I Homeschool...and I Don't Own a Denim Jumper!

I've been wanting for a while to do a post on homeschooling. I wanted to "chew on it" a little bit before I posted. A good friend and I were chatting the other day about how much tension this subject can cause between Christians...not so much between non-believers...but boy can Christ followers debate this topic until we are blue in the face. Why is that? I think fault can lie on both sides. Parents on one side tend to assume that all parents who choose to homeschool are trying to "shelter" their children too much and say homeschool children need to be socialized. On the other hand, parents who homeschool tend to suggest that parents who choose school outside the home aren't discipling their children well and are somehow less "spiritual." Thus, the tension.

The truth is...we should all be grateful to the Lord that we live in a place and time where we have the freedom to choose, as the ones who know our child the best, what is best for him or her. This is a gift! Children are not robots...they are unique little people with individual needs, struggles, fears, gifts and abilities. Who are any of us to say what is best for "all" children? I sure wish we could spend the energy we use trying to prove our point to love, encourage and support one another as we all seek to raise up a generation who follows Christ.

In order to "shine some light" from the homeschool side...I thought I would share some of the reasons that Gene and I have decided, at this time, to school Eden at home. Notice I said "at this time," because we are most definitely taking it year by year. One of the first reasons we chose to homeschool was because Eden was "ready" to begin structured kindergarten at age 4. I wanted to take advantage of her desire to learn and so we began kindergarten with her last year. We kind of saw this as a trial year, to see how we all did.

Another reason is because we love the flexibility homeschooling gives our family. Because Gene works in full-time ministry, our weekend is Friday and Saturday. He rarely works an 8-5 day, and homeschooling affords us the flexibility to adjust our school days when we need to so we can have family time. Also, we can vacation any time of the year.

Next, at this young age, the school day is shorter. This is great for our mornings, and our evenings at home together. We start school around 9:00 and are finished by 2:00 (including break and lunchtime). With no homework, this leaves plenty of time to play, run errands, and go to gymnastics, and still have dinner together at the table most nights. It's also wonderful not to have to wake up so early.

Perhaps the biggest reason I desire to homeschool right now is that honestly, I am just not ready to send Eden out of the house for 8 hours each day at age 5. This is such a fun age; and I truly enjoy being with her, teaching her, playing with her. There are challenges...and I do think there are pros and cons to both homeschool and out of home school. Either way, you are gaining and giving up...it just comes down to what is most valuable to your family, and for the good of your family. The pros to keeping Eden home is the influence I have on what she learns. I can adjust lessons to what she needs, enjoys and what she needs to work on. I can choose her curriculum. I can decide what "education" looks like for her. I do not have to worry about our values and the truth of Scripture being undermined or questioned by what another adult tells her. The cons are that because she is an only child, she rarely has to sit quietly, or take turns, or let someone else answer. Thankfully, through team gymnastics and church, she is with groups of children throughout the week...but it still isn't the same as a classroom environment and I realize this. I am constantly thinking of ways to help her practice self-discipline.

Another huge advantage for us has to do with Eden's self-image. Recently, she has really begun to understand and internalize the comments and questions we get regarding her adoption and her cleft lip. Rarely do we get intentionally mean comments, but some well-meaning comments are still insensitive and hurtful to her, and to me. Because she is home with me, most of these situations happen when I am there to talk her through it. I can explain that people aren't being mean, they are just curious. I can talk her through her feelings, and how to respond with kindness, yet still stick up for herself. If she were away at school, I don't even know how many of these comments, feelings and frustrations I would even hear about, much less be able to support her through. It tears my heart to pieces to think of Eden being made fun of because of her birth defect. I know it will happen, and I cannot stop it or protect her from it. However, I can use this time to teach her the truth of who she is in Christ so that when she is teased, her foundation is firm.

We also have a long road of doctor's appointments, surgery and other procedures to walk through both with Eden and our future child. It helps to be able to take school on the road, and in the waiting room :0)

I also think that homeschooling has a lot to do with the parents. God changed my heart and gave me the desire to homeschool before I ever started. I've heard many people say they were "called" to homeschool. That wasn't my experience. I just believe that God gave me the choice. I am a homemaker and so I have the time. The closer Eden got to school age, the more I desired to teach her and disciple her. I prayed about it, but I never felt God say, "It is My will for you to homeschool." I just saw the value in it for our family and decided to give it a try. Once we began, I started to see how being at home is good for Eden right now. We have a great school system...and I know Eden would be fine there. But I think for now, home is what is best for her.

