First Day of School

 I told Jason last night that it feels like we are finally tasting the fruit of a well-tended tree. We have been working and planning so much for this outcome, and now we get to stretch out and relax into the reality we've only really experienced as a destination on a map up to now. I can't really say "We've arrived." It's not like that. The planning and learning will be a constant task. But each effort toward this goal has been deeply blessed and rewarded.  

Much of our school room was outfitted by Janet, Eric, Jake and Sydney, by Frank, Shranda, Whitney and Zach, and by Chuck and Monica. No joke. So much of the furniture, books and even some of the curriculum came, free of charge, from friends who knew we were building a home school. Their kindness has blessed us in ways I will never be able to express to them. The room looks as if each piece was carefully selected to work together to enhance the learning environment of two children who are very precious to us. I can see God's fingerprints all over it.

Jonathan's reading program was Jake's. It's perfect. Melanie's pre-reading program came from a pre-school friend. It is perfect for her! Our devotion materials came from our pre-school friends as well, and they complement our curriculum as if they were written to work together. Books, posters and fan cards given to us by our across-the-street neighbors in Texas have found places on the bulletin board and were the most important tools I used to teach a small unit on insects and arachnids at our final week of camp. I am picking up those cards all over the house. The kids love them!

It is incredible how little I've actually had to hunt and plan for this. And at the end of the first full week, I'm completely worn out (So are the kids!), but I am fully on board and giddy that I get to do this with my kids!

The kids had their first Classical Conversations class on Friday. It was slightly overwhelming, but at the end of two-and-a-half hours, Jonathan and Melanie had been exposed to five Latin verbs, the first five of the Ten Commandments, the five basic tenets of drawing, seven pegs on an ancient history timeline, the definition of a preposition, skip counting by 2s to 24 and the scientific classification of living things. They had also dissected a seed to identify all its parts, and Jonathan had correctly identified on a map the Fertile Crescent, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Mediterranean Sea, Mesopotamia and Sumer.

This is our memory work for the week. We will build on this each week throughout the school year using songs to help us memorize the facts. At home, the kiddos are working through separate reading programs and an age-appropriate curriculum called My Father's World which incorporates a learning philosophy I love based on the work of a 17th century English lady named Charlotte Mason. I attended a series of seminars at the Boerne Public Library on her philosophies, and I love her laid-back approach to learning. She is long-gone now, but she recognized the deep need that children have to simply explore "Our Father's World" uninhibited for many hours a day without an adult hanging over their shoulder. I love the idea that every moment should not be planned and scheduled for a child. We take frequent breaks during school time and just hunt for bugs or run around outside.

I found a darling music appreciation curriculum that incorporates a very gentle introduction to piano lessons at a used-curriculum sale I attended two days after we arrived in town. It included a little stuffed mouse that Melanie uses named Mozart Mouse. Jonathan uses Mr. Beethoven Bear with his studies. We all enjoy our music time. 

Helping Daddy

Painting bench parts

"Look what Daddy built just for me!"

Melanie helping paint her bench

Hammering practice

 Jason took the family to Home Depot one Saturday to find supplies to build these neat little benches for the kiddos. Jonathan and Melanie picked the paint and helped to paint the pieces before they were assembled. Right now they are acting as cars on a make-believe train out back. The kids love them and so do we! I can imagine these sitting around the fire pit this fall.

Jason has been looking at shed plans and has taken on several smaller building projects around the house. We definitely don't feel quite settled yet, but we love being in our house and yard. We are very happy with our new home.

Jonathan's bench

We've had a lot of fun exploring Northern Virginia this summer. At the end of July, we were invited to the Cobb Theater in Leesburg for a birthday party. Several days a week they open the theater for families to watch movies for free. Melanie had never been to a full-length film in a theater. She did great! We watched the Lego movie, and then played on the splash pad just down the road. Good times!

We didn't try for a garden this summer, but we did have a small container garden on the back porch. All of the seeds were planted by the kids using very old seeds Mama had been saving. We weren't confident that anything would come up, but they did! Sunflowers too!

Playing in the fort!

