump in a puddle. And my heart was heavy as I thought of so many who will never know a mamas touch, or a mamas smile of "good morning". How many children think of the hands of another as something dangerous? How many children think of the hands of another as something painful? How many children longingly look at a child held lovingly in the arms of their mama and ache in a way that I will never be able to fully comprehend?

Hands. They can bring pain and rejection, or love and acceptance. Hands. We can choose to use them for our own purposes or we can choose to use them to bring glory to God. What are your hands doing?

Matthew 25: 34-40

34....the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat[with your hands], I was thirsty and you [handed] me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in [with welcoming hands], 36I needed clothes and you [handed me]cloth[es] .., I was sick and you looked after me [with your own hands], I was in prison and you came to visit me [in person with comforting hands].'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine [with your own hands], you did for me.'

You have a lot of very special gifts...

Yana would love to share with you all a very special skill of hers!


GET READY....


GET SET....


TWIRL!!!!!


AAAHHHHHHH!


You're jealous aren't you? ;)


Being the best at twirling is darn hard! :)


And just because she's a cutie.... :)

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath....

Tavi loves bath time! She loves water, period! [the pictures say it all]




Yana is enjoying it more, but hates her hair and face washed! :)



The girls do pretty well in the bath together... as long as Yana doesnt' touch Tavi. :)



And here is Yanas favorite part, being all clean AND dry! :)

Soaring on Eagles Wings....

Isaiah 40

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 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

This is Tavi's verse. You will never be able to explain it any other way than a God thing, the yearning in Tavis heart to be free. A spirit that is not crushed by disability and suffering, but instead has chosen to embrace JOY!




Today Tavi had her first ride on the lawn mower. Hey, it's what we do for fun. :) Anyway, I wondered how she would like it. I sat her on my lap, and strapped on the seat belt and opened her up. We took off flying down the drive way at breakneck speed, well at least for the mower it was :).

She was just smiling so big, then when we get to the big yard we start turning in circles... first one way, than the other. Oh how she laughed, pure joy was on her face.

To make the mower go you push two big handles forrward, to make it turn you pull one back... so I showed her how to do this. She loved turning, around, and around, and around... she just laughed.

When no one was around to answer her cries, to comfort her, to give her hope... GOD was there. Her spirit is joyful, hopeful, and FREE! She is always going to soar! She has no desire to experience the world slowly, she wants to run!

One can never consent to creep
when one feels an impulse to soar.
-Helen Keller

A little bit of Yana....

and a whole lot of love! :)

I finally just sat Yana down expressly to take some pics. She even got on her new dress, and sat in her special chair just to look extra cute. She is such a lover, it just makes me laugh!

So enjoy seeing her grow adn change. She looks so old in some of the photos... more like 7 and less like 3.











and as a point of reference, she has changed so much in just one short month!

Joining the ranks of homeschooling families...

After having 6 kids working their way through the public school system, I have finally decided to take the leap and homeschool [at least for a couple of years] my youngest 3 children. I am excited, and a bit nervous, but feel much peace with this decision.

Some of the factors that influenced my decision were:
1. Luke just was not excited about going to preschool.
2. Tavi would be at least a year if not 2 years behind her age group in public school, at least as far as I could see.
3. No way was Yana ready for public school and at 7 years of age she has to legally be in school.
4. Kids with special needs benefit from being educated with children w/o special needs.
5. Kids w/o special needs benefit from being educated with children who have special needs.
6. My girls need to learn about family and love and safety and security before they can learn to learn in a public school situation. I don't need to give them a crash course in therapies, or speech, or social situations. Right now they need something they have never had, a mommy to love them as much as possible! And Luke has been my right hand man for 4 years running! He likes it, I like it... the world tells me I need to "cut the cord". Well I say "PPPTTTHHHBBB!" to the world! :)
7. I just want to do it! :)

And many other reasons. I am excited though. My school will be so diverse! There will be a child of AA heritage, a child of Roma heritage, and a caucasion child. One will be "typical", one will be blind, and one will have DS. They will learn together, learn from each other, and see that diversity is a beautiful thing in both a family adn the world around them.

I have always felt the call to homeschool I guess. But I never felt ready or prepared. I am a different person from who I was when my oldest daughter, now a senior, started school. Not different maybe, as much as I am refined. Some of the stuff that didn't matter so much is gone, and some of the stuff that was buried was set free to rise to the surface.

My older children are fantastic, and they all do very well in school, some just when they want to though :)!

We are blessed to live in an area where the public school system is very nice! My decision is not based on what I believe our local school system lacks, but on my desire to teach my children, and the fact that at this point I feel what they need can only be offered by being taught at home.

One of my hopes is that in educating at home for a few years, Tavi will no longer be behind her peers, but caught up with them or even surpassing them. :) I know it is possible! She is one smart cookie, but just has a lot of catching up to do, not to mention just figuring out the brand new world and life she is now living!


Tavi hates Yanas feet resting on her, and Yana just can't sit with someone w/o her feet being on them. :)


She loves her thumb. She doesnt' suck it, just rests it in her mouth and sometimes bites it.