Matching Mondays and Les Miserables

I had the wonderful opportunity to see the new Les Miserables film on Dec. 28th.   I was moved beyond words.  The music and lyrics touched my heart deeply.   Witnessing a mother trusting another person with her child stirred my memories of special mothers trusting me.    Watching the love begin in Jean Valjean as he took little Cosette as his own and loved her touched places in my heart that are only known by those who have lived a similar story.   Seeing the grief in the mothers eyes as she knows she will not be the one to raise her daughter brings back memories of a goodbye I struggled to survive.   I left the movie moved and softened  and full of joy in the act of redemption and felt loved in the reminder of my Redeemer.   The movie was simply beautiful!

Even now as I write this tears spill to my cheeks and I am thankful for the tender feelings that come as I recall the music and words.

When I saw this clip on the United For Adoption blog I thought of second chances and of children waiting for their chance to be saved for whatever situation they are in.   I wanted to share the clip on my blog as well.

Today for Matching Mondays I encourage you to see out children who are waiting for help....some might be waiting for a family to love them, others might be waiting for food or other basic needs.   Some children might be waiting for a loving word or two, a nurturing heart or a friend.  
Look around and see who needs YOU!  
There are things within each of us that prepare us to touch the lives of others.   There is so much good we can do we just have to search and find the one that needs us and then serve them!

I wish you all a Happy New Year!!!
I am so excited about the possibilities of 2013!

No More Babies?

 

I have been going through what is left of my baby stuff.   I accumulated many items because I was fostering babies.   I am selling or donating the rest of my supplies.    I had a moment last night when I realized I am at the end of my baby years.  It is strange in some ways.   We have been married for 18 years this year and most of those years (all but 3) we were trying to build our family.   And now we are focusing on raising these beautiful people the Lord has blessed us with.   I am not sad to move forward...I love the stage of life we are in....I am just realizing how fast time travels.    Some people tell me to look forward to being a Grandparent but I don't want to look forward to that just yet.   I want to hang on to the moment and soak in the joys and challenges that come to a Mother who is parenting her children.   We have many firsts to look forward to as well am many lasts.   I will look forward to grandchildren in the future...right now I am so glad to just be Mom! 

Today I heard a little voice call out to me as I went into my garage to put something away.  When I came back in this little voice said to me "Mommy, I missed you...I missed you!".   I was never far away from him (Spencer) but he still wished for me to be closer.   This is the life I always dreamed....actually better than my dreams.   This life is the gift the Lord prepared and blessed me with.  
I am so thankful I didn't get my way years ago.
The Lord's miracles are special gifts wrapped up just right for the receiver.   He knows each of us so He knows just what to prepare and what to give that will bring us lasting joy! 
His are truly the best gifts!

A great day!

Today I got to attend my first meeting as a member of the advisory board for the Utah Adoption Connection.  They do amazing things and I am so excited to be part of it...I can tell I am going to learn alot!  I wish I already knew everything they knew...but I am a newbie so I will be learning for a while.   They have some amazing things coming up this year....I will be posting about them this week.

Today I saw my own writing in print...I almost cried.  I know that sounds funny but I feel so honored and excited!   You can read it here.  But if you read my blog you have already read it...they took it from a post on my blog and put it in the Feb 2010 Utah's Adoption Connection magazine/newsletter   I am going to scan the pages and put them here on my blog for my own personal history....it is a beautiful 2 page spread with waiting childrens pictures on it.  

The BEST thing about today is the date that I got to add to my calendar.  March 12th we get to finalize our adoption of Spencer!  I can hardly contain myself!!!!!   Almost 3 years ago we started fostering in hopes of adopting and now we are seeing that dream come true!   I love my little guy so much and I can hardly wait to finalize and take him to the temple!!!!   

What a fantastic day!!!!!!!

A Favorite with Benefits.

Growing up my Mom made these cookies often and I loved them!

So it is so fun to see some of my kids enjoy these same cookies! 

Haley and Camden sing praises to me when they see the tinfoil come out ready for the cookies to

be dropped.   I don't know what it is about making something you know will make your child happy but it drives me to put my bakers hat on.   Not that this is a difficult recipe...thats one of the wonderful things about it...it is sooo simple!  The other great benefit is almost unmentionable...lets just say when my little guys "plumbing" gets a little slow I encourage a few extra cookies.  :)

I am sure everyone has this recipe or their own version of it but here is my favorite

(notice there isn't any peanut butter...I like the simple taste of chocolate and oatmeal).