I am most of the way through a book called The Connected Child written for adoptive families by therapists who specialize in the mental health of adopted children from tough backgrounds.  A neighbor allowed me to borrow it. They have a son Jonathan's age that they adopted several years ago. We are slowly watching a series of videos out of TCU that are very similar to our training prior to receiving our foster-to-adopt certification. However, the information is MUCH more helpful within context of the actual parenting endeavor.  There was so much helpful information presented to us in the classes offered by Pathways, but, prior to Melanie's adoption, I just didn't know what I needed to file away. The review has been a God-send, and such a help in creating an iron-clad bond with our girl. It has also helped me parent Jonathan more effectively. He is the sibling of an adopted child, and he needs help processing all this too! 

Crawfish!

Our final week at camp was a bit of a bust. Mel was sick on Monday, although Jonathan was able to stay for the day. We all got to go on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then I caught some really nasty crud that sent me to urgent care twice. Five days in bed, seven days with fever and a full round of antibiotics. I'm still coughing, but thankfully, the worst is over. Jonathan was a bit annoyed with Mama, and Mama was seriously annoyed to be stuck at home in bed, especially with so much work and planning to be done, but all is well. Daddy had to take several days off work, so both kids were very happy to spend so much quality time with him. As you can see, there's plenty of exploring to be had close to home. They spent several days exploring the rivers at Harper's Ferry. Those pictures are on Jason's phone, so I'll get a post out about that when we get those downloaded! They had a ball!

slugs!

Shucking corn

Miniature golf at the farm

I'm so thankful that we have the freedom to stay home most days and learn together. We can run to the farm on Wednesday afternoons (We all love the farm.), and sit together and read when we want. I love these kiddos and their sweet, loving Daddy, and I'm so glad the Lord made us a family.

Unanswered Questions

Race!

Today was just flat out fun. We got up late (Melanie slept until 8:30!). We went to the grocery store after playing outside and watering all our sunflowers, cosmos, marigolds and tomatoes planted from seed by our budding horticulturists. "Mommy!  I just need to go out back to check on our plants!" is a phrase I hear quite often around here. We ate a big yummy lunch and then met some friends at the Lovettsville community pool. On the way home, we visited a friend's house to pick out a kitten. Jonathan has named her Violet (...also the name of our friend's Rhodesian Ridgeback). Violet will have to stay with her mother for another 3-4 weeks, so we'll have some time to prepare a nice spot for her. She is black with white stockings and little calico spots here and there.

Yesterday was a bit unsettling. We were told last year that Melanie would likely need glasses, but she was not yet old enough for them to make the determination at the time. So, we spent the morning at the farm picking peaches and playing with a new friend. In the afternoon, we set out for Sterling (...the unsettling part. I'm always a little nervous about heading east on my own around here. Traffic, traffic and more traffic!) to have Mel's eyes checked. The verdict? NO GLASSES!  Yeaaaahhhh!

At the farm!

We are always SO thankful to hear any good news concerning Melanie's health. We are debating whether or not to have her blood drawn again to test thyroid and possible food allergies. Her weight gain is painfully slow. Her new pediatrician ordered the blood work. I've been through the same testing with her multiple times. It's so awful for her. It takes them multiple pokes to find a good vein and then a good half hour to get the amount of blood they need for the labs. They're never able to turn up anything and it seems like such a wasted effort and such a trial for her. For now, I've decided she'll be as gluten free as possible and take her prescription meds (especially her steroid) only as needed. She's doing fine. She is now on digestive enzymes and a couple other supplements to hopefully help her gain. If we see no progress in a few months, we'll go have labs drawn again.

cupcake time

The road we've chosen has not been an easy one. In fact, we've probably managed to make things difficult for more than just ourselves. As I look back over the last couple years, some of our decisions have created difficulty for our family and even our friends. But we've held strongly to convictions that we believe were impressed upon us by God's Spirit, and, after a long and tedious rough patch, we are beginning to see much fruit. 

In this new place, Melanie is surrounded by many like herself. Multi-ethnic families who have adopted children from all over the world abound here. She is accepted and loved deeply by the teenage helpers at church who were just her age when they became members of families like ours.  I love the verse in Revelation that describes a scene from the throne room of God. People of all tongues and tribes surround it proclaiming the holiness of the One they worship.

Last week, we attended training for the home school group we've joined. The kids spent more time in a camp-style situation and had a ball.  We also had new windows and doors installed in the house and received our first bulk grocery shipment from the grocery co-op we've joined. It was busy to say the least. 

