an inspiring link

November is National Adoption Month.  hard to believe it's almost over and we're heading into the final month of 2016!  each year November brings with it more information on a subject that is obviously close to my heart~ adoption!  so i get to read lots of true and difficult and important and heartwarming thoughts about this topic i feel deeply about.  it is a mixed bag, that's for sure. 

last week i stumbled upon a radio program about this incredibly brave couple who adopted eight siblings from Sierra Leone.  yep, eight! not a typo. gulp....adopting eight at once is not generally something i'd ever recommend.  neither would they, i can confidently say!  unless of course, God asks you to!  the part of the story that gripped me most was how the father battled with God when he realized this was the direction God wanted them to go.  much like Jonah in the Bible, he pretty much wanted to run and hide.  can you blame him??  

later that evening i listened to the program online in full (it runs in three parts, this link starts at the 2nd of three, but all three are available), and it beautifully highlights this couple's journey of marital challenges and then later their "turn everything upside down" decision to take in these kids in a selfless act of obedience and love.  it is real and it is lovely.  i believe God always asks that we be open to doing hard things, to loving sacrificially, to walking a path faithfully that might look very different than we ever expected it to look, to loving the vulnerable and fatherless, to care for the hurting ones around us.  this isn't just another adoption story.  it's really more of a "yes" story.  again, i'm not suggesting adoption is for everyone because i really believe it is not!  still, there is always work to be done all over this giant globe we call home.  endless ways and countless people that need our care, our love, our life-changing hope.  so consider checking it out to be inspired, especially during the upcoming season of giving. 

Mike and Hayley Jones have written their story in a book called At Any Cost, and i plan on getting my hands on it soon... 

suspend

when your nine year old beats you two out of two times in the game of Suspend.  

luck i say, pure luck, :) especially when you see how carelessly he flings those pieces up in to any open spot.  no "slow and methodical" with this kid.  no strategy of careful consideration and anticipation of weight shifts once his piece is hung...nah, no need!  apparently the strategy is working for him just fine!

fun game though!  one of our favourites!

bathroom performances~ part 2

Hudson has a thing.  he's always enjoyed singing in the bathroom.  it brings me joy.  so much joy.  on this day, last Friday, i captured some of it.  and i'd say the Remembrance Day assembly at school with the choir performance made an impact.  this is part of "God Save the Queen" and "Oh Canada".

the video starts out slow, and there are a few sniffles in there too, but the crescendo ending makes it worth it, i think!  you can hear him before he restarts asking the "audience" to stand for the singing of the national anthem...there are quieter parts of audio that didn't pick up from the other side of the door, where he is making reference to everyone clapping, etc...always in the moment, imagining the actual event as though he is the star.  because why not?!?  love it so very much.

my own personal chef

well, not exactly....okay, not even close really.  still, Jeff is my guy.  always has been.  my best friend and my person who makes each day a wee bit lighter, brighter....and even sometimes tastier??  once or twice a year~ yes! that's it though~ quality, not quantity, right?  so this is why i'm featuring his two creations of 2016 here!  otherwise they might simply get lost from our family memories in the passage of time.  

culinary giftedness is not a label i'd attach to this husband of mine, but probably if he tried to cook more he'd be a master at that too.  just ask him! :) cooking is one of those things i really like to do, and i'm certainly home more and available to do it.  it works best for us this way.  he brings home the bacon.  i cook it.  literally.  on occasion, however, he has a bright idea of something he'd like to try and usually it's more of a fun family event than simply a meal created.  that's why i love it.  the kids pause and notice.  it strikes them as curious to see him prepping and buzzing around the kitchen, and we all enjoy the sight.  

they are pretty used to him finding fun and unique gourmet items when we are out shopping.  that is something that always makes me smile.  when Jeff and i are on one of our weekly shopping/grocery dates i can often find him at the back corner of TJ Maxx, or Kroger checking out cool food items that i'd almost certainly skip over...things like unusual protein bars or crazy Greek yogurt flavours or spicy pickles on skewers or Hawaiian coffee beans or sea salts...some have been amazing, others average, and some just fun family experiments as we all test out the purchases...

when that creativity translates to the kitchen, it always involves making something that would be "fun" for the kids to eat or be involved in.  it's a refreshing change and break when the daily grind of turning out large meals gets me weary.

his signature dish (not really a dish at all, but sounds more impressive) is "bulls-eyes".  really super yummy and even worth the clean-up (ahem...think tornado).

  

(awwhh, hi Joelle! miss you!)

he has discovered that when these are made with cinnamon raisin bread they taste even better!  the perfect salty/sweet combination....

and the most recent venture was homemade panzerottis.  the kids watched him create the first one and then custom made their own.  

it was fun and they actually tasted delicious!  

i think all the children preferred regular pizza, which both Jeff and i cannot understand, but maybe it's because he and i have such fond memories of panzerottis shared together over the years~ take out and eat-in.  we love them, and the homemade version was really yummy!  

wonder what his next creative idea and creation will be...next year... :)

running mates

these two crossing the finish line at the Terry Fox Run not too long ago....

photo credits to one of the race volunteers, i believe, but i loved the moment it captured between #2 and #6.  littlest brother had to have the win!