School Days!!

Allee and Jadon started back to school last week (5th and 1st) and it has been a great start this year! Allee was a bit nervous about a week before school started and was just loving summer and didn't want it to end! I was sad about that because it just seemed out of character and she has always been so exuberant and joyful about school. I guess it is a lot harder now that she is getting older!

Anyways, about five days before it started, we took a walk to the mailbox and what was there but a letter from her teacher, Mrs. Elliot! Mrs. Elliot had planned to retire from teaching last year and Allee had been sad because she was really looking forward to having her. Well, Mrs. Elliot wrote that she felt that the Lord was calling her back for another year and that she was so excited about what He was going to this year. It was just a great moment, and somehow, the words that this sweet, godly woman wrote, just turned Allee's entire perspective and suddenly she was excited about school! We are just thanking the Lord for such wonderful teachers at this school who are there to serve and glorify Him by teaching, equipping, and inspiring the students. I just can't say how thankful we are for Mrs. Elliot and expect her to be one of those teachers that you just never forget! Then we went to orientation and found that there is a new little girl in Allee's class - that is exciting as well because not many new students transfer in by 5th grade. Allee told me that she imagined that the girl was both excited and nervous and that she could understand because she was in her shoes just a year ago. She said that she hoped to help her feel comfortable - I just love her kind heart!

Jadon is also off to a great start with school - we had known who his teacher was for a long time. She goes to our church and is another amazing woman whom we have heard is one of those you never forget as well! We are just so excited to be going into a year where our children have been placed with teachers who understand and support the journey our family is on and the challenges that may cause this year and who are ready to support our children through this process. We could not have handpicked more perfect teachers for them this year but of course we didn't have to!! Jadon is already loving first grade (can he really be that old?!?) and will learn so much this year. He looks SO big in his uniform!

We are just unbelievably grateful for The Master's School. I have posted about it before, but I have just never seen a school like it before. Some really neat things are happenning in the life of the school right now and we finally have a permanent location (that we will move to in a few weeks - for now we are in a church that is sharing their space with us). Despite the fact that it was not ready on time due to some unforseen setbacks, the Lord provided and pulled together many people within the community, including the city council and the mayor, and as a result, the Lord is being glorified as so many people are watching how He has provided and how the leadership has responded to some difficult issues with grace and faith. It has been awesome to watch!

Poor, Sad, Neglected Blog..

Much apology to those of you who have been waiting for an update here... We have been busy with the other blog and have kinda forgotten this one. It is soon to be updated!! And if you don't have the other address - leave me a comment and I will email it to you. For varying reasons we didn't want to link this one to the other but would love to share it with you.

More coming soon!

Almost Home...Please Pray

And update on my sister and her adoption of Bennet~

Ashley and Jason (and my parents) left the country on August 2nd to travel to Ethiopia to bring home 18 mos old Bennet Toufiq. They found out just as they were leaving that the immigration paperwork from USCIS had a mistake about the age of the child that they are adopting. It was off by a few months. As a result, it had to be corrected at the San Antonio CIS office and then sent to NH and then to Ethiopia. This saga began August 1st and it is STILL not corrected by San Antonio CIS. There is a Senator involved but still no results. We do not understand - this is a really simple typo that just needs to be redone but no one seems to grasp the urgency of the situation.

So, Bennet cannot be issued his visa to come home. Ashley and my parents are (as I type this) flying home and will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Jason stayed in Ethiopia to take care of Bennet and wait for the visa. This is difficult for all involved because Bennet bonded almost immediately to Ashley but to noone else. Ashley can't stay b/c all flight are booked and there is a better chance of only one adult getting a flight out on standby. And they didn't feel comfortable for many reasons with Ash being the one to stay. Soooo, Jason is alone now in Ethiopia with Bennet, hoping to come home next Tuesday if this paperwork is resolved by then. If not it could be another six days.

PRAY

for a sense of urgency for all those responsible for the paperwork

for Jason during this time - that God uses it for good to bond him and Bennet

for Ashley as she is heartbroken at leaving her new son who has already faced so much loss in his life

for Ashley and my mom as they both just came down with a stomach bug and are on a 16 hour flight

One last note - it will be a sweet reunion between Ella and her Mommy tomorrow!! Ella has been nothing but a delight to have but the last day or two she has REALLY been missing her mommy. I think it has been pretty crazy for her here with the arrival of Nastya and Katya. Going from usually being an only child to one of SIX is hard on a little girl!!

