Our pastor’s message yesterday was very challenging and I feel it is something everyone deals with at some point in their lives, if not continually for some.

It is the topic of being unequally yoked. I loved the way it was explained and presented and I think you’ll agree…

“Do not be unequally yoked (bound together) with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

The word fellowship means “joint participation toward a common goal”. I’ve always thought of this verse as pertaining to marriage or dating relationships, but in reality it is addressing all relationships; even those with family. For the last several weeks, there has been a real yoke propped up against the stage at church. Yesterday, our pastor gave a great example of what non-believer relationships do to our relationship with Christ. If you and a non-Christian friend are “yoked together”, it is like your head is in the yoke facing north and the non-believer’s head is in the yoke facing south.

Above all, we are called to choose Jesus over every other relationship we have.

At this season in my life, this was not a difficult word to hear. My life is rather sheltered right now as my children are young, we homeschool with other believers, and have many commitments at church that keep us busy. However, there are still times when I have to examine my friendships and determine whether or not they are encouraging me in the direction that I need to be going.

It’s a lot to think about.

Happy Monday!

~audrey

Owen’s 3rd birthday was June 22nd and we had his party on the 19th.

I was flipping through my Family Fun magazine at the beginning of June when I saw a great idea for Toy Story themed cupcakes.  Owen LOVES Toy Story…and Woody, and Buzz, and everything about the movies.  He can watch Toy Story 1 and 2 in one sitting if we let him.   Toy Story 3 was being released in theaters on June 18th, so I decided we’d have a Toy Story themed party on Saturday, have brunch foods mid-morning, and then we could all head over to the theater (about 2 minutes from my house) and watch Toy Story 3!   Everything went exactly as planned and Owen had a wonderful party.  He even invited two of his best buddies (both named Jonathan!), which made it that much more special.  Would you believe we had 21 seats saved in the theater and all eleven or twelve kids (siblings and Bailey babies included) did great during the movie!  I was so pleased.

What are party pictures without pictures of the food?? I made Toy Story cupcakes that looked like the little green alien squeaky toys, fruit kabobs, sausage balls, and the Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls

I just had to include this picture of my dad. He LOVES kids, particularly babies. He had a blast holding Drew and entertaining Susan, who also enjoyed the attention. He’s such a great Grandpa. I know he looks forward to more grandbabies.

Ashley braved bringing all five of her kids by herself because her hubby was busy with school stuff that weekend. The kids had a blas

Nana and Grandpa gave Owen this cute little convertible Toy Story couch.  He had slept with it in his bed every night since his party.

On another note, Owen had his three year well-child check up a few days after his birthday.  His doctor asked about his eating habits.  We’ve always known Owen is rather big for his age, but also know that some of his three and four year old friends are smaller for their age, so that makes Owen look even bigger.  I told the doctor his eating habits are great and Jesse said, “Yeah, Owen will eat anything!”  The doctor smiled and said, “Well, he’s about the size of a healthy four and a half year old!”

The doctor was asking Owen questions about shapes and colors.  He was pointing to colors in a book and asking Owen what they were.  For some reason, Owen struggles with his colors.  Sometimes he gets them 100% and tells you with confidence, other times he looks at you like he’s never seen that color before in his life.  Of course this was one of those days.  Owen kept looking up at me with big eyes, as if to say, Okay, a little help Mom! Owen could tell he was suppose to be giving some answers, so he put a big smile on, looked up at the doctor and said, “I can tell you my presidents!” The doctor laughed and looked at me expecting me to say he was kidding.  I was able to explain our classical home schooling and how the boys learn and memorize all kinds of great material because much of it is put to music, making it simple for even the preschool-age siblings.  Those are the moments that make my heart smile and confirm how much I love educating my children around the same dining room table, under the same roof.

At this rate, the youngest kids in our family should end up being the most well-educated; by default! 

Happy Birthday Owen!   I can’t believe you’re THREE already!  You remain the easiest, most easy going, loving

Where is here; I do not know.

If I can just be honest, I’m in a funk.

Summer is here and is fleeting right before our eyes with little to show for it.  We haven’t had a vacation in two years.  The boys and I spent the first month of summer going to the pool every morning at 10am.

We’d come home around 12:30, have lunch, clean up, put Owen down for a nap, the big boys play games or watch movies while I do laundry, read, and get ready for dinner.  Josh comes home, we eat dinner, go to church for one thing or another, go to sleep, and get up and do the same thing again.  Every. Single. Day.