So, in light of all of this, I thought it might be neat to give you a glimpse into our school day. First, here is a picture of our school room...it is also our play room and our guest room :0)

Choosing curriculum was overwhelming for me at first. There is so much out there! This year we are doing first grade. We are using Abeka for phonics, language, reading and writing; Right Start Math; & My Father's World for Bible and science. We also have organized time for art and music.

Our schedule each day goes something like this:

9:00 Calendar, worship, Scripture memory & Bible & prayer

(We are learning hymns, & memorizing verses from Proverbs this year)

(During worship we sing, dance, whatever)

(We have a prayer binder for school that includes the names and pictures of our national, state and local leaders)

(Our Bible curriculum this year is a timeline of the entire Bible)

9:45 Phonics

(This includes a phonics lesson, workbook pages, spelling, and reading practice)

10:45 Break (games)

11:15 Writing lesson & workbook practice

(we are learning cursive this year, and also practicing manuscript)

11:45 Math

12:15 Lunch

1:00 Science and/or Art

1:30 Reading time

2:00 Finish any seatwork

In closing, I am not super mom. Do I get tired? Yes! Do I sometimes wish I had time to myself? Yes! Do I get impatient and frustrated with her? Yes! Do I second-guess my decision? Yes! Do I love having her home? Yes! Do I enjoy teaching her? Yes! Eden has become quite familiar with the term "alone time." I am becoming more familiar with the word "no." Sacrifices, even of good things, have to be made in order to make this work for our family. At the end of the day, Gene and I agree that this is where the Lord has led us for this time.

So, for all you homeschool moms out there...I admire you. And for all you moms who send your children to school away from home...I admire you. Both require an enormous amount of faith and sacrifice, don't they? In the end, our children all belong to the Lord...and our desire should be to glorify Him with all that we are...and to raise our children to do the same.

Oh...and did I mention...our home study is finally done for the adoption!!! We are now starting the Citizenship and Immigration paperwork. One step closer...praise the Lord!

Our First Cast

Well...it's been a hectic 2 weeks around here. We were supposed to be on family vacation to the beach this week...but we cancelled our trip because sweet Eden fractured her arm doing gymnastics in the front yard. Thankfully, it is a minor "buckle" fracture in the radius at the elbow and hopefully we will only be in the cast for 3 weeks.

Daddy went ahead and took off work so we could spend some time "stay-cationing" here. We are still getting our home school in, and then playing in the afternoons. We are heading to the Atlanta Aquarium tomorrow...and then up to Ellijay for some fresh apple picking on Friday...with a stop at the outlets to shoe shop on the way home.

Eden has been a trooper with the cast. Here are some pictures of the color she chose...and a hilarious video about the "Don't Listen to Boys Club" she appears to be forming...this child is a riot. I'll be back soon with a home schooling post!

All better now :0)

This is how she REALLY feels about this ordeal!

Summer Catch Up

Well, it's been a while. Our adoption is finally moving more quickly so I am going to try and keep the blog up-to-date so you guys can follow our journey and pray for us and our little one across the globe. We are so, so excited to see what God has planned for our family!

Eden is completely healed and doing wonderfully after her cleft surgery back in the spring. We had a good summer with lots of time at the pool, play dates with friends, and gymnastics. Eden is now on the Level 2 competitive team, so she goes 2 days a week for 2 hours each time. Therefore, we have stopped ballet so that we don't overload with activities at the ripe ole age of 5! Since moving up to team, I'm seeing a lot of this around the house:

We finished up our first year of home schooling in June and all in all it was a good year. We definitely learned a lot and I have much more confidence this year! We started our 1st grade year on August 1st. One thing I learned last year is that neither one of us was worth a toot after the weather got pretty outside...so we are hoping to plug through and be done in early May. Technically Eden is K-5 age, but she did so well with our Kindergarten curriculum last year we went ahead and started 1st grade. I will do a separate post soon on our school day...I always love seeing and hearing what other home school moms/kids do!

One sad event we are going through is the loss of this sweet girlie...