My Favorite No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups sugar (I use 1 & 1/2)

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup canned milk

1 square margarine (I find this keeps cookies gooey which I like)

put the above in a saucepan on medium heat.  Boil for 3 mins (no more..can even do less if you want)

Pour over 3 cups of quick oatmeal

spoon out on tinfoil

Enjoy lowering your cholesterol with these gooey goodies!

The joys of being a child.

 My kiddos making calzones.

Thanks for the idea Holly!

 Brad and I have said many times

"What did we do for entertainment before the children came?" 

I honestly don't remember.

The past month we have had....

 Lost teeth & Notes to the tooth fairy

Haley seems to be losing teeth faster than any child I have seen.  We joke with her about not having any teeth left.   The tooth fairy has been bringing gold dollar coins often.   Last week Haley lost another tooth and decided to leave a note for the tooth fairy.   If I can find it I will squeeze it into this post but it was really cute.  She thanked the fairy for the money and expressed her hopes that the tooth fairy would like her tooth.  I love how Haley has no doubts that the tooth fairy is real.   Sometimes the tooth fairy takes a couple of nights to stop by....this doesn't make a 7 year old happy but we reassure her that the tooth fairy is busy and sometimes it takes a few nights for her to make it to our house.    The tooth fairy continues to fill her piggy bank...even if it takes her a few nights to do it.

Werewolf fears

A month or so ago Haley suddenly started sobbing about Werewolves.  We were on our way home from FSA meetings and it was dark outside.   By the time we arrived home Haley was so frantic with fear that she wouldn't leave my side in the house.   I ended up sleeping with her in her sisters bed that night.  You would think I would have thought twice before watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but NO....I had kind of forgotten about her fear.    When it came to the werewolf part she seemed fine.    But later that night she was scared again and ended up sleeping on my floor next to my bed.   I am not sure why she has this particular fear but it is real to her....so I will wise up.   I have to remember how much Haley still lives in a world of fairies and magic so it is no wonder she thinks a werewolf will really get her. 

Surprising things from the mouth of a 3 year old

While the  van traveling Camden suddenly pipes up and says "I am trying to get big like Dad but my bones won't let me!"

At the dinner table, unhappy with the meal his mother prepared Camden asked for something different to eat.   When I told him "no".   He exclaimed..."Well WHAT kind of Mother ARE you?"   I find out he heard this on a kid movie but it was said from a brother to a sister....interesting how he knows just what word to change.  lol

As we travel to the store (or any place) Camden keeps a running map on his leg.   "Mom right now we are here (he points to above his knee)".   A few moments later he states "Mom, now we are here (he points to his to some place under the knee).   He does this all the way to our destination.    When he wants to know how long it will take to get somewhere he asks me...."Mom is it this long (holding up his finger) or this long (holding up his leg).   I guess this is his way of asking if it is a short trip or a long one.   He is at a very fun age and I am truly enjoying his sunny personality.    He does show me a "dark side" once in a while like the day he was telling his big sister off letting her know he wasn't going to pick up the dishes she was asking him to take to the sink and then did a football kick to the pile.   He had NO idea I was watching this happen and it was a complete surprise to him that he was being taken to his room.   Thankfully we see much more of the sunny side of him.  (I am also thankful those dishes were plastic.)

A funny lessons in alarm clocks

So night before last Camden ended up sleeping next to Haley in her bed and Brenley didn't like all the noise they were making before going to sleep so she went to Camden's room and slept in his bed.   Like the great kid she is she took her alarm clock with her so she could wake up on time.   She didn't set it right but it didn't matter because I would wake her up (this was what was in my mind that night when I realized it wasn't set).   So just like I planned I woke Brenley up the next morning and everyone got to school on time.  Then yesterday I moved Brenley's belongings back into her room..placing her alarm clock on her bed for her to take care of when she got home from school.    Brenley and Haley cleaned their rooms yesterday and Brenley made sure she plugged her clock back in and she set the time.    What she didn't realize is that she needed to reset her alarm time as well....it always goes to 12am when it has been unplugged.    So at 12am today I was getting up to feed my cute little alarm clock named Spencer.    All of the sudden I hear Spencer's crying coming closer and there is Brenley fully dressed for school .  I ask her what she is doing up and she says "I am getting ready for school".   I laughed....and let her know what time it really was.  I saw her light on and realized Haley would be woken up too....so I peek in and there was Haley with a big smile on her face and fully dressed for school.   They get a great big A for effort!  What great kids to get up on their own and get fully dressed and be happy....too bad it was 7 hours too early.    They went back to bed fully dressed and ready for the day.   LOL

I LOVE being a Mom!  

