Blogging again ....

I have decided to start blogging again - not because I am trying to find things to do with all of my extra time but because it helps me focus on the joys of this season in life and find the humor in the daily craziness. I never imagined how busy life would get with a toddler in the house again - but busy it is.
Quick recap on the last 4 months:
- We officially finished our school year: Hannah completed 5th/6th, Luke completed 3rd, Katy completed 2nd/3rd and Emily did great with her Pre-K/K school work.
- We officially launched our own company - CRAZY!!
- Katy celebrated her 8th birthday (in April)
- We got new pets
- Mary-Aster turned 2 years old
- Luke is 10 years old today


Life is so full of laughter, energy, learning, craziness and joy!!! It is truly a blessed time for the Porters.

Mary-Aster is doing remarkably well. She is adjusting beautifully. Bonding and attachment seem to be going very well, her food issues have gone from not wanting to eat anything offered to eating a crazy amount (so much that we have to tamper it a little bit). She was just moved out of our room into a room of her own YAY!! She is talking TONS and bosses everyone around whenever possible. I love that she still uses a few Amaharic words and LOVES LOVES LOVES her injera. I am amazed at God's sovereignty -- she is perfectly Porter!!

Our most recent adventure is getting 2 baby pygmy goats as pets.   I guess homeschooling 5 children and running our company wasn't enough to keep us busy.  So now the Porters consist of 2 adults, 5 children and 2 kids.  Life is an adventure --- a blessed journey from God!

Discouragement

Craig and I have prayed for YEARS and YEARS that Christ would use our family for HIS glory and HIS kingdom. Of course, we didn't know what that looked like - but now we find ourselves living a life that is much different from the one we pictured when we got married almost 14 years ago (Sept 30, 1995 was the big day). I realize now that when we opened our hearts to God's calling and said 'yes' to homeschooling our children and we said 'yes' to various leadership roles at church and most recently when we said 'yes' to adopting --- we put a big ol' bullseye on our family. Satan doesn't like many of the decisions we have made (good) and he is letting us know it. But as I sit here typing this morning I resolve myself to NOT let satan steal our joy, kill the vision that God has given us or destroy our fortitude. Discouragement has reared it's ugly head numerous times over the past week or so - but God has graciously provided scriptures, words of encouragement and friends to speak His words to me.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Cor 4:7-9

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; through he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His right hand." Psalm 37:23-24

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of deer, He enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Psalm 16:7-8
"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:7-8

Esther 4:14b
"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

I Chronicles 28:20
"Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you."

Not surprisingly, God knew exactly what I would need this year and He started providing back in January. A dear friend asked me to join her in memorizing one verse a week for the entire year, Word a Week. This has been the single greatest thing I have done in a long time to grow my walk with Christ. God has placed these scriptures strategically throughout my year and they have encouraged and strengthened me when I have needed it the most. I see now that back in January, when I didn't know we would say 'yes' to adoption and I didn't know how discouraged I would feel on this day, Sept 22 - HE knew and HE has been providing love, encouragement, and His balm of soothing words for 38 weeks.

Caps for Sale

Have y'all read this book? It was one of the favs around here for quite some time, so we read it over and over. I feel like the peddler carrying my hats on top of my head - not to sell, just to balance and wear. In the book there is a little peddler man that has a stack of hats on his head "first he had on his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, then a bunch of brown caps, then a bunch of blue caps, and on the very top a bunch of red caps." I feel like I add 'caps' to my head all day and then try to balance them so they don't fall off "first she has on her own Jamey cap, then her wife cap, then her momma cap, then her serving others cap, then her homeschool cap, and on the very top her adoption cap" Wow, my neck is sore :)
While my heart is really tied up in our adoption journey right now - I am also trying to get ready for school. I have finally come to terms with the fact that one of my children really needs help with reading... I mean focused help!! So, I am researching reading programs and now I feel like I need to add another cap - the help me cap. I have found two interesting websites but I don't know if either are what I really need. Any chance anyone has heard of or used: Toe by Toe (by Keda Cowling) or HEC Discover Intensive Phonics Reading Horizons (different that Alpha Omega Horizon Phonics program)? Both are 'Highly Structured Intensive Phonics programs, and both have parental reviews that rave about them. Any advice?