I was thrilled that training was available, especially for someone as new to this endeavor as I am. The subject this week was science. More specifically, we discussed astronomy. I was in heaven. Additionally, I had the opportunity to communicate with other moms and dads who have been at this for some time. The advice and information that they shared was invaluable.

The discussion also concerned the training of our children in a compassion and a love that fuels a study of science, history, mathematics, medicine, law or engineering for the benefit of humankind and the promotion of the Gospel. Amen!

While there are women living in shipping crates in Northern Iraq and in refugee camps in Turkey... while there are nine-year-old girls being raped by ISIS and Boko Haram... while there are women and children bought and sold in a slave trade in this world... while people starve in America, in Europe, in the third world, I will purpose to be thankful that we have the opportunity to educate and worship freely in this country, and I will pray that my children develop a deep compassion and desire to help those in deep need all over our globe.

peach picking at the farm

At one point, we tried to discuss how the the study of astronomy can build unity in the church. Although we all seemed to be enjoying the presentation, no one could come up with a viable answer. 

I was not quick enough to call it to mind in our discussion. But, now that I've had some time to think, here it is. Our study of astronomy builds our faith as a Christian community and provides unity because it is a nightly display of all that we must accept on faith! It is constant reminder that we cannot find all the answers. Even if we could find them, we could not retain them all.

I was reading this morning and came across these lines...

"Come, gentle night, --come, loving black brow'd night,

Give me my Romeo; and when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night,

And pay no worship to the garish sun."

~William Shakespeare 

-from Romeo and Juliet

This reminds me of a favorite scene in a favorite movie, "The Last of the Mohicans." But it also calls to mind that the fathomless celestial bodies about us serve as a reminder of the One who is the Word. The Word was present before creation. He is infinite. Our finite minds cannot completely comprehend him, but our hearts can comprehend and love him deeply.

The atmosphere is a bit more hazy here than in Texas but we have a lot less light pollution out here in Hamilton. Just as it did in Texas, the outlet to our little back porch faces west. I've always managed to find a few moments here and there to step out back, after dark, just to gaze up and out. It's a habit that I never intend to break. The night before last, a thin sliver of moon held a bright, bright Venus just beyond its crescent. Last night, the clouds dispersed just long enough to reveal several constellations. The night sky never ceases to amaze me. I want to let it always remind me of his beauty and his sovereignty as the Master Scientist... the Master Astronomer. He has made my mind like his... "in his image", yet I still cannot fathom the magnitude of his creation. 

"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name"

~Psalm 147:4

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
~John 21:25 

Let's not stop questioning. Let's not stop theorizing. Let's not stop looking into what seems unfathomable. We were created to do those things. We cannot help it! But let's do these things with a purpose... and let our purpose find its root in His love.

Fireworks, Canoes, Crayfish & Other Fun

Fireworks with our neighbors/friends

 We are weary, in a good way.
The kids and I just came off another week of camp and, although I'm not sure this is possible, had even more fun this go 'round!

On July 4th, we had a great time with our neighbors watching fireworks in the back yard and catching fireflies after the fireworks were all gone. The day had been dreary and rainy so we were all very excited when it blew east before dusk. You can see part of our sweet house in the top left corner.  Our property is there on the other side of the fence just behind the firework display.

Jonathan on the canoe at camp

Melanie on a canoe

Jason and I joked before leaving Texas that, if we were able to sell our travel trailer, he would buy me a canoe when we got here. There's something about paddling a canoe on quiet water that feeds my soul. I never imagined I'd actually be doing that very thing just a couple weeks after moving back to Virginia. This week I got to spend a fair amount of time paddling little ones over a pond looking for turtles, frogs, toads and frog eggs. We even got to see a snake!

Water Fight!

 Creek exploration was the best part of the day. We had Cibolo Creek in Boerne. Now we have the Freedom Center Creek.  You can see Jonathan in the photo at mid-left in the red shirt. I'm not sure of its official name, but it's beautiful in its own way. I got in with the kids every day and basked in the sounds of running water, excited little voices and giggles. A mountain bike trail runs right through the spot where the kiddos played. Now that we have a connection with the Freedom Center, I have a feeling this family will try to make it out there quite often.

Climbing in a dogwood over the creek

 There are several dogwoods arching over the creek. I will be very anxious to see that particular place in its springtime glory.

