What a little soccer star

Last fall we signed Tyson up for soccer and got our first experience as a family cheering on one of our own in a team sport. It turned out to be pretty fun. Well....how could it not be fun once you discover your kid rocks it on the field. Man !!! This one has some talent.

He also played in the spring season and we found a great coach who can really lead him. What a great outlet for ALL that energy (yes...he has a ton of energy).

In November when the season was over, we had a pretty big let down as a result. But we saw some improvements in the spring season and it didn't effect Tyson as much when it was over.We turned into THAT family that cheers wildly for each and every goal. For the season of 8 games, Tyson got 56 goals (yes you read that right). ***insert proud mom smile*** And when I say we cheer, I really mean we ring cow bells and whoop and holler.

Tate is signed up for the 3 year old league that starts in the fall. And since it is getting embarrassing for Adu to be in the 4/5 yo group, we are moving him up to the next group. It should be another fun season.To be honest, we are really proud of how well Tyson does on the field, but honestly, its more than just the goals. He is fun to watch, he loves the sport, he is enthusiastic, outgoing, includes others, cheers on his teammates, is a leader, has learned to listen and follow instruction from the coach, has a great heart and care if someone gets hurt, and always says "good game".
Here is Tyson waiting for his coach to give him the "go ahead". He is held back behind the line when he is playing to let the other kids have a chance with the ball. Then once he gets the freedom, he shoots out onto the field and dominates. See that determination in his eyes?

Side note story: My neighbor was signing up her kids for the fall soccer season and she overheard some parents talking about a kid that was REALLY good and they wanted to be on the same team. Somehow she found out that they were talking about our boy. Now...that just makes me grin.

Summer is flying by

Wow...for our official down time for summer, it is just flying by. I feel like we are trying to cram a years worth of work into 2 months. Since we school the kids here at home, I feel like summer is my only "days off" and I try to take advantage of it. I have spent many hours working on sorting and cleaning and organizing...not to mention, painting, building, reading, catching up with extra school work...and of course swimming, VBSing, camp for the big kids, nursing a sick dog back to health. We haven't even been able to get away on a vacation yet, but hope to squeeze in a few days before September.

I have been really challenged to purge the un-needed away from my life and get rid of things that are cluttering up my home and my brain. I have hauled van load after van load to the Goodwill and the trash. I spent about 2 days shredding old bills and paper documents that were not needed anymore and fill 8 hefty trash bags full of paper.

In between the work around here, I have been reading a few books that have had an impact on my life. You might be familiar with these 2 books.

Both have been very challenging and cause a lot of soul searching for me. Not to mention, I am finishing up reading through the Bible since about the middle of January (if you haven't read it through in one year, it is worth it). I am keeping a journal of things I am grateful for (all those gifts and blessings God gives every day) and I am also keeping a journal of truths about God. Things from the scriptures that I can cling to when my emotions might not be leading me to the truth. God is pruning. And I am grateful.

We have also been praying for months for God to really lead our family toward what He desires us to do. Making sure we are right in the midst of His will. There have been a lot of private discussions with Chuck and I about following God's lead and walking where He wants us to go. It has been hard, but good for us. God often allows us to grow the most when He brings us through difficult times.

Gotta run...more update to follow.

Tate is 3 !!!

He is full of smiles. And turning into a happy little boy. Not much more of a baby, but growing up so quickly. Tate is one who brings joy to our family.

We had a nice little party with 3 of his friends and our family. He did so well and had NO shut down moments or difficulties, he even ate some food with his friends. Our sweet boy has come SO far. Love him to pieces.

easter (I know it was like 3 months ago)

A lot has happened here in our home in the last few months and as I said before, we are just getting around to catching our breath. So...with out further hesitation...EASTER 2011.

So...with that had been going on around here...I just hadn't gotten around to making sure we had Easter baskets and outfit to wear to church. So the night before Easter at about 9:30pm, I found myself at the local Target with all of the other desperate moms trying to pull it all together. I ended up finding something new for everyone to wear on Sunday morning (Tristen had reminded me that the girls wore the same outfits 2 years in a row).

New clothes around here are a big treat. We get a lot of hand me downs and something new with the tag from the store (not goodwill) is special. We are thankful for all those families that pass on their clothes to us.

Easter is the first holiday that the boys remember celebrating here in America. I remember trying to explain that we put plastic eggs in the yard and they have to hunt for them. Actually, once you explain most of the holidays, they sound really odd. I have a feeling Easter will always be a very special holiday for our family.

Easter was the ending of LENT. We spent the season of Lent sacrificing something very small as a reminder of all the Christ gave for us. We gave up meat as a family (harder than I thought it would be) and I also gave up facebook (actually pretty easy to give up).

trying to get back to blogging

I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging. I have been a very bad blogger lately and with all the kook that has happened to our family blog (peterspeapod), I have been discouraged and not very motivated. But as my kids are growing and this is one of the only ways I have of documenting mile stones and activities and such...I feel like I need to try it again.

So...I will most likely transition my family blog over here since this blog has less problems. I will also be blogging about more than just adoption on this blog since our life is not so ALL adoption consuming. So if I blog about homeschooling or organizing or gardening on this "adoption blog", don't be shocked. =)

We have had a BUSY BUSY BUSY few months around here and even with summer it just hasn't slowed down. We only have about 2 months of summer vacation here so I need to pack as much as I can into our down time.


To keep you up to date...we got a dog a few months ago and our Cooper has been a lot of fun for our family. He is a sweet thing and has recently gotten quite sick. He can hardly eat or drink and seems to be on his last little legs. Poor thing. After a hefty vet bill we brought him home on Saturday and were hopeful that he could bounce back...but...as each day passes he seems to be worse. We are dreading the decisions that will come in the near future. Praying for our furry friend.

Finding Support

I have share many times how important it is to find a group of people to do life with, to support each other, to strengthen one another. A cord of three strands in not easily broken.


We have reached out to other adoptive families to offer and receive support and encouragement. These are families that understand the highs and lows. The struggles and the joys. I try gather this group together every month or so to fellowship and foster connections.

Our group is full of families that have children from all over the world. Ethiopia, Nepal, Korea, Haiti, Domestic, Russia...all precious in His sight.
We had a great time at a friend's family farm for a hay ride and egg hunt for Easter. The kids LOVED coloring the eggs. A highlight for them.

Precious families...all who have grown their family through adoption.

We are blessed with some amazing kids

God's mercy and grace has been showered upon us and we are blessed with amazing children. When I step back and view from a distance, it is evident of what sweet kiddos God has asked us to parent. Our lives are filled with lots of activities and school work and studying God's word together...and we just don't have lots of time to update the blog. But I did want to touch in and say we are still here and doing really well.

The girls are finishing up a great week at summer camp. Tally has done a mission week serving at a local ministry. Tristen and Tyson had a great week at VBS. Tate...well...he is by my side most of the day, but he has gone to his SS class by himself a few times. Tyson lost a tooth just yesterday and he is working on learning to read. We are working on finishing the basement and I am trying to clean and organize this week while I just have 2 kids at home with me. Our beautiful old Elm tree recently fell in a storm and we spent a few weeks cleaning it up. I stained the deck and have painted a few more rooms in the house. Chuck has been busy with a video shoot and seeking God's will for our family. All that to say...I am One Blessed Mama.