We put our sweet Maggie to sleep 2 weeks ago...and life is not the same without her. Even though I know she is "just a dog," to us she was part of our family. Maggie has been with me longer than both Gene and Eden. She was 12 1/2 and her arthritis was beginning to cause her to suffer, and I couldn't stand that. She was truly the best dog in the world...such a companion with the sweetest, most gentle spirit about her. She was the first one that Eden hugged and kissed of her own will. When Eden was scared at night when she was younger she would often say, "Can Maggie sleep in here?" And Maggie would faithfully sleep right beside her bed. We will miss her!

Miss Eden is growing up too fast! This picture pretty much sums up her personality these days:

To say she's a mess is an understatement! She is funny, sweet, smart, loving, and sassy, just to name a few. I know she is going to be a great big sister. We have started a weekly allowance with her for daily chores. She is learning to be diligent in helping and is growing in responsibility. More and more lately I see her chores getting done without having to remind her. She makes her daddy and I so proud!

We are a couple of weeks away from being completely done with our home study for the adoption. Medical exams are done, shot records collected, marriage and birth certificates turned in, educational reading done, etc., etc., etc. We will have one final meeting with our social worker and then will be ready to begin working on the Citizen and Immigration paperwork for our dossier.

Can't wait to see what the upcoming months hold for us. Whatever happens, we know that the Lord is faithful, and He is the Father to the fatherless. Love you all!

Home from the Hospital...AGAIN!

My sweet brave girl had to go back in the hospital on Sunday. We are home and fine, now...but we had a little scare. On Friday Eden broke out and started itching intensely. I assumed it was a reaction to the pain medicine from her surgery so I immediately discontinued it and started her on Benadryl. Over the next 24 hours it worsened. By then her skin looked like she had a sunburn all over and she was leaving scabs from scratching. Needless to say, she was miserable...while only 3 days post-op from a 5-hour plastic surgery. After trying some Zyrtec with no improvement I called the Children's after-hours number from our post-op instructions (this was Sunday morning).

The plastics resident on-call told me to take her to our local ER (remember, we had surgery in B'ham but live in Atlanta). Long story short, the dr. in the ER said it could be an allergy, but looked just as much like an infection (she was running fever by this point with an elevated heart rate.) They took some blood and hooked her up to an IV to give fluids and antibiotics while she took photos with her phone and sent them to B'ham. The B'ham folks said they couldn't tell from the photos so would have to see her in person. The ER dr. didn't feel comfortable releasing us...so Eden and I ended up being medically transported to Birmingham to the Children's ER. The ER docs there agreed it could be infection or reaction to meds...not sure. Plastics cleared her surgical site so we were turned over to pediatric medicine and admitted.

We spent 2 nights for observation and IV meds. We still don't really know for sure what it was. But I'm thankful they were extra careful. So, we are back home, again. The photo above is Eden being strapped to the stretcher (in her car seat) for the ambulance ride.

She was such a trooper, but cried many tears because she just wanted to go home. We hope this is the end of our saga. Her lip/nose is healing great and we are so grateful for that. It could have been so much worse. I'll continue to keep you posted on our progress.

Love you all!

Surgery Went Great

Hey everyone. So sorry it has taken me so long to update you all. Hopefully most of you followed our progress on facebook. We don't have a laptop so I didn't have access to a computer to update the blog...I hadn't thought of that before we left.

So, we are back home in Atlanta and Eden is recovering well. We arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday and went to the Children's Hospital for a Child Life tour that afternoon. Roxanna was wonderful and this did so much to help ease Eden's anxiousness. They took us around and showed us pre-surgery, every step of pre-op procedure (vitals, gown, etc.). They showed us recovery where she would wake up and what her bed/room would look like where we would spend the night. It was well worth the time. They even gave her a mask to take home and "practice" breathing to go to sleep.

Our surgery was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and they took us right back to the pre-op waiting room. Eden did great but I KNEW the minute they tried to get her to do anything (change clothes, etc.) she would fall apart so I requested some "silly juice" to relax her. Boy did it work! They gave it to her 10 minutes before they took her. It took me a while to get her to drink it...she was scared, bless her heart. I finally got it down her and it took effect quickly. Sweet Roxanna from child life came and went back with Eden, so she had a familiar face. They took her back at exactly noon, and the surgery lasted until 5:00...it was a LONG day!

