Fundraising question

Lately, I've been pondering the question of fundraising.

Mark and I would absolutely love to adopt. Since we married, we've talked about how great it would be if we could afford to adopt not just one, but many children. So what if we can never "afford" it. Does that mean God doesn't want us to adopt or does it mean He just wants us to work harder to make more money so we can adopt, or does it mean we should try some more creative ways to raise money specifically for adoption(as I've seen many other people do)?

I've had some ideas for fundraising, but not sure if it should be pursued or not. Ideas from others welcome!

And just because...a pic of Lucy, July 2010.

The many uses of Aloe Vera

Upon moving to our present house 6 months ago I found a rather large aloe plant growing. I didn't think much about it, only familiar with it's usefulness after a sunburn. But after a little research on the internet I discovered it has many other wonderful, practical uses!

I've been using it on the kids bug bites, to soften the skin of my ever growing belly, to smooth the skin of my face, on my hair, and on Ella's eczema.
I haven't been brave enough to actually ingest it yet, but many claim you can add it to smoothies and it's supposed to be good for digestion.

So, thank you to whoever planted this wonderful aloe vera many years ago!

Contentment

I found this picture of Lucy and I which was taken a few days after we moved to the Big Island, May 2010. So many changes since then! Not only has Lucy changed, but all of the other kids, too.

You know how some people comment about how "sad" it is that their kids are growing up? I've never quite understood that. I mean would they really rather them stay babies forever? I believe there is a rare genetic disorder for that. I enjoy watching our children grow and change and learn. I think it's the heart trying to hold on to this life, trying to ignore the fact that we are all here for only a short while. Thank you Jesus that we aren't here forever!

My current struggle of the mind is contentment. Contentment is a confusing subject for me as a Christian. We are called to yearn for heaven, not to treasure up things here on earth, and YET we are called to be content and thankful while here. Finding that balance has been and probably always will be a difficult object to find.

Em and Lucy 2010

Living in Hawaii

Depending on the day, my response to "How do you like living in Hawaii?" would vary greatly. There are things I love about it, such as the mild, nice weather most of the time, except for the rainy season. I also love being able to leave our windows open year round, and feeling the cool breeze blow through our house. On the other hand, I miss the seasons, and being able to enjoy a nice warm fire. We chose to live in a more rural area so that we could have a decent sized yard, so we drive a lot, and with gas being $4.75/gal it hard on our budget.
It's not paradise, it's still life here in Hawaii. The area where we live has the lowest socio-eco level in the state, and we see the evidence of that everyday in the hitchhikers, the many unemployed, the homeless, and the dilapidated homes. I think many people move here with a dream of an easy life where all you need to do to eat is pick coconuts and mangos, and live in your tent on the beach...think LOST without all of the pretty clean people.
I am thankful that we have been able to live here and will most likely stay for another year or so. I think living here will make me appreciate all of the things that I miss most about living on the mainland.

Let's get real

For the past couple of years, since moving to the Big Island, I've used this blog to post pics and updates of what is happening with our family as we live and grow. I've not included much of what is REALLY going on though if you know what I mean. Yes, we have lots of fun going here and there, but we also have many daily struggles that I do not mention here.
I follow a few blogs myself. I've discovered that I benefit from other bloggers that openly speak about what they are dealing with in this crazy life where we find ourselves. So, I've decided to try and "get real" and not be afraid of sharing on my blog.

So where to begin? I'll begin with today.

Today I had an appt. with my mid-wife at 24 weeks. Everything looks great, baby is growing normally and I'm not gaining too much weight, even though I feel like a fatty.

I'm working nights at the hospital, and I must say it's been a challenge. I'm not a night person, and I love to sleep. Thankfully Mark has been taking the kids on excursions when I need to sleep, so it's been manageable so far. I certainly do not want to do this long term, but for now I'm just thankful I have a job on an OB unit and work with plenty of super nice nurses.

I'm homeschooling St. John for the remainder of the school year. We have good days where he is excited about his assignments and bad days where he complains constantly and drives me mad. Right now his favorite subject is math, probably because I'm not his teacher- www.khanacademy.org is.

Friday's adventure!

Friday's adventure began at the surf shop where Poppy rented a two-man kayak(notice the lovely car decal--which is typical Big Island). After strapping the kayak on top of the van, we headed to one of the many small beaches in the Hilo Bay. While Mimi and Poppy took the kayak out for the first trip, the kids has a blast playing in the sand. When Mimi and Poppy returned I took Ella and Lucy out for a spin in the kayak. Then it was St. John's turn with Poppy. It was so much fun, it made me wish we had a couple of kayaks of our own!