It is the hardest, funniest, most exhausting and joyful career I have ever had and I wouldn't change once second of it!!!!

Can I just vent....

I hate it when someone who has a RN behind their name thinks they know everything when in reality they are WRONG!   I don't know who is teaching at nursing school but I sure wish the nurses who work at pediatric offices would learn the difference between RSV and Bronchiolitis
.   Or maybe they need to work the RTU floor at a children's hospital and then they will know the difference.   I also wish they would all give them same answer when asking about dosages for a 3 year old.    UGH!!!!    This reminds me of the last adoption worker we had...she was young and had zero experience in adoption.   We ended up teaching her and calling her on things that were wrong.   This nurse thing feels the same.....but try calling someone out who has a degree behind their name.

Sorry for the vent....I am just a Mom with 2 kids with strep one sweet baby with bronciliotis, running on very little sleep and I am pretty grouchy.  lol

A Word for Wednesday.

kid: noun
a young person especially child

ween: transitive verb
to hope, love, charm

Small Adventures Definition
Child Charm

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2006

We have even more reason to enjoy Halloween.

Haley was born on Halloween 2002.

Brenley dressed as Pooh Bear who was dressed as a Bumble Bee. 2001

Yep....Child Charm it is!
I know..way too many pictures right? If you made it this far you must be charming as well.

Thanks to Rachelle Nessia aka Rachness of www.doodelle.blogspot.com for the cute graphics!

What you REALLY need.....

if your kids (or family) gets the flu.

I saw all the news reports, read all the cdc information when the flu worries were hitting the air waves and the net.
I was a good Mom and went to the store and stocked up on the list of "thing you will need".
We purchased...
hand sanitizer
paper towels
antibacterial hand soap
Clorox wipes
Lysol disinfectant spray
spray cleaner
Tylenol
Motrin
and even
masks.

After having the flu in our house for 1 week, 4 days and counting I have some additions to make to that list.

To truly survive your kids flu episode you need.
All of Grandma's or Aunt Diane's kid movies ....you know Grandma and Aunt Diane always have the neat movies that you don't have at home.
If you don't have a Grandma or an Aunt Diane like this then hit your closest library or blockbuster.
Sprite, Ginger ale or Coke for kids tummy's
(ya don't judge me...coke really does help lol)
Coke or Diet Coke for the caregiver
Movies for the caregiver
Coloring books and crayons or markers
Candy and snacks for the caregiver
Little "mini macs" as my kids call them (translation....portable dvd players) so kids can watch a movie but still be in bed NOT infecting the whole house.
Benadryl to dry up the leaking nose
a box of tissues for each child sick
a bucket for each child sick
dinner ordered in or a nice relative brings it over (thank you Vicki!!!!!!)
Gatorade
crackers
paper plates
paper cups
plastic utensils
and lastly for the caregiver....lots of patience!

This list added to the "official" list is what you really need when flu hits your house!

A special THANK YOU to my incredible husband who has truly been Super Dad
(or shall we say...Super Brad)!
He has done nothing but take care of all 5 of us since Friday.

Super Brad you deserve a night out...dinner and that movie we have been talking about.
Lets plan a day!

Do better with the most needed things.

This is Haley. This picture reminds me of the time when I was a creative and playful mom.
Planning to bring that part of me back into the game....starting today!

From the moment we found out about Spencer, life changed in many ways.
For a while things were crazy trying to manage home and children and rushing off to spend as many hours as I could with Spencer in the NICU. I had to do only those things that were most needed. Everything that wasn't essential got put aside for a later time.

Once Spencer was released and home with us life changed again as I was up alot at night and barely able to function during the day. This was compounded by colic which consumed much of the day and night for over a month. Once again I had to focus on those things that were essential for that time period...everything else had to wait.