Pancake Mix-Up!!

We have had Ella - my three year old niece - for the past week and will have her until Wednesday. Her parents (and my parents too) are in Ethiopia adopting her baby brother! So we stayed at my parents' house to help take care of the pets there and to just enjoy the fun swimming pool and all there is to do outdoors there. It was a mini-vacation for us even though I'm a bit jealous I can't be in Ethiopia!!! But we have had wonderful, fun-filled days and enjoyed Ella so much.

Well the first morning the kids asked Zach to make pancakes because it is kind of a tradition that my dad always makes pancakes for them when we are at his house. So Zach began mixing the batter, heated the pan, and proceeded to pour the first pancake in to cook. It was a little on the runny side so he thought "add more flour"...That didn't help and they began to get more runny, so he added a bit more with the same result. He was so confused but at least the kids were talking about how yummy they were. They were saying things like, "These are even sweeter than Puddy's". That was the first clue! He finally tasted them and realized that he had added powdered sugar instead of flour! It is quite deceiving in these glass jars!

"E" for Effort Zach!! And the kids approved!

Catching Up!!

I have gotten way behind on blogging - if you've read the other blog you know why!!! But we have had such a wonderful summer. It has been fun and relaxing and full of memories. I wanted to try to catch a few on here before I forget!!

Fourth of July at the Wimberley Rodeo!!!

Allee and Jadon did their first calf scramble - it was so much fun!!! They came close but didn't quite get a calf - maybe next year!

It wouldn't be complete without fireworks at the end!!

We stayed at the river house that weekend and Jason, Zach, Jadon, and Ben made spears from tree limbs and went on the craziest adventure trying to spear fish down the river. They even saw a water moccasin - they were careful though. A true male-bonding experience...

The boys are practicing fishing with their spears. Jadon was too cute - intensely focused on spearing a fish and SO sure that he could do it. They did catch some but not with spears :)

Solomon just hanging out!!! This is my parents' New Foundland puppy!!!
Zach was hard at work doing a little mowing!! A little later in July we celebrated the first birthday of our sweet niece and nephew twins! How cute are they!!! We love you Luke and Emma!
And no fun summer would be complete without a little animal torture (oh, I mean dress-up)... Seriously the kitten looked good in the dress though - she may have even liked it :)

Wonderful News!!!

I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!!!

Words cannot begin to describe how excited we all are. I remember when they first decided to adopt from Ethiopia - I couldn't wait. But wait we all have - it's been about a year and half since they began the process but God's timing is perfect, and this is the time He has chosen to bring this baby home! My sister and her husband FINALLY are officially the parents of an amazing baby boy and are getting ready to travel to Africa and bring him home. Go see his gorgeous pics on their blog! It has been so awesome to watch their faith and perseverance on this journey and I can't wait to see him united with his parents and to meet him myself. We are all so excited that God has chosen to place this child into our family. We love you already Bennet Toufiq!

Two New Additions!

What could be cuter than KITTENS?!?

Schedules, Scripture, Charts, and Children...

Well I wish I could say that we are incredibly consistent with ALL the things above, but I must confess it is up and down. At least the children are here all the time!! We will have seasons of being in healthy routines, choosing to do the first things first (like purposefully teaching our kids God's Word and really training them in non-confrontational times - not just putting out fires, etc) and then we will have seasons where it seems that not as many issues are presenting themselves, and then we will have seasons where we are just totally off track. Survival only seasons. How do I let things get to that point? Something will happen - maybe a busy season like Christmas, maybe a vacation, maybe stuff like moving and house remodelling, or sometimes I'll just get lazy... None of these are excuses, by the way, just the misguided reasons that I (key word) allow to take precedence over what is most important!

And then things hit the fan - bad attitudes are common, first time obedience is not! And of course these times coincide with times when I am not only being lazy about training my precious children but also when I am not seeking the Lord by spending regular time in the Word and praying like I need. Why such ups and downs? Why is it that I cannot just realize once - "Wow - life is much harder when I am not allowing myself to be filled with the Holy Spirit each day, when I am not being renewed by the truth and power of His Word on a regular basis."? No, I seem to have to relearn this lesson many times over!!! I can do nothing apart from Him!
John 15:5
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing"
I know this, I believe this - but yet I do not always act on this truth. Lord, thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and that Your grace is never failing.