Dancing in the winery pavilion

 Today we celebrated Celia's 4th birthday at a family-friendly winery and had a lovely time. A live band delighted us with fun music and even taught the kiddos an Irish drinking song. Ha Ha!

Learning to sing with the band

If you know Jonathan very well, you know that he can be found in this attitude and posture quite often. There's a crayfish under that cup!

I have mentioned this before, but I'm still consistently overwhelmed by the way God manages to meet our needs and desires in very specific ways. He knows our longings (He made us that way after all!) and he longs to love us.

Chosen

Just a couple hours ago, we watched our first set of overnight company leave the driveway en route to the deep south. Almost eleven years ago, Pastor Keith led Jason and me through our marriage vows. That was a little over a year after we met at events surrounding his own nuptials. 

We haven't visited since EK was about four or five, AC was three or four and Jonathan was just walking. Keith and Melissa have welcomed two more children into their family since then. We welcomed Melanie into ours.

Our kids were delirious with excitement yesterday as they anticipated the arrival of playmates. This visit, however, required a proactive conversation with our children. EK has suffered with severe autism since she was approximately three. EK communicates with her eyes, guttural noises and bangs. She is beautiful and broken, just like the rest of us. Her language is not one that we have the ability to understand.

The kids reacted well to each other and enjoyed playing together. Our kids were so excited to have overnight guests (and chocolate chip brownies). 

As usual, I had a lot of good intentions surrounding this visit. Some of them were realized and others were not. After all was quiet and I was climbing into bed, I realized that there was another pillow and blanket sitting in our room that I had neglected to put downstairs for our guests. I also forgot to pick up sparklers for the kiddos. We had fireworks enough though in the post-rain fire-fly show out back. I will never forget the joy I saw in those faces that night... or all those adorable giggles.  

At one point, Melissa and I had a conversation about children and sanctification. And I agree with my whole heart. Having children will sanctify a parent if the parent is up for taking the lesson. However, a good friend of mine reminded me lately that it's not all just about sanctification. We didn't get any further with that conversation (That's kind of how it goes when you've got little kids. All those great conversations that get started but fizzle before you get to the meat of the matter...), but I've thought long and hard on the meaning of the very poignant statement she made that day.

Having a child with autism or medical problems or a very strong will could just mean that we're chosen. And, that child is chosen right along with us. Dealing with a loved one who is terminally ill, mentally ill or forever disabled most likely does not feel like an honor to anyone living that reality. But would He give that task to just anyone? I wonder.

I certainly don't have the answers. But I do know that, when I was a teacher, I gave the difficult tasks to the students I felt confident would complete them well. The toughest lessons went to those who would take them to heart and carry them to some greater fruition. If we bear the Image, no matter how damaged it might be, could it be possible there are some answers in our own delegation of tasks to our children, our students, our subordinates at work?

As I watched Keith and Melissa care for their oldest child, I saw something you don't get to see all that often. I witnessed overwhelming patience and peace in a less-than-peaceful situation. The more shocking thing... the thing that was completely lacking... not even a hint of the tiniest mark of self-pity.

Initially, I mourned the fact that sweet, beautiful EK, although trying desperately to be heard, could not be understood by anyone. How frustrating must it be to not be able to communicate your wants and needs? How easily I forget... He hears her. He knows her language. He made her. The God who sees, the God who heals, the Great Creator...He knows this little girl intimately. He knows her parents and her siblings and He is ministering to their hearts at every moment. He honored them with her, and she is honored with them. 

So I will continue to pray for EK's healing. But what I will pray, even more, is for a grace that will allow our friends to continue to stand firm because I feel, almost certainly, that they were not afflicted, but chosen. 

Camp at the Freedom Center

Friends

 I think I've touched on the fact that, at age 41, I'm finally getting to the heart of what it means to feel loved by God. Grace may be the hardest concept for the human heart to grasp, especially in our worker bee society. We are constantly evaluated by our performance at school, at church, at work...

Lessons in Archery

 The Freedom Center is an apt name for the epicenter of our experience this week. It's a freedom in Christ that we embrace as we lead our little ones toward His grace and forgiveness... as we invite them to enjoy the gifts in His creative work in this world all around us. We knew only the Baldwins and the matriarch of the Gossage family when we started out this week, but only an hour into day one, it felt as if we were at home with our family. And we were.