Having a baby in the house changes many things. It also helps me see what is truly important. I have had many feelings the past month or two about what is truly essential in my life. I am realizing more and more what was once most needed at one point in my life isn't what is needed now. My children are growing fast and if I don't stop and do those things I always planned to do and teach them the things I always planned to teach.. then I am going to lose my chance.

I see clearly that my family is what is most essential right now...above adoption, above fostering or any other passion. My family is most needed by me.
Today I found a quote on this blog.
It says what is in my heart and is a great reminder of what I have been feeling lately.
I am printing it out and taping it to my refrigerator and my bathroom mirror.
"Let the phone go unanswered and let the beds go unmade. Instead, steal those moments to sit side-by-side, play face-to-face, create, read and just be together."
I am guessing the blog owner is the author of this marvelous quote...it is truly inspired.

When my girls were small I was a very creative mother. We were always making something, or reading something or planning fun outings. I am not sure when or how I lost that but as of today (even while I sit here in bed the with the flu) I am determined to do better.
Above anything else I want to succeed as a wife and mother.

So today I make this declaration.
I will Do Better at taking care of those things that are Most Needed!

The creative art of mess making 101.

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with this post...
it just makes me smile and reminds me of their personalities.

My children are brilliant!
They truly are!
I don't know of another creature on this earth that could pull off the amazing messes that my children did today without the adults knowing about it.
Some might call them "naughty"....others might call them "trouble" but I believe it takes a amazing mind to be so creative in their handiwork.

To give you a little background...a week ago this past Friday Haley became sick with h1n1 flu. Brenley and Camden followed shortly and symptoms began that following Sunday. It has been one very long week with my three oldest sick, trying to keep everyone happy, keep buckets in front of those who might be puking, medicines for fevers and body aches all the while disinfecting everything they touch or cough on including my own clothes and hands praying that Spencer will not be contaminated.
I dare say it was no easy task!

Tuesday I started coming down with incredible body aches but the full blown flu didn't seem to hit until Thursday when I all of the sudden felt like I lost strength in my arm. Not sure what what was happening I called a ward friend over who just happens to be the Caption of the Fire Battalion here in my city (I hope I am getting this correct). He checks me out then calls 911 and has his guys come check me out further. No life threatening issue...probably just the effects from the stupid flu. By Friday I am not well at all and Brad surprises me by coming home early from work (bless his sexy heart!) and he even stopped at Redbox and brought me a dvd!
I really have a great hubby!

So while my kids were getting better I was just starting to flu fun!
Today as Brad did dishes, fed children, and worked on laundry my kids were in the loft. First they were told to clean the loft and they did and I was happy that my kids were being obedient. It stayed clean most of the day as they ran errands with Brad then this evening it became a disaster area. I am not even sure how they could have made the messes they made. They had every toy in the loft out, the toddler bed mattress was moved and being played with and then I saw the bathroom. The bathroom was all Camden's art work. There were wet towels and clothes all over the floor, the toilet we overflowing and completely clogged with massive amounts of toilet paper and then there was the sink. The sink was covered in toothpaste and liquid hand soap as well as shampoo. Camden had decided to make bubbles to pass the time away. All of this happened in a very short time period. I won't even mention what rooms looked like today. There seemed to be purpose in each mess.....I couldn't really tell what purpose but my kids could. I decided that my children could teach a class called
"The creative art of mess making 101".
They are brilliant I tell you....
just brilliant!

These brilliant minds are now busy cleaning up their days work and hopefully learning a few lessons. I have learned once again that Moms and Dads just can't be sick....if they are the children express their boredom in the most creative ways.
I just hope this amazing talent follows them into adulthood but manifest itself a bit differently.

When your kids are sick.

This is just what Camden needs....he is a mucus factory!
LOL
This picture makes me laugh!

What activities do you allow your kids to do in bed when they are sick?
My oldest 3 all have the flu and they are grouchy and whinny (sp?) and need an occupation while down and out.
They have played some games, drew pictures, read or looked at books and watched movies.
I need new ideas.
Help!
And if you have a moment...please pray that my little Spencer won't get sick.
Thank You!!!!

Friday Fun.

Friday we had a cousins day out!
It was a fabulous day!



We started off with a trip to visit the witches at Gardner Village.



Then a little pumpkin pickin'.


