Waiting...

I feel like all I am doing is waiting....
Waiting for warmer weather...
Waiting for school to be out...
Waiting for Mark to be laid off from work...
Waiting for meds to work...
Waiting for appointments...
Waiting for teacher contracts...
Waiting for news...
Waiting for vacation...
Waiting to hear from God...
Just waiting...

Did I mention I am not patient?

Tulip Festival

We took the kids to the Woodburn Tulip Festival this year. It was really beautiful. We had no idea what to expect, but we were very impressed. It is amazing to see so many tulips. Enjoy the pictures.

What are You Celebrating?

Ok, I admit it... I am a Disney freak. I found this and I had to share. It is getting close to my birthday (the big 3-0). I would love to celebrate it this way! (hehe). Pause my music player to hear the video. It is worth it. Want one for you? Go to disneyland.com and scroll down on the right hand side. Look for the title that invites you to make a video.

Luke Turns 6

My baby is 6. Hard to believe. He had a great birthday last week. I guess it is the birthday that keeps on going. We had a small party for him at home with just us. I took cupcakes to his classroom on Monday with goody bags. Luke was very adamant about the goody bags. He had a great time. He is still into sports, guns and now skateboards. He is life and love and everything happy. Luke is so smart and doing well learning to read. His handwriting is coming along nicely too. His favorite color is still black and he amazes me with the things he says.

The Car Accident

Well.....it happened.....the kids and I were in a car accident on I-5. I had taken a Friday off work to take Grace to an assessment at the Early Childhood Center and then I was planning to take the kids to the zoo. We had crossed over the 1-5 bridge and were working our way through Delta Park when we were hit by a driver in a dodge ram 2500. The police showed up. The kids were scared and so was I. Luke keeps informing me that if we happen to get in another car accident that I don't need to cry. It has been quite the process of getting things back in order. Once car seats are in an accident they no longer can be used. The seats might be compromised and therefore would not do their job in another accident. The van had the expensive seats in them and it has cost nearly 500 dollars to replace them. Thankfully the insurance paid for them. The van is fixed now and the kids and I are very relieved. We had a small rental car (which we were thankful for) but it was nothing like our van. We are very grateful that no one was hurt (I had minor whiplash) and that God protected us that day.

Grace Turns 4

I know it has been forever since I blogged last, but I am going to try and play catch up with the major events of March for our family (and yes there have been quite a few). Grace started out the month turning 4, even though she promised me she wouldn't :) We had a small celebration on the day because we were having a big party at the end of the month. She had a small cake and a couple of gifts. Grace is quite the character these days. If there is ever anything you need to know about a Disney princess she is the gal for you. She loves them all and talks a lot about going to see 'her' castle at Disneyland. I think her favorite princess is a toss up between Belle and Sleeping Beauty. Her favorite color is still pink and she is growing like a weed. We love you Gracie Girl!!!

Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

I was explaining faith to my almost 6 year old tonight as we said good night and I was reminded of the verse in Hebrews. His response, "what do we not see?" Faith is so necessary in our relationship with God. It is a driving force. So much of what we do requires faith and a belief in the in "unseen".

God has been speaking to our hearts some things that require a lot of faith. At times I think that it might require too much faith. But can a person really have too much faith? And I am reminded of what the bible says about faith in James chapter 2, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." I continue to pray for clarity regarding issues that require large amounts of faith. I know that I never want to come to a place in my life where I no longer give God authority to speak to me about my life.

This year I organized the 30 hour famine for our youth group. It has been a completely life changing experience. I guess I didn't expect it to have the profound impact on my life that it has had. I have been challenged in several different ways especially to examine my selfishness. My eyes have been open to the hurt/death/poverty/disease and famine that is occurring all around the United States. The statistics are staggering. We have been blessed as a nation with so much. I think sometimes we don't stop and appreciate and are truly thankful for what we have been given.

Grace Kylaa Elizabeth

Miss G is the cutest thing. She is spunk and personality plus. She can wrap you around her finger. She has the strongest will. Her favorite color is pink. Her second favorite color is pink. Her favorite princess is a toss up between Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. She is going to be 4 years old next month. We are truly thankful for her. She was the blessing that came a long when we weren't expecting one.

Busy Month

I have kind of been a slacker this month when it comes to my blog. Things have been so crazy busy. At the beginning of the month, I returned to mentoring through the department of children and family services. I was just recently assigned a case so I am anxious to get the case going and meeting with the family. Mark's schedule at work has been horrendous. So, I have had to pick up where he was doing things. The kiddos have done alright with his schedule, but at times I can tell they are very concerned where their daddy is. My work schedule has been nice. Three days on and four days off. Although, I must admit that I have to cram 5 days into 3 so it is a little busy. When I get to work I am "on" until I walk out the door. There is no down time even during lunch. I am almost at full capacity in both my classes. I have 12 in the morning now and 10 in the afternoon. So it is defiantly "busy" to say the least and exhausting. The kids are finally calling me by my name or "teacher Carissa" now instead of "mommy" or "teacher". It has only taken 6 months. I see a lot of progress being made and I am proud of my little brood. I have 7 moving on to kindergarten next year, so that will be sad to see them go at the end of the year, but it means I have to revise 7 more IEP's to account for the new time that they will have in "big school" as we refer to it.

I had the opportunity to help out in Luke's classroom this month. It was fun and "eye opening" to say the least. I wish I would have made it in there sooner, but my job would not afford me that luxury. You can learn so much by just watching. I could tell that he was in the lowest reading group. Which isn't much of a surprise. He also nagged the teacher for nearly constant attention. He is always looking for feedback and reassurance that he is doing a good job. I know that characteristic stems from the 3 moves he had in caregivers in his first year of life. He often becomes anxious or worried about many situations. He requires constant reinforcement from Mark and I. He is growing up too fast. He will be 6 years old next month. Don't blink because before you know it they are BIG!!!!

Children's Program

On Monday Luke is going to the Children's Program over in Portland for a full assessment and evaluation. I have waited a long time for this appointment. The assessment costs $1100.00. Thank goodness for health insurance.

They are going to look at him in the areas of ADD/ADHD, evaluate him for FAS/FAE and look at his microcephaly. I really have no expectations for this appointment and I am really unsure what to expect. I am hoping that they provide information that will be benifical to his educational placement next year. I guess I am just hoping to have a better understanding of him as a learner. We will see. It is another first for me. With Luke it is always a first.

30 Hour Famine

Our youth group is getting ready to participate in the 30 hour famine. This is an international event for young people to raise money to help hungry children. I can remember being in youth group and participating in this event. It is truly a wonderful thing. Do you know that everyday 26,000 children under the age of 5 die from preventable causes like hunger, poverty and disease? That is down 10,000 children from 10 years ago. When Mark and I started doing 30 hour famine for the first time it was 36,000 children dieing each day. World Vision is making a difference. If you want to make a difference you can make a donation to the cause. $1 can feed 1 child for a day. $30 dollars can feed 1 child for a month and $360 dollars can feed 1 child for a year. If you would like to learn more about this cause go to www.30hourfamine.org Check out the video below.

"Let us not love with words and tongue but with actions and truth."