Archery

The Lord works on our hearts in such unique and creative ways. His timing is different for us all. Each of us was there to minister to each other, to extend and receive grace and to bask in the glory of the handiwork of the Master. As I spoke to and observed each child and adult, I imagined the hidden happenings in their lives. I watched each Mama struggle with her own need to control, and I grappled with mine. Ultimately, it was all offered up to His Sovereign Plan. We each had millions of little opportunities to get over ourselves in the heat and bugs and craziness of chasing little ones all over the wilderness. 

The creativity displayed in each mind and body there was so interesting to observe. Each Mama and helper there gave each other the grace and freedom to take on the role specific to their God-given gift;  photography... canoeing... archery... games... teaching... the organization of people... the organization of stuff... the integration of groups... even the quiet gift of standing in the shadows until little needs arose that went unnoticed by others. Grace was extended in the midst of mistakes and misunderstanding. As children of God, there's comfort in the reality that everyone has a role to play and we all have feet of clay. No matter how small or large, it's all important. No one gets their nose out of joint. Everyone wants to put the other first. No one takes offense. It's all for this much bigger Thing... His ultimate Glory.

Study of Ancient Culture - Mummies

Mummy Growls - Arrrrrrrggggg

And that's what it's coming to. When you feel loved, it's a lot easier to extend love. When you feel loved, it's a lot harder to say an unlovely thing. When you know you were made for a purpose, that your existence will serve a greater good if you allow it, then it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks. Your gifts and talents begin to serve your desires, and in the middle of all that, you wind up serving the One who loves you like crazy. He wants to fulfill, not only your need, but also the deepest desire of your heart.

The Farm

Living Room Camping

 This photo was taken the night we closed on our house. We camped in the big tent in the living room for four nights before our household effects came. I'm missing those days. Oddly, I was not pining for our things. OK - maybe I was sweating the fact that we were running out of clean clothes just a little bit, but things were much less complicated without all our stuff!

The Cauldron

 On our second night, we roasted wieners and marshmallows over our new fire pit. I think we ended up doing the same thing on night three and four. Lots of fun!

BIG back yard!

 Somewhere back there lies a lovely black raspberry bush. It is not quite so lovely now. Daddy got crazy with the industrial-grade Round Up you can get at Southern States. Not all leaves of three are bad. Some things we find out the hard way

Canada Geese

A new thing to fascinate John Muir Jr. -- Canada Geese.  We have several collections of their feathers tucked in boxes around the house. Nature has already invaded the little house in Hamilton. {Smile}

Riding the wagon to the strawberry patch

 There's this really lovely place called Great Country Farms not too far from our house. We left the unpacking behind on Daddy's first day back at work and high-tailed it there for the last week of strawberry picking. While we were there, we joined the CSA and hauled home four quarts and a pint of strawberries, spring onions, the prettiest asparagus I've ever seen, kale, chard, a basil and parsley plant and two pints of cherries. There was more, but I just can't remember it all. Believe it or not, we've already eaten almost everything we brought home. Now we will go to "the farm" every week to pick up our produce. There's a giant play area for the kids and several ponds for fishing. And it's a free for all if you're a CSA member.

Big Helpers!

 This made a pint of frozen for our smoothies and two quarts of freezer jam for ice cream and toast. And yes, there are still piles of unopened boxes in my house.

New friends

Found!

Hamilton has this little gem of a store called the Natural Mercantile... a.k.a. Heaven For the Honey Snob. I found this dinky jar of wildflower honey that didn't taste like honey at all when I went on my maiden grocery shopping voyage to Harris-Teeter. Then I found THIS! Ahhhh... And that little box behind -- that's my favorite brand of herbal tea. And it was just sitting there, on a rough-hewn wood shelf. It didn't come in an Amazon box. I picked it up in my warm little hand, carried it to a cash register and was enjoying it like three minutes later because THAT IS HOW CLOSE THE STORE IS TO MY HOUSE!!! AYEEEEE!!! 

Adjustment period or no, I could definitely get used to this... this being deer foraging in the backyard at dusk as a million and one fireflies dance about... all while the sun sets behind a dusky blue Mount Weather... Venus presiding over the whole lovely scene.

Update: The bush attacked by the industrial-grade Round Up was actually a wineberry bush... apparently much better than a black raspberry. It looks as if even industrial-grade Round Up couldn't knock out this hardy native! At any rate, I think we'll wait until next year to enjoy our wineberries.