I have decided to take some time to just regroup and recover. This past 3 months of paperwork and stress, in addition to the LONG winter gave me a bit burn out. I needed to recharge and rest.
So since the adoption, we have been relaxing. We are maintaining a strong school schedule, while doing a little bit of outside clean up, which is theraputic for me. I love diddling around outside.
We had to babysit yesterday but not the rest of the week. I am thankful for this break. I took a long nap while Bubbie napped today. Ahhh, it has been a long time since I did that. Unfortunately, my big kids took advantage of that time to get into some scraps. After a firm scolding on being trustworthy without direct supervision, they decided to try to earn that lost trust back by mowing for me!
I had a phone IEP, because at scheduling time, I had thought I would be babysitting today. Nesiah is doing well. Exceptionally well. We are so happy with her progress.
The kids have been enjoying the outside. I bought a bag of tennis balls, which have been put to good use the past week. The kids also bike every day. We live on the side of a hill. I can see for miles and miles. But best of all with the intersecting roads, the kids can ride for a good, hilly (very low traffic) mile, all within view of my kitchen windows.
We have planted our garden and sprayed weeds. Flower beds were cleaned out, all in the last week or so. It is so therapeutic for me.
We are also working on some animal projects. I actually have time and energy to get out to the barn and do extra work. The kids always do great at taking care of their animals. But I try to get out and check to make sure things are they should be. My kids are incredibly responsible with their animal care.
We currently have 18 chickens/roosters that Elizabeth takes care of. We have 4 sheep, a steer and a pony that David takes care of. We also baby goat and a golden retriever that Lee cares for. The girls also have a Bichon that they care for. Fayth had been responsible for the baby goat but lost her right to take care of her. Bubbie loves all the animals but especially the chickens and the baby. He insists on going to the barn every single day with the kids.
They love when I come outside and we play with all the animals. I rarely have time or energy lately for fun stuff like this. Today was the perfect.
It is not all fun and games on our farm. Animal care can be hard. Animal care can be disgusting. But it is sooo valuable for our kids.
Our steer has not been gaining well and on Sunday was really sick. I did some research and thought I knew what was wrong. I prayed for wisdom and decided not to call the vet. But Ben get getting sicker and sicker... we were afraid he would die. So we prayed. We gathered together and prayed that God would heal our sick steer. He did. Ben was still off, but not looking like he was on his deathbed by Monday morning. I was able to stop by the farm store where an old timer gave me some tips on how to manage his care. He is well on the way to recovery now! We praise God for caring about steers and healing him!!
Yes, I know it makes us strange that we pray for steers. But we believe that God cares about every detail of our lives. He cares about helping single moms feed their kids. He does still work miracles. We attended a really good mission conference at a local church recently. It was so inspiring and encouraging. Here were people who did crazier things then us. They saw God work in ways we can only imagine. My kids sat spell bound for 2 hours, as the speakers shared stories! It has often been discussed since that. How God works... How He cares.... why He calls us to be crazy.. why He cares about every aspect of our lives.
We have an entire week ahead of us with no babysitting, no real responsibilities other then really working towards the goal of finishing school strong! I plan to do some cleaning, some animal care, some training with the kids.
What do you have planned for the summer?
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