Everything went well. Unfortunately, Dr. Grant said he wasn't able to do some of the nose work he had intended to so we will have another minor surgery for that. Not sure when that will be but I'm guessing it will be a same-day procedure. The most dramatic change to her appearance is that she now has a visible top lip. He reattached some muscles and pulled them up so that her top lip was lifted. It is still swollen a lot, but I can tell it is going to look great. One surprise...he closed the holes that were in the base of her nose. This will prevent food and air escape from the fistulas (holes) in the roof of her mouth from her gum line cleft. I didn't know he was going to do this and she noticed it almost immediately after she woke up. "Mommy, are my holes gone after the surgery?"

We spent one night in the hospital and were released late morning on Thursday. We drove halfway home and stayed at my mom's for one night and then came on home. I found her doing a back bend yesterday so needless to say, she is feeling fine. She has had minimal pain. The biggest bother to her are all of the stitches inside her nose, which make her feel like she needs to blow constantly. Also, she is still pretty self-conscious about how she looks and gets upset when she looks in the mirror. "Mommy, I don't like my stitches." Pray for us as we navigate this.

We have an order for no aggressive physical activity until our post-op visit 3 weeks from now. Otherwise, we can do as much as she feels like doing.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. I will keep you updated. Have a great weekend!

Eden's Surgery

Oh my goodness...it's been SO long since I posted and so much has been going on. I am home schooling Eden this year (K-5) and keeping precious, 17-month-old twin girls each day in my home. On top of that I continue to lead a Wednesday morning Bible study of Romans each week at my church. Needless to say, we are busy, busy around here. I love it, though.

All that to say, sorry I've slacked in the blogging world. I do miss you all! Real quick, let me update you on our adoption process, and then I'll get to the reason for this post - sweet Eden's upcoming surgery.

We are trucking along with our home study. We have done all of our meetings with the social worker and turned in most of our paperwork. We still need to do our medical exams and online training & reading that is required. We are also waiting on fingerprint clearances which we are told is taking 3 months in AL...so we will work on our reading/training while we await that. So nothing major to report, but each check off the long list of requirements brings us one day/step closer to our child. Please continue to pray for us as we trust God to provide the resources we need to complete this adoption.

The pressing issue on my heart right now is Eden. She is having surgery for her cleft this Wednesday March 30th. It isn't a "major" surgery...it's plastic surgery to revise her scar and do some minor nose and lip work. However, it feels major to her, and to us. Of course we know the Lord is in control and trust Him with her life and her well-being.

My concern is as much for the emotional aspect as the physical. It is becoming more difficult as she gets older to shepherd her through her questions and concerns about her appearance. I knew this would happen, I cannot say that I expected it at 5 years old. She is already comparing herself to other white, blonde-headed little girls. Why do we do this to ourselves, ladies??? Why??? I know it's "normal" but my heart just longs for her to know and believe that she is beautiful exactly the way God made her, inside and out. I know this must be how God feels about all of us that He created, chose and loves.

A couple of weeks ago we were in the car and out of the blue she said, "Mommy, I don't want to invite anyone to my 6th birthday party. I just want you and a daddy there." Now, her birthday is in December so I thought it odd for her to be thinking that far ahead. "Why not," I asked her. "I'm afraid someone will ask me what's wrong with my lip." I wanted to pull over, bury my head in my hands, and weep. After a little probing, I think she didn't understand that she wouldn't have stitches forever...at least that's what I hope it was.

I shared this with Dr. Grant's assistant and she suggested we utilize the Child Life services at the hospital. So, we are scheduled to go Tuesday to meet with them and have a tour. Eden is excited about this. Please pray this helps alleviate some of her anxiety.

As I was praying for her, the Lord reminded me that I can use these questions, insecurities and fears to point her to Him. He called to my mind all the verses and truths we have memorized and talked about this school year. It was as if He said to me, "Now Keri, show her how to believe and practice what are now just words she has memorized." My prayer is that she will know God, not just know "about" God...and she cannot know Him without hardship and trials. So as much as I want to shelter her from all pain, and fear, and cruelty...it is better to allow her to learn that God is bigger than all of that. He is with her.

So, please pray not only for her safety in surgery. Please pray that God would cause the seeds of truth we are planting in her life to take root and grow. And pray that Gene and I would shepherd her wisely through this long road ahead of surgeries and self-image issues.

