Tuesday's Thoughts (with update)

update:  no release today (Wed.)  
The Knight has cancelled a weekend camping trip (rain forecast)
and declared that we can release early next week instead.  
(I am rejoicing greatly at a few more days of being a Mama to my 3 fat waddlers!)

Tuesday's Thoughts:
tonight is our last night together...

Tomorrow...

we say our good-byes,

they have grown so well,

they are ready for the forest.

they will walk into the care of One who loves them even more than I do

(though I can't imagine that, as I find myself tearing up

just in thinking of introducing them to their beautiful new woodland habitat).

I will walk away (in the arms of my Knight who will accompany me)

trusting that the Lord will watch over and keep them for me.

How thankful I am to hear His voice saying that He will care for them now.

Maybe we will see each other again,

as I plan on stopping by and bringing tasty treats for my babies.

A mother's heart is a tender thing, 

it longs to raise them up in the way they are to go,

hoping that all that was poured into them will help them in their coming days of life.

Ultimately we need to let go and put our trust in Him.

Love is hard, it hurts sometimes.

But the option of not loving, is no option at all.

So, I am so thankful I chose to open my heart to 3 tiny helpless masked creatures, whose eyes were hardly yet open.

The four months I've had as their Mama was life changing.

I have so many memories to cherish...(would you like to know some of them?)

• How a large bathroom can become a haven to orphaned babies 

• How I asked God ten years ago for one (after reading Rascal) and how He blessed me with three

• mopping up piles of mess, only to have them run through it (laughing I think)and spreading it in every direction of the wind.

• barely getting down the newspaper that they have trained themselves to use for potty time...and having all three hustle in and dirty it all up before I could even step back to admire the clean newness of the rectangular toilet

• How much smarter they are than dogs or cats

• having my boy always look at me with puppy eyes, so that I will stop mopping so he can suck my thumb

• When I am too rushed to sit down with them, how he will nurse on his own foot (and purr like crazy doing it)

• How my biggest girl can jump on my back for a piggy back anytime I crouch low enough for her to make the running leap

• For their love of marshmallows and how they roll them around in their paws as they eat them (kind of like how some eat corn on the cob)

• How they don't like corn, though it is supposed to be a favorite

• How they eat chicken~ bones and all

• How they nurse on my clothes while I feed one of their siblings with the special bottle

• The days of dropper feeding that turned into syringe feeding, which in turn headed to the special bottle

• Seeing them smile while they ate cut up bananas

• How they loved to get a new toy and how much they would enjoy it

• How fast they could undo anything we tied

• How gentle they are

• How feisty they can be playing with each other

• How many ants we've squashed since May because I refused to put down ant poison thinking they might eat one of them 

• How cute they are, even when they are keeping us up being nocturnal

• How even when they are half asleep how they can wake up to say hello

• How they destroyed my mop and I am not sure I want to replace it with a new non-chewed version (each tooth mark now is precious)

• The night they got under the sink, pulled off the plywood behind the plumbing and climbed through the walls with great joy (much to our fear that they would never come out)

• How I think I am allergic to them (suddenly I have eczema on my face and occasional swollen eyes after kissing and hugging them) 

and how I still would love to keep them forever (for very selfish reasons)

• How blessed I am that God put me on someones heart and I got to be their Mama for a time such as this!

 

Bats, anyone?

I was home alone one night...

sitting in my living room

Minding my business, knitting away....

something was moving in the fireplace

behind the screen...

the flue got left open...

*it's not a moth!*

Oh, just a fruit bat...tiny and cute...well,
to my family anyway....

I caught him in a 2 lb. grape box and saved him until my Knight and daughters came home from youth group. I put the box on my lap and kept sneaking the opposite end open to make sure he had enough fresh air. Praying he would not move fast to *my* end and make his escape!

My Knight missed the one that visited me a few years back, while he was off on a mission trip to Mexico with our oldest. I caught that one in the same kind of box...good to always have one tucked away for such times as these.

God must have made my Knight for me, as he thought it was the cutest little guy too.
My little fruit bat friend, probably wouldn't have been so cute, if he had been flying around inside the house.

We oohed and awhhed and let him go.

He comes and visits every night with his fruity friends (outside as we sit on our deck).

We are thankful, as we hear *bats* have been very sick this year.

