Coming home...

Coming home should never be a surprise anymore, we now do not take a second thought when we are told another room is taken and another bed is filed. New family additions are a constant occurrence wether it be a dirty child or a fury animal, with this said I should not have been surprised but I was. When I walked in the blue doors of my home I was greeted by not one new dog but two!


Welcome to the family Betsy & Zelda! =D

breakfast and an early morning

This morning I was woken up at the crack of dawn to screaming children getting ready for school. Though most days I would be completely upset, today however I was not. Maybe it was the rays of sunshine streaming in through my window, or the the smiling faces of the ones I love greeting me back into reality, or possibly it was the freshly brewed coffee my little sister made me sitting on my nightstand filling the room with its delicious aroma. Whatever the case my be though this morning was an early morning it was a good one none the less. I have decided that today will be a good day.



"A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked."
~Anais Nin

baseball the new family affair

Tonight was Joshua's first baseball game, so the family pilled in the big van and drove to the field. When I got there the game had just begun and Josh was out in center field with his knees bent and glove ready for action. There were only a couple times when the ball was hit in his direction, but the excitement happened when Josh stepped up to the plate. As he made the short walk from the dugout to home we had everyone looking in our direction and Joshua grinning from ear to ear. Even from the bleachers I could see the joy on Joshua's face knowing that his family was there to cheer him on. He stepped up to the plate and we all quieted to keep his concentration, the first ball was pitched Josh swung and missed and the second one went with the same result. Knowing his chances were limited we began to cheer even more hoping this would boost his confidence. Finally the third ball was pitched, Josh swung the bat with direct contact hitting the ball line drive down third base, it was a double! Cheers erupted from our side of the bleachers, I'm convinced they could hear us a mile away.

As Josh took his stance at second base he couldn't help but look at the family and smile, and I couldn't help but to feel amazingly proud. I looked at the people surrounding me and I was amazed how blessed I was. The moment felt so perfect it was as though I was in a movie... but even better than that is was real life. I have an amazing family and today I was reminded of how great they truly are.

the hike of life

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The other day I decided to get the kids out of the house and give my mom a break, so the kids loaded up into the big van and I drove them down to Mt Rubidoux. The adventure started in the van, Jonah of course was the instigator of the kids crying and I knew from the beginning this was going to be a great idea! We made it to the mountain with only a few hits and cries and began our hike. Before being a third of the way to the top the fighting began. One kid would hit another who would retaliate and hit someone else who would come to me crying. I had bikers, runners, moms with strollers and anything in between staring at me with a look saying I was crazy for getting myself into this mess.

Like always though there were the fights, there were also the laughs and smiles. There were moments when we would stop to take pictures and look at the scenery. It was amazing to see God's glory not only in his nature but also in the lives that were surrounding me. This walk reminded me why my family does what we do. That like the hike in life there are going to be problems that occur and tears that are shed, but there is a destination to be met and memories to be made. Life is hard but that makes it worth living. I am reminded that because of the hard times the good times are much sweeter and the faces of these saved children continually remind me that.

We are hiking the mountain of life and though it is difficult I wouldn't change a second of it.

Jonah

Jonah is, well he's just Jonah. There is really no words to describe him. He is like no one else in the world. We met Jo when we would go visit Luke at the handicap home they both lived in before living with us. Jonah was about 2 years old and already had a story to tell. He was like most kids born in the system, addicted to drugs. On top of that his mother was homeless which ment she was not given the right prenatal care as well as she was an alcoholic. And so when she had Jonah she didn't want the burden and left him as an orphan in the hospital.

Over the years Jonah has had many open hear surgeries in which he died 3 times, he underwent anal surgery and must be given an enema every other night, he is on 4 different medications to make him somewhat bearable and he has to attend a special school. To say the least Jonah is the most difficult child in our home.

It's sad to think that if his mom would have just stopped drinking and doing drugs for 9 months he would be a normal boy living a normal life. That Jonah wouldn't be as angry and he would be a regular boy playing t-ball like the other kids hi age. Though Jonah is so difficult my hear is still full of unconditional love for him. Looking at his action and his life I am reminded that I am like Jonah. I am a sinful human just like him, but yet Christ loves me the same, and I am in love with him more.

Though I don't know why Jo was brought to our home or why he wasn't taken to be with the king one of those times he died I do know he has a bigger purpose. It seems that the hard times are over powering the easy ones now a days but it is a comfort to know that we are not the ones in control. And that fact along with love is enough to keep us going.

love and good byes

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.

~Kahlil Gibran

owl of love

I opened my phone the other day to find a surprise text from my mother. Now those of you who know my mom know she is electronic illiterate. So when I opened the text to find that Gabby, my 9 year old sister was texting me, I was not surprised. My text read "krista it's gabby are you coming home today because i have a surprise for you". When I texted back asking what it was thinking this was some kind of corny joke my mom was playing on me Gabby replied "its a surprise you will see when you come ohm". I was still a little optimistic about the whole thing but because I was in need of laundry I decided to make the trip up the hill.

When I entered the house like always I was greeted by a swarm of children. I counted and each one was there to give me a hug... all but Gabby. I noticed when she realized it was me she ran to her room to get me my surprise! Seeing her walk out with the smile on her face I couldn't help but smile myself. She gave me my present which was a small owl neckless that looks like it will break at any moment, but now it is the most treasured piece of jewelry I own. I once had an owl neckless that I loved but when I went home for Christmas the children broke it. Gabby knew this so when she went to the store with my mom and saw this neckless hanging on the rack she picked it up, took it to the register, pulled out her wallet with change that she collected from the tooth fairy and purchased my newest accessory.

Through this small gesture I am reminded how little acts in life can make a persons day. Tonight I wore my new neckless and as it was hanging around my neck I thought of my sister and how loved I am. I always think about the impossibility of ever loving these kids more because my love is so great, but day by day they prove me wrong. Tonight I love them more than I did yesterday and tomorrow I am sure my love will be changed again.