Our final destination was a picnic at the park where Camden decided to scale the baseball fence.
I couldn't believe was I was seeing!
We enjoyed spending time with family and can't wait to do it again next time we all get to be together!

Explaining Adoption to Children.

One of my blogger friends had a great question for me.
When I was first entered the adoption world I had this same question and other people helped me get ideas.
I hope my thoughts can help someone like I was helped 11 years ago.

Becca's question is:
" How do you explain 'adoption' to young children with the simplicity for them to understand?"
This question came about for her while trying to explain adoption to primary children.

I am sure everyone approaches this differently....this is how the small adventure family does it.

Many people state that the reason a child was adopted was because their Birth Mother couldn't take care of them. I really really hate this explanation because it simply isn't true in most cases. It also paints the Birth Mother as "less than" or "weak". We like to explain it in a positive way that shows the Birth Family in the correct light and helps plant seeds of testimony of adoption as another way the Lord creates families. So when talking to a child (that is not one of my own children) we say..
"Heavenly Father creates families in special ways. Some mommies can't grow babies in their tummy because their baby factory doesn't work...it is broken. So Heavenly Father found a special woman to help get that baby to the right family." I then proceed to discuss it further if they have questions. But I keep it as simple as possible. Of course if the conversation is about a specific child who was adopted into a family then I use names rather than "child", "baby" or "woman". I hope this makes sense.

With our own children we start with this basic idea of my "baby factory" being broken because that is truly what it is....broken. We talk about how their Birth Mother was blessed with special feelings about what to do to help find the family Heavenly Father wanted them to be in. We refer to their Birth Mother as being Heavenly Father's "helper". Then as they grow we talk in less "child like" terms and have long talks about why and how they came to our family the way they did. We teach them how much we embrace how they came to our family and how the Lord guided their Birth Mothers and Birth Fathers. Brenley is now old enough to grasp much of the information and can see herself how special her story is.

I think it is so important to teach children the concept of adoption when they ask...if we don't teach them then they come up with their own ideas...some of them are pretty funny I must admit but it is still important to take opportunities to teach. Not too long ago I talked a little about this on my other blog. Feel free to take a peek.

This isn't a complete explanation of how we tell our children their story while they are still young.....but I hope it gives you some ideas.
Above all we want our children to understand & gain a testimony of the eternal nature of adoption.
I would love to hear how you tell children about adoption. :)

Oct. 7th
clarification: I am speaking about infant adoption here. Older child adoption would be told differently and children with abuse or neglect would also have a different story.
sorry for the confusion. :)

Bobby-isms and other funnies.

Have you ever watch the cartoon "Bobby's World"?
If you haven't...well you need to.
Brad and I discovered Bobby in our early years of marriage. We would watch and laugh at how Bobby would take things so literally.
For example he goes to work with his Dad one day and his Dad mentions that they are in a "traffic jam". Bobby instantly pictures the cars on the road getting stuck in "jam" ....the kind you spread on bread.
This seems to be the case with any child around bobby's age as we have come to realize with our 6 year old.
Tonight as we were discussing the fact that Camden doesn't ask for things he just demands them. For example..if he wants a sandwich he will say "give me a honey sandwich" and he keeps saying it until he gets his way. So in our conversation together Brad and I discussed how we are trying to get him to ask politely and say "please". Brad followed up by saying ..."ya we need to nip that in the bud!" I agreed but then Haley piped up and thought it was funny we said "butt". We explained that we said "bud" not "butt" and then she was like "what? What is a bud?" After a brief explanation Haley says laughing..."Camden's not a flower."

A few weeks ago Haley gave us another "Bobbyism" as we were discussing who the leaders are in our family. (this conversation took place in the van) We explained to the kids that Daddy and Mommy are equally "in charge" and that we also look to Heavenly Father to help us in our decisions so He is part of our family too. Haley instantly says...
"but we don't have a seat for him in the van!"

We love our little Bobbyism girl!

Tonight we were in target looking at bedding for Brenley's new bed. We were in the girl kid aisle of target bedding and the kids were pointing out what they liked. Camden decided to join in and said he wanted the Hanna Montana bedding. Camden said "I like Hanna Montana and she looks cute". Haley pipes up and says "ya you want to kiss her". Camden replies...."ya I want to kiss her because she likes kisses".

Don't you just LOVE kids....what did I ever do for entertainment before them?

