Ridiculously Cute

 Leif is ridiculously cute.  Off the charts adorable.  And he knows it!

 Leif loves life.  He loves to wear other people's shoes.  He loves to copy everything his siblings do.

 Leif loves to watch me roll the oats in the morning, and hops from foot to foot while waiting for his bowl. 

 Leif especially loves the camera.

 While Leif is enjoying his oatmeal, he is unaware that far away there are little guys who don't get all the oatmeal they want every morning, with cream and maple syrup.

   This little fellow is 4 years old.  He weighs 11 pounds.  I don't think he gets oatmeal every morning.  I do think Leif would share with him if he could.

 More than anyone else, Leif loves his Daddy.  Daddy helps him with everything, including holding up his pumpkin.

 This little guy has no idea what a Daddy is.  I think Leif would share with him if he could.

 Almost as much as he loves Daddy, Leif loves his brothers and sisters.  They make music for him, and he tries to keep up with them.

This little guy will probably spend his life in a crib, and may never walk.

While Leif is busy being ridiculously cute here, he is unaware that there are millions of little boys and girls who do not have what he has.  A family.  They don't have a Mom to whisper "Jesus loves you" or a Daddy who likes to wrestle.

But we know.  And we know that the Lord expects us to do something about it.  It is not for us to ask God why He allows children to be orphaned, neglected, and abused.  Instead we must ask what he wants me to do about it.

At Cracker Barrel, teamwork is expected.  "If you are not helping a guest, you should be helping someone who is."  How can that translate for Christians and orphans?  If you are not adopting a child, you should be helping someone who is.  I know that the truth is most people cannot adopt.  But it is also true that everyone can somehow be supporting orphans.

Pray for the families who are adopting.

Financially support those who are adopting.  (It does add up...every table I wait on leaves me a tip, and by the end of the night it adds up...it works the same for families trying to raise money for adoption!)

Pray for the orphans.

Donate money to the organizations that support the orphans who will never be adopted.

Pray. 


Please also pray for us as we are trying to adopt Elsa in Estonia; pray for the process, and the finances.

Moving Forward!

 Wednesday we received our home study!!  I spent Thursday making sure the 9 page immigration application form was just right. Friday morning Jamie and I signed it, he prayed over it, then later Leif and I went to the bank for a money order, then to the post office to mail our home study, the I800a, a copy of our marriage license, copies of our passports, and the money order for $890!   Now we wait for a notice in the mail telling us to go into Boston for our fingerprints.  After that, we wait approximately 2 months for the approval, Lord willing.

Once we receive approval I can plan the first visit to visit Elsa!! This first trip will be less than a week, and should cost around $2000, so that is my current fundraising/saving goal.  We really want Nikita to go with me, which will add approximately $1200 for her plane ticket.

In the meantime, life goes on.  The weather is a bit chilly but beautiful today, so Jamie and I took Leif and the triplets to Old Sturbridge Village to see a display of vintage automobiles, all pre-1920.  

 Can you see the horn on this red car, just to the right of Jamie?  And the kerosene lanterns on the sides are so cool.

 Leif and I posed under an apple tree.

The flowers are beautiful.  We are so thankful that we have membership there (from Christmas gifts last year).  There is always something new to see, as well as always fresh chocolate chip cookies in the store.

School!

 

The triplets have been in school for 2 weeks now, and we are still tweaking our morning routine.

Amelia likes to help with the backpacks.  I would get them ready the night before, except I am supposed to write in their communication books every morning.

Leif tends to put himself into the middle of the morning preparations.

 We put their clothes into a bin in the hallway, each with their name, so the kids can get dressed as soon as they wake up.  This is supposed to prevent mismatched or dirty clothing.  So far I have had to send Amelia up each morning to change.  She has a favorite pair of jeans she thinks she can wear every day.  

Once they are all dressed it is time for some oatmeal and orange juice.

Sometimes they are ready and waiting for the bus 30 minutes early.  And sometimes the bus is ready and waiting for them!  Do you see the fourth musketeer, thinking he is going to school too?  He wants to be everywhere they are.

 Now that I suddenly am bored all day, I have been trying some new recipes.  The croissants were delicious!

 Of course, Leif does his best to alleviate any boredom I might encounter.

 Leif enjoyed the carrot cake, even though I had not frosted or cut it yet.

I also have been knitting hats to sell as a fundraiser for our adoption of Elsa.  I have 9 done so far!

Jamie is not teaching at the college this Fall (no one signed up for the class) and had no classes over the Summer, so we are quite behind on the amount we need for our adoption.

Dante returned to school today!

He was so tired when I brought him home.  I am driving him to and from school for a few weeks, since we have to be careful how we lift him in and out of the carseat until his sternum is completely healed.  He was so happy to be there today, and was standing at the door at 7:15 this morning.  We left early and I drove him around a little bit to kill time, since he was so determined to get there!  I am glad he was able to go back already, because he had become quite the couch potato, watching Kai Lan on his iPad.

My days are really far from boring, although I do find myself with more time to clean and find quiet time.  The teens are so independent with their work that I have time for Leif and he is such a joy.  I do plan to spend some time this year taking them to some museums that would have been difficult to go to with the triplets.  They are all high schoolers now; Alexander is a senior.  I really want to make the most of this time with them before they start graduating and going off to college.

This is "The Year I Will Stay Organized"!

Oops, this is gonna have to be my April 1st post, who am I fooling??
  :)