We spent the day at a museum yesterday with two other families from our Christian homeschooling group. I originally planned to spend 2 hours there but ended up spending 6 instead. The kids and I were all happily exhausted by the end of the day.It was wonderful for the kids to be able to really take their time exploring the exhibits. Back in April my parents gifted us with a family membership pass. That first visit was so busy and hectic, and we lost two of the kids, even with four pairs of adult eyes watching. I didn't have the courage to try going again until yesterday. What a difference it makes to go during the week while school is in session as opposed to on a busy Saturday. We had many of the exhibits to ourselves. I think the staff there will be on a first name basis with us very soon, as we plan to return often!
Exhausting day yesterday + Sean having to work overtime late last night + Felix up giggling and playing for close to 3 hours in the middle of the night = One Tired Family. So be aware that I'm writing this post with half of my brain going on strike.
Oh, and Paulie also woke up in the middle of the night, calling for me (and waking up Felix again). When I got to his bed, he frantically pointed out the window and cried, "Shoes!!! Shoes!!!" He fell asleep for the night during the drive back from the museum and was fast asleep when I carried him inside yesterday. I took off his shoes and tucked him into bed. He didn't realize that I took his shoes off, so when he woke up in the middle of the night and realized his feet were bare, he thought he had forgotten his beloved shoes at the museum. Luckily he was awake enough to be able to reason, and he calmed right down once I showed him that we have his shoes safely at home.
When we got home last night, I found out that the goal for our "Choose Life" adoption fundraiser/giveaway had not only been met, but exceeded! That was one fantastic way to end a blessed day. Thank you to everyone who participated by sharing and donating, and thank you also to everyone who prayed for its success!
The winner is trying to decide which pregnancy center she wants to pick to be the recipient of the two new car seats, and I'll update as soon as we know.
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| Cute and dainty |
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| Brenton, age 15 |
Please join me in begging God to unite this little boy with his family. You can also help by sharing his story to help get the word out. He will bring so many blessings to a family! What a little sweetheart. If I didn't know he was almost 16, I'd probably guess that he's 4 or 5, maybe 6.
He has a full grant, so the majority of the financial burden of adopting internationally has been removed. As the saying goes, there are no unwanted children--only unfound families!
A little while ago at the kids' dental checkups, Joey was diagnosed with several dental problems that we were told needed to be addressed over the span of 6 separate visits (not including the initial exam), and the cost to us after insurance would be well over $800. Three of our four kiddos so far are predisposed to dental trouble, and Joey is one of them.
I scheduled his first treatment appointment with that pediatric dentist (who came highly recommended), and it was an awfully stressful situation for Joey. And for me. And probably for all the other little kids in the waiting room who heard his loud protests as I literally dragged him to the treatment room. Sedation wouldn't have been any less stressful, because he'd need an IV for that. If there's one thing Joey hates more than dental procedures, it's bodily injections. I couldn't imagine putting him through that another five times.
And thankfully, I don't have to!
- After being told by the staff that for his next appointment, Joey would have no option but to be restrained by the papoose board...
- After being hung up on by the receptionist while rescheduling an appointment for another of our kids...
- After having to wait for 20-30 minutes after each appointment before we were allowed the privilege of paying, checking out and leaving the office...
- After being informed that Joey's treatment required 6 visits and the dentist was unwilling to combine some of those visits even for a child like Joey who gets very stressed out by all things medical...
- After having to drive across town to get to this office...
The appointment was on Tuesday, and we left after the visit feeling so blessed! This dentist is friendly, relates well to the kids, and after the visit we got to check out immediately and leave. Imagine that!
But the part that really blessed us was finding out that some of the invasive procedures the other dentist had prescribed for Joey were not even necessary! One of those procedures involved installing a large dental appliance inside Joey's mouth. Not only would it have cost us monetarily for the visit, but our boy would have had to put up with that thing in his mouth for years. I am so thankful for the crummy experiences we had at the other dentist, because without them I wouldn't have questioned Joey's need for the appliance.
What the first dentist told us needed six visits will now only need one, possibly two visits. And the grand total of everything that needs to be done is $251. Praise God, thank You Jesus!
Felix had a completely happy visit with our new pediatric dentist as well. His eight little nibblers are all in perfect condition, and he was so cooperative that they even managed to give him a full cleaning. Everyone was amazed at how content he was to let them examine and clean his teeth.
We left with a goodie bag for the two boys who had been seen, and in Felix's was a baby toothbrush like I've never seen before. It is the head of a toothbrush attached to a teething ring handle. Such a good idea! And the little guy loves munching on his brush throughout the day, keeping his teeth clean. Genius!
Pope Francis has declared a day of prayer and fasting for the situation in Syria tomorrow, September 7th. I can't fast "for real" since I am still nursing quite a bit. But I plan on fasting in non-edible ways instead.
In addition to that big intention, here are a few more that I can think of:
- In thanksgiving for prayers answered.
- For Kym who is 6 months pregnant and was rushed to the hospital with a hemorrhage.
- For the family in our homeschool group whose husband/father just lost his job in IT.
- For safe journeys for those who are currently traveling.
- For Martha who is recovering from her breast cancer surgery yesterday.
- For T. and M. whose husbands are preparing for extended travel this fall.
- For our family members and yours who are not close to God.
- For Brenton and all the orphans who will be aging out soon.
- For Mr. B. on his 87th birthday tomorrow.
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