Since our foster children left on my birthday, May 25th, I’ve been waiting.  Waiting for what’s next.  Waiting for that long awaited call about our girls.  Waiting for another foster placement.  Waiting for whatever it is that God has for us next.

Last week I got tired of the mundane, so I did a week’s worth of lesson plans and told the boys we’d be starting school this week.  Not 100% of our 2010-2011 material, but I’d say we’re at about 80%.  They were actually pretty excited about it.  I think they’ve been bored as well.

Monday was a holiday so we did things differently than I had hoped because Josh was home and the boys had spent the night with my in-laws the night before.  Tuesday was like pulling teeth, only worse.  By this morning, my house was in utter disrepair, there were toys in every room of the house, school books were all over the dining room table, but had not actually been opened, and everyone’s attitudes stunk.

After spending a good hour putting tons of laundry away, I got an idea.

I went to work cleaning the house.  I spent the majority of the time in the boys’ room and the living room.  I picked up toys, sorted them, put them back in their appropriate bins and boxes, laundry in the hamper, shoes in the shoe bucket, trash where it belongs.  When I finished, I took the boys on a tour of these newly cleaned rooms and then I sat them down.  The rest went something like this (in a cool and calm voice):

I’ve had it up to here.  Your attitudes have been horrible, you’ve been ugly to one another, you’ve made messes in every room of the house and whine when it’s time to clean up.  Every day this week you’ve complained when it’s been time to do school work.  You’ve spent entirely too much time playing on the computer, playing your DSs, or watching movies.  Enough is enough.  From this moment on, there will be no TV, no movies, no video games, and no computer until I see one full week of excellence in your school work, your chores, and your attitudes.

Kind of sounds like something Mama Bear would say in a Berenstain Bears book.

Surprisingly, the boys took it quite well.  With straight faces they said Yes, ma’am, and are now playing wildly, but nicely, in their bedroom.  I can smell dinner in the crock pot and know there is yet another load of laundry waiting for me in the dryer.

Tonight is Putt-Putt family night for our church’s children’s ministry and the boys have been counting down all day.  The truth is, I’d really like to tell them we’re not going, give everyone a bath, and put them in bed at 7:00pm, but that would be really mean.  There are several key people out of the office this week so Josh is carrying the load of many men.  As a result, he’s working late whenever possible just to stay on top of things.

Tomorrow is Thursday.  I need to make bread, finish cleaning the house, and I have my annual OB/GYN appointment in the afternoon.  I fully intend to leave plenty early for that appointment so I can sit in the waiting room and read in peace.  I’m half way through Leigh Bortins new book, The Core:  Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education.  It’s been excellent.  The beginning of the book was so inspiring, I decided to write an article on The Decline of America’s Youth.  I’ll give you the link when its published.

Okay, I feel better now that I’ve gotten all of that off my chest.  Time to vacuum and feed the kids before heading out to play miniature golf in the hundred degree Georgia heat.

~audrey

I’m not typically the mom who feels my life forever revolves around my kids’ poop stories, but for today, I’ll wear that hat.

It all started last Sunday when my sister-in-law was helping Owen go to the bathroom. She called Josh into the bathroom when she realized there was blood and a weird yellowish gel-like substance in the toilet. Unfortunately, the toilet was flushed before I was able to see it. However, Owen continued to have poop issues for the rest of the day. He was going at least once an hour and it was very strange. It didn’t have much of a smell and it had a mucous consistency.

**If you are not either a parent or in the medical field, you’re probably gagging at this point and I would suggest you stop HERE!**

The pooping continued through Monday and Josh was up with Owen for most of the night into Tuesday morning. We had to go to Greenwood on Tuesday to see my mom, so we had to stop on the side of the road twice so Owen could poop in the grass…it only takes an hour to get to Greenwood!

By Wednesday, I finally called the doctor. His poop was starting to look like it had tissue in it…not Kleenex tissue, but bodily tissue.

The nurse called me back immediately and sent us to the children’s hospital for tests. They said they were very concerned and to tell the ER that the doctor had sent us. Thankfully, the kid is pooping every 5-10 minutes, so we had no trouble capturing as many “specimen” as the doctors desired. A few hours of going back and forth to