The Last Week

Last Tuesday we packed up our bags and jumped in the car around 2:00p to drive to Chicago at the last minute. Doyle (Jason's mom's husband) was there getting cancer treatment but got moved to the ICU that day because his body was not responding well to the chemo. We went to be with Jason's mom and Doyle. We got home late Saturday night.

A cancer treatment center is not exactly the best place for a two year old BOY, let me just say that! There was lots of bouncing off of the walls the first day. But there was a lot of room outside to run and play and ride his trike (which we took).

We stayed in the guest quarters with Rhonda (it was like a hotel). I found my two boys doing this after nap time one day. What could be capturing their attention so intensely?

The Cardinals and the Cubs tied in the 9th inning! We were sitting in Chicago as they were playing at Wrigley. :)
Abram's favorite part about the cancer treatment center was the fish aquarium near the entrance. Especially this "big fish."
I can't say I've ever seen a fish like this before.
Before we came home we drove a couple miles to the beach of Lake Michigan. It was cool and starting to rain, but they still had fun.

I love this one!
Grandma Rhonda joined in the fun after while.
While I didn't get any pictures with her, I also got to have lunch with my friend, Eve, who just moved to Chicago. She is getting married THIS weekend in Chicago so we will be back to the Windy City in just a few short days.

I Dare You . . .

to read THIS ARTICLE (go to page 56-57) from a relatively new faith-based magazine called Karis.

I just dare you. That is all I'm going to say about the article.

But I will say something about the author, Heidi Weimer (wehaveroom.org). I like to call her my 'inspiration' for us adopting three kids. Jason and I first read about the Weimers several years ago. Their story was called 3+3+3 because they had three biological kids and then adopted a sibling group of three from Ethiopia and then adopted another sibling group of three from Ethiopia. And they were just over 30 years old!! When I first read their story, I thought, "wow . . . unbelievable, but so cool." But I certainly wasn't signing up to adopt three kids at that point.

And in fact we never really set out to adopt three kids when this whole C-country adoption thing happened. God led us in that direction and we went. Sometime after we had started the process to adopt three kids, I stopped and remembered the Weimer's story. At that moment I realized that God had used them to prepare me for what we were doing. He used them to help me see adopting three kids maybe wasn't so unbelievable after all.

You know how God does that sometimes? You have no idea at the time that He is using something or someone to prepare you for the future, but you look back and realize He did. He is so good like that!

When we went to the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference this past May, I got to meet Heidi. It was one of the highlights of my time there. She is just a regular mom who is sold out for Jesus and she continues to inspire me.

So, go on now . . . read the article!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Kate and I packed up all five kids in my van and headed west this past Tuesday. Our original purpose was to spend most of the day with our cousin but she got sick with the flu so we couldn't go to her house. Bummer! We were ready to go, though, so we went anyway and decided we figure out what to do on the way. We considered the Omaha zoo, but didn't have enough time to make it worth it. So, we decided to go to the park in downtown Omaha and walk around.

Our first stop was Subway in Council Bluffs to get sandwiches to take to a park for lunch. But not just any Subway . . . it was the Subway that we went to ALL THE TIME in high school.

We couldn't find a park with a playground so we decided to eat lunch at the look-out point in Council Bluffs where, again, we used to go to in high school. It took a few wrong turns to get there, but we made it. I think the kids enjoyed the view. We were able to point out where the Omaha zoo was, where Grammie used to work and more.

(Don't mind Abram stuffing his face with a fist full of cheese puffs!)
Next, we headed west on Broadway (the main drag) in Council Bluffs. So much has changed since we were younger. Kate and I were pointing out what used to be where and telling stories of things we remembered around there. We were having a blast and laughing our heads off . . . especially when Kate saw Runza and shrieked with excitement! Brady chimed in a couple times with "come on!" He wasn't enjoying our stories as much as we were. :)

When we crossed the river into Omaha we decided to drive by the airport to see if the kids could watch airplanes. That was a flop but Kate and the kids got out to see 3-ft long lilly pads in Carter Lake (I was driving around Abram while napped.)

We drove by the homeless shelter (Open Door Mission) that Kate and I worked at one summer during college. We did VBS-like activities and outings for all of the kids who were staying there. We have many memories from that time. It was so hard dealing with those kids whose lives were a wreck, but so rewarding to love them and tell them about Jesus.
Next stop: the park in downtown Omaha. First, the kids fed the geese.

. . . with the assistance of the homeless man on the park bench. He was cutting up lots of bread for the kids and giving them instructions for how to feed them.

Abram was eating apples and enjoying the view.

I love this park!

Then, we went to the slides. These slides have been at this park since Kate and I were young. The older kids loved them - the slides are really fast!

Sydney made it down a few times.

And Kate braved the slide with BOTH little boys. Hilarious!

Abram was more into climbing and running around than the slides.

Abram and I went down the slide once. Mya had camera duty and got this picture taken but didn't get a picture of us sliding. Oh well!
This place was perfect for Abram and Greysen because there was so much space for them to run and climb.

Jumping off the last step is a must in Abram's world.Taking it all in.

I am not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but this place was a photogragher's dream. So many great places and backgrounds for pictures.

Then we walked around the Old Market just a little bit. So many stores and restaurants have changed. And of course, Kate and I retold stories of more memories from high school here.

Terrible picture, but one of the only one with all of the kids.
After the Old Market, we went to the lake by Con Agra.
Abram's 20 minute nap in the van left him running out of steam by this point.


But after he rested a minute he was ready to climb, jump and run around again.
Check out the air he got on this jump!

After walking all around the lake, we met an old friend at the mall in Council Bluffs (no pics).

Then, it was time for dinner with Uncle and Papa.

A super sleepy Syd with her Papa.
Two year olds at a restaurant . . . need I say more? Abram is building a tower with the salt and pepper shakers and the sugar holder of course!
Time for P-poppers for the ride home. We purposefully left after dinner so the kids would sleep.
On the way home we drove through our hometowns, Treynor and Carson.

Back in Huxley at 10p. Abram had just woke up.
All-in-all, it was a very fun trip, especially for making it up as we went along. The van ride got a little hairy at times with five kids and their shananagans. At one point when the two little boys were both screaming at the top of their lungs, Kate told everyone to just enjoy it because they will only be two years old once. Cracked me up!