"I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men(women) will see visions. . . Acts 2:17

Back in 2005 I had been praying for many years that God would show Martin and I what His will was in regards to adoption. Martin did not feel we should. I strongly felt we should. I specifically asked God to show us through a dream, His word, or a vision. In December of 2005 God showed me a vision and it is what eventually led us to adopt from China. I saw Martin holding a little girl with straight black hair, pulled back into 2 pigtails, with squinty eyes and a darker complexion. The picture below is pretty much what I saw!
I only realized today that I had the vision shortly before Malia was born on December 28, 2005. Perhaps that is why God waited so long in answering my prayer. . . it was all in His timing! Needless to say the realization hit me full force!

"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long." Psalm 71:8

The Forestry Farm

We've been very busy these past few weeks and I have not had time to blog. Once again we planted more trees, although we only got about 70 this year. These trees were to replace those that died last year. Every year I think we've planted more than enough trees, and then some need replacing or we decide to add another shelter belt row. Thank goodness the trees only cost a few dollars a bundle! Thankfully it's been raining a lot and I haven't had to water them yet. I've also been trimming all the brown tips from my junipers and cedars. Some will need to be replaced. This past winter killed many of my shrubs. :( I also planted my garden and it is beginning to sprout! I can hardly wait to have fresh produce again! I seeded 165 potato plants this year. . .hopefully that will be enough for next year. All it takes is bringing potatoes to 1 or 2 gatherings. . . enough to feed 50 people. I ran out of potatoes a few weeks ago and carrots last week.
On top of that, it is the beginning of Martin's busy season. Therefore, I end up doing the majority of the yard work, including tilling the trees. My old Massey can be rather ornery and put up a fuss. The battery was low so I called Martin. . . trickle charged it. . . still wouldn't start. . .hooked the booster cables up to our vehicle ( this totally freaked me out! I've never boosted a vehicle before and was terrified of getting a jolt!). . .finally the old Massey started! I let it warm up a bit and then tried to put it in gear. . .ARGG. . .it refused to slip into gear! After some yelling (it was the only day the boys were at home to watch Malia)and a little praying the old clunker finally decided to cooperate!
We've also spent many hours looking for a camper trailer, trying to decide between buying a new one or settling for a used one. We finally found an older used one this last week end. I will post some pics at a later date.
Needless to say we needed to have some fun! We went to the Forestry Farm with Martin's brother and his family. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, saw all the animals, and then went for ice cream! Very relaxing!

Malia enjoying the watermelon.

Boys will be boys! Goofy grins, ears that stick out and dirty mouths!

My sweetheart and Malia! Warms my heart every time!

Malia's favorite line lately is "We are family. . . I like my family. . .we are special family!" I agree! And so does Martin even though he is scowling as usual. He is happy. . . honestly he really is! He just hates having his picture taken!

Mother's Day

I wasn't feeling well on Mother's Day so we finally took pictures a week later. I did have a great day in spite of not feeling well. As always the kids presented me with everything from a potted pansy to beautifully written cards. Martin made sure I could put my feet up and relax. . .all day! I LOVE being a mom. It is the most rewarding role I will ever have!
Taking pictures can be a bit challenging. It is very difficult to get everyone looking half normal. ;) And when the kids finally have a nice smile and are looking towards the camera, I have a goofy grin. ARGG! And then there is Alex . . .

Morgun tends to close his eyes . . .

Almost. . .

Malia's silly wink. . .but that's the best we can do!

Wacky Hair Day

It was Wacky Hair Day at school today. Both boys needed haircuts, so we cut one side last night and left the other side long. I've never spent this much time styling their hair before! They both thought it looked pretty cool and got lots of compliments! Alex convinced us to let him keep his hair like this for the next while. We'll see how he likes it. . . I have a feeling he'll get tired of it soon.

Speaking of hair. . . I was going to post pics of Martin's hair just before he got it cut, which was suppose to be May 1. BUT. . . I went out for an evening and while I was gone he trimmed his own hair!! I was not impressed. It looked rather butchered! He did get it trimmed professionally and I did manage to get a few pics before he cut it again, but it wasn't nearly as long as it had been.

We had a discussion one day and the word "integrity" came up. Morgun wasn't sure what it it meant so I explained that the deal that Dad made with Uncle Andrew ( not to cut his hair until May 1) and didn't keep, was NOT showing integrity! Needless to say Martin hooted with laughter and Morgun understood! :)

Once a Month Cooking

It may sound crazy, but I was hoping it would rain today (it snowed, but I didn't mind!), because I had thawed meat and cooked a turkey so that I could tackle a job that I had not done in many years. . . Once a Month Cooking. I made everything from Chili,Lasagna and Meatloaf to Turkey Broccoli Casserole. My freezer is now stuffed with Costco type meals that will be much tastier and more nutritious. Most meals simply need to be thawed and heated, and then served with a salad. I made 10 different dishes for a total of 37 meals, many of which will easily provide leftovers for the boy's lunch or even another supper. My day started very well, but by the end of the day I was exhausted! I began cooking around 9 am and had everything cleaned up, including my filthy stove, by 5:30pm. I will definitely do this again, perhaps just on a smaller scale! I couldn't resist taking a few pictures to remind me NEVER to tackle so much in one day again, and also to simply admire my work! We all know how quickly all that food disappears!

To top it off, Morgun came home from school, inspired to do some baking. I resisted at first, but then decided to help Morgun bake a big batch of Monster Cookies. He definitely knows how to bake . . . he did most of it on his own! And the cookies were DELICIOUS!!!