And I cannot close without remembering that there are millions of children with both physical and emotional needs sitting in orphanages, foster homes, the streets, or even brothels all over the world with no one to tell them how special they are...how much God loves them. Please pray for these children as you pray for Eden...and I will do the same. They matter. They are important. We must not ignore them.

I will update the blog and facebook with details throughout the coming weeks as she goes into surgery and through her recovery. Thanks for your prayers!

The Story Behind the Song

I recently downloaded the new album by Matthew West. Along with the album, I got short videos that tell the stories behind each song. This is the story behind the song, "One Less," which is about a couple who adopted a little girl. It's a GREAT SONG...and this video is so touching. Enjoy...and make sure to scroll down and pause my music player so you can hear what he's saying.

Ornament Fundraiser Update

Hello to all who read here. I hope your new year is starting off great. We are snowed/iced in this week at our house, and enjoying the coziness of it since our power didn't go out. I have to start this post with a huge WAR EAGLE...since my alma mater won the National Championship Monday night. I know it's just a game and all, but I must admit I almost had a heart attack watching that crazy football game! I was so glad when it was over!

Now, on to more important things...our adoption process. I am downright giddy, I must say. My heart is full of hope and joy at the thought of beginning the process to bring another child into our family from China. I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who lives in China and is spending some time in an orphanage there and her heart-wrenching details of what she experienced brought me to tears and confirmed to Gene and I that God is leading us to China once again.

We did a fundraiser over Christmas called Ornaments for Adoption. I am so thrilled to report that we cleared $1,100.00 for our adoption fund from this fundraiser. I cannot begin to express the gratitude we feel for those of you who supported us by purchasing ornaments, or just making donations. We are humbled and excited.

We have a new Georgia social worker since we changed countries. I had a great introduction call with him today and we set our first home study meeting for next Tuesday. I cannot wait! Many people have asked if we have to re-do everything since this is our 2nd adoption from China. The answer is yes, essentially we do. There are a few aspects of the home study that we won't have to do again, but all of the paperwork, fingerprints, medical exams, etc. do have to be done from scratch.

We are pursuing a special needs adoption. From what we've been told, the total process from now should take between 12-15 months. But, as we know, there is no set rules with adoption. We will just have to trust the Lord and His timing. It took us 22 months for the entire process with Eden. As it stands now, we do not have the money we need to complete this adoption. The Lord has already provided an in-home babysitting job for me to help us save what we need. We will continue to fundraise throughout the next year, and apply for grants, and be as wise with the money the Lord provides as we can...and we will trust.

I learned from our first adoption that the process is a two-way street. Only God can do it, but He wants our participation. And it is good for us to go without, isn't it? It reminds us daily of the one we are sacrificing for...that he/she is real and is waiting. Listen, no normal person has the money to adopt, ok? Let's just get that out there. Most people who adopt have either sacrificed to save, or take out a loan, or fundraise...but in all cases, it is the Lord who provides what is needed.

So, today I am filled with anticipation and excitement. I have a fresh calendar and my first appointment is set. I have my calculator, pencil, paper, giant adoption binder and Bible ready for what this year holds...whatever that might be. Whether this time next year we have a picture of our future child, or we are stuck in the process, or something has gone wrong, one thing I know...God's ways are right. So, I trust in Him!

My Girl is 5!

I cannot believe Eden is 5 years old! Time is moving too fast. These days are so precious and I don't want to miss a thing. What a treasure she is! In honor of her birthday (it was 12/27), I thought I would post a picture of her from each year and list 5 things that I love about her.

Year One...no picture of her birthday...she was still in China.

1. I love that she gets as excited about the cards people make/give her as she does about the gifts that come with them.

Year Two - We celebrated at our house with an E-I-E-I-O party.


2. I love that she is constantly making and giving me gifts like beaded necklaces, pictures she draws, and various "treasures" she finds and wraps up.

Year Three - We celebrated with a gymnastics party.


3. I love that she is very musical and artistic.

Year 4 - We had a family party at the bowling alley...this is a picture from the morning.


4. I love how she uses her imagination in creative play.

Year 5 - Santa came to her Rudolph-themed party.


5. I love her loving and compassionate heart.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Eden Hope. My prayer is that the Lord would continue to draw you to His heart in the coming year and that you would grow in love and respect for Him.