I think he is praying we will let him go ...
And away he flew, happy as a little bat can be.

Probably mad that there were no *grapes * in that box!

Whatcha got there son?

I can't say it is a boy thing, as my 4 oldest girls were very fond of some of the same things...

One of the many creatures God made. Amazing isn't it?

How often do you and I as *grown-ups* go through our days in a whiz...never seeing all the amazing things that God has for our eyes to behold.

Hope you find a moment today to capture a moment or two of the wonder of God.

Nesting

The colors and tempos of nesting

We have been cleaning out here and came across some wonderful old books that I had collected at the beginning of our homeschool adventure 13 years ago. We carefully unpacked the boxes and fingered gently through each as a newly found treasure.

My Knight had hopes that I would release a few, in the mentality that we need to streamline with the coming addition of another child to our home. After unloading the two cardboard boxes, two were deemed releasable and to the thrift store bag in the garage it went.

The rest made themselves comfortable within the huge basket that resides next to our red comfy couch in the living room. We have been reading through each of them (with a renewed joy for me, as fond memories of my first unit studies flashed through my mind) as we find a quiet moment...or make one.

The wee ones have been enjoying the stack of bird books. I shared how their oldest sister had tried to make a nest when we studied birds, when she was a wee lass. How she gathered twigs and grass and attempted to create a nest. Alas, we had to resort to a glue gun. Our nest was rather square with strings of that hot glue threading itself as a garland in and out of our creation. We had a new awe of birds, as they don't have fingers, directions or the glue gun as an aid to them; just the natural creative design of God that He bestowed to them.

We are beginning to nest in preparation to *Little Beauty's* arrival. I was hesitant to shop, as I had done it twice before and had it go ugly. Twice set up a nursery, only to have to take it down. Guess fear was holding me back, but I pushed myself a bit and have begun the *nesting process.*

Please pray for our paperwork to get done in Central Authority, quickly and without error-we want to make it through our first court date without being stamped:

DENIED.

Hanging in, increasing our prayer time, believing God for *Little Beauty.*

and

Having the faith to wear mascara out of the house.

A trip to the little cabin in the woods

Katrinka (our tank) heading to the cabin.

A view through the trees.

The beaver dam

Our horse away from home.

More of the old beaver dam.

A climbing King Bonkie (4)

Red Trillium

Red Trillium dancing among the fallen leaves, under the canopy of newly emerging leaves.

A hiding spot for spiders.

A yellow Trout Lily

Some fungus among us.

Silly Bunter gets a drink from the swimming hole.

The pirate chillin' in the cabin

Our faithful fire starter.

A 13 year old superhero flying in the night.

So like her Mama, another tree hugger comes into the forest.

Some trees bite.

Another deep thinker in the family.

Walking back toward our woodsie haven.

************************************

Spring in Vermont is such a reminder of the hand of God to me. As we walk our property and see what is emerging after the long winter nap, it all points to its Maker. I know I have shared my love of the forest with you, but as this is a new location of the trees, bear with me and lets take a walk.

Yes, even the trees clap their hands and the rocks cry out Praise to their God, lets join them.

Some recent additions

Guess what we've been doing...

Yup, like our lives weren't full enough-there is always room for more here. Let me introduce you to our newest family member. First is a 2 year old Eastern Painted turtle named Gyuri (imagine two floating dots over the u...its a Hungarian name) (Jur-ee, it means sweet little George, after our friend who found her for us), and our littlest cub...we are guessing Tobin is about 2-3 weeks old. Tobin came via my Mama, she is building a new home and found this wee boy crying and crying in her attic, with no mama. So, as she can't keep him, he joined us last Friday night.

We are smitten with Tobin-he has us totally wrapped around his dropper, as this is how he needs to be fed (yes, day and night). He is doing so much better and actually is getting a chubby little belly. We were really praying for another dog, but guess God heard our prayers and thought this would be the perfect match.

Gyuri is only hanging out for a few weeks, he has got hibernation in mind and really is only here a'visiting.

Yup, soon people will be calling us the new "Doolittles." (Yes, I am still praying for a monkey ;-) If you are keeping track, that means 6 kids, some on the way through an adoption to Guatemala, a huge 110 lb. dog Hunter, 2 rescued cats, Hope and Kishbaba and now Tobin and Gyuri. Are you laughing?

Wordless Saturday