So after being painfully aware of the fact that we needed a fresh start - again - well first I made a plan for myself to spend regular time in the word and began reading back through a Sally Clarkson book, MomWalk. I made a basic daily schedule with chores, pulled back out the training charts that we use from time to time, made a plan to work through an awesome devotion book that has been very valuable for us, Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson, and made little verse books with construction paper folded and stapled for each child. So now everyone is doing their chores, exciting about getting stars on their charts, knows what to expect each day, and learning scripture that is a far better teacher than I could ever be!

It has been fun too! And so amazing to see an almost overnight change in their behavior. It is like they were just bored and confused over what was expected. I was feeling much the same and everybody was grumping and arguing. This led into more criticism on my part for their behavior which of course did NOT result in a great desire from them to obey me!

Anyways, I am so thankful that God is gracious to me and that He is teaching me that when I fail I don't have to stay there and I don't have to beat myself up. I just have to call out to Him and seek His grace and mercy and power in my life. And I pray that I am more consistent - even (or especially) with the busy, exciting times we have just around the corner - moving AND adopting!

So, just wondering - what works for your family? What things that have helped you stay consistent and do the things you intend to do? I would love any insights you have in this area! Just click on comments below.

Out of the Box...Or Maybe In It

Well, I was in the process of putting together this great video with music and everything...it was so funny. In my mind it was a work of art. BUT, when I got to the adding music part it wouldn't work and then I saved the project to work on later. Well, when I reopened it, it was all messed up... So, a few pictures and descriptions will have to do!



As I already said - the Potts are moving. Not right away but fairly soon. Here's the deal. For really our entire marriage, we have dreamed of raising our children in the country where we could work together outdoors, raise animals, ride horses, and just enjoy nature...Some of you know we bought a few acres in College Station before realizing that God had different plans! We were sad to leave that land have been incredibly thankful that God did not allow us to build on it, because now it is so clear that this is where He intended us to be. So...to make a long story short, we looked and looked for land that was close by the New Braunfels/San Marcos area and affordable and enough land to do what we wanted. Oh, and it had to have nice trees and good dirt too.





It turned out that what we were looking for happened to be in the backyard! Well, not ours - my parents! My parents live on about 80 acres and have offered us about 8 acres on one end for quite awhile. We knew it would be a permanent decision and if you know us, we don't make decisions quickly - but after much prayer, lots of talks and various events, we realized that this was just where we needed to be. Some have wondered why we didn't realize why we didn't figure this out sooner :) We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to live so close by our family and to have a gorgeous piece of land to build on, with even more land next door that we are able to enjoy with those we love dearly. At first it seemed a little bizarre - I mean my sister ives on the other end, my parents in the middle and now us too. Like a commune, right! :)





But you know what? We love these people and we enjoy the 'village effort' of living life together. We love the interactions and the way that we help each other's families and feel very blessed to have a family that we are so close to that we truly will love being next door neighbors!





So, that brings me to the next part of the news - the video clip (which was going to be put to the tune of Green Acres :) ) I was making was of last Monday when our house moved in. It had such great footage, with my very favorite cowboy :)

That's right we are moving...

From This...

To This!

The plan is to live in the mobile for a little while and then build our home in a year or so. The beauty of this plan is:

*We have an amazing view (pics soon)
*We will save LOTS of money for awhile
*We can move the home to one of Zach's properties after we are done living in it and actually make a small profit rather than losing years of rent money while we build
*SIMPLICITY (in more ways than I can begin to list for soooo many reasons)


It may be a little cramped, especially with very possibly soon being a family of SEVEN, but hey, great bonding times!!! And would you believe that it actually is about 2000 sq feet - that is really pretty big.

So, we are very excited and wanted to share!

Song Choice

Okay, I have been trying to think of the perfect song to describe a big change that is about to occur in our lives and after many possibilites:

Heartland by George Strait
Gone Country by Alan Jackson (I think)
Green Acres
and well, I'l have to leave off the last one until later -

okay I'm having waaaay too much fun with this - but then it is my blog so I can :)

But I decided on the one you are currently listening to

Where the Green Grass Grows by Tim McGraw

Okay so maybe some of you have guessed what the Potts are up to....

WE'RE MOVING!!! TO THE COUNTRY!!!

I will update with details very soon...