Happy Birthday Brenley

Nine years ago today my baby girl was born.
I can't believe it has been nine years....wasn't she just a baby yesterday?
Brenley is growing up too fast!
Slow down or something would you???? :)
Tomorrow we are taking Brenley to her favorite resturant to eat and to see Harry Potter the Half-Blood Prince. She has spent tonight making a list of who the Half-Blood Prince could be.
She is WAY off...and will be surprised!
I can't wait until she reads the series for herself!

We gave Brenley her Birthday presented tonight....she got a Nintendo DS.
She has been asking for one for about 2 years.
I guess this is just another sign that she is maturing.
We are willing to trust her with big money items.

I am so happy with the girl she has become!!!
Happy Birthday Brenley!!!!

Dance Recital Summer 2009

Haley takes Ballet classes. She is a budding ballerina. I think she was born to dance. Her class danced to "Under the Sea" and they were all dressed as mermaids. Very cute!

Brenley takes Jazz classes. She loves to dance to upbeat music. Her class did a cute number to "Hard Knock Life" from the "Annie" movie. Brenley played the part of Molly.

I love that my girls enjoy dancing. It was my most favorite thing to do growing up.

Our fun all day date.

Today was like one long wonderful date!!!!
Brad and I woke up early got ready, welcomed one of our favorites baby sitters (Brad's sister Vicki) and off we went. After picking up a friend and fellow FSA national board member (and her really cute 3 month old baby boy) we headed up to Morgan. It is BEATUIFUL up there!!!! We were welcomed to our FSA Advisor's home (Steve Sunday) where we were greeted by other fsa nb members, 2 really cute dogs and Steve's sweet wife Karen. We had a great meeting and I left even more excited for the upcoming conference!
If you want conference details go here or if you are an FSA member visit the FSA Website at http://www.familiessupportingadoption.org

After the meeting Steve took us to lunch at this great placed called Grill. The food was sooo yummy!!!! I highly suggest trying this place out...the drive is a little long depending upon where you are in Utah (or out of Utah) but it was really good food!

Later in the day Brad and I went to his Employee Recognition dinner. Brad has been with his employer for 10 years so he got a special award and we were treated to a great dinner! We were also entertained by Jon Schmidt and got to hear this song. Jon Schmidt calls it
LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay)

Love it!!!!

On our way home we stopped at Walmart and picked up an aquarium for a baby frog...I will have to share the baby frog story this coming week....it is took funny not to share!

So it is now 12:01am Sunday morning and I am tired...so off to bed I go. Enjoy the youtube clip! We sure enjoyed the live version!

Vacation in Denver

Our family took a traveling adventure to Colorado last week. We went to visit Brad's sister in the Denver area. I had been to Denver before but I didn't remember it like I saw it this time. The picture above says it all....green and beautiful! We spent most of our time in the Castle Rock area which in the outskirts of Denver. I feel in love with the area! I have only had two places I have spent time in that I felt like I was home....Utah, Washington State....now I add Colorado to the list.

We had fun visiting with family and enjoying the sights! Our kids had a blast spending time with cousins they don't get to see too often. I have lots of pictures to share so I created a slide show.

End of another school year.

Kindergarten baby no more! This picture was taken on the last day of school ...I wanted to remember this day. Watching children grow is bittersweet....we are happy they are growing...we are sad that they are growing. I love my little Haley and I am going to miss having her home during the day! Thank goodness I have a whole summer to enjoy her before sending her off to 1st grade.

Third grade brought out some new talents in Brenley. She has become a little author and an incredibly strong reader. She overcame peer pressure to use bad language and honored my wishes when it came to behavior at school. I am so excited to see the growth in my beautiful daughter! I love my soon to be 4th grader!

Today

Today I came really close to having a really bad accident on the freeway.
A woman in a big white truck came over into my lane and didn't stop...I don't think she ever saw me. I thought for sure we were going to be hit!!! I am still not even sure how it DIDN'T happen.

Today I felt the protection of my Heavenly Father....I felt that someone helped me maneuver my van in a way that kept us from being hit. I couldn't have done it myself.

Today I am so thankful we said family prayer this morning....asking to be watched over and protected in our travels and activities.

Today I saw another miracle and I know God lives and He answers prayers!

Today I am so thankful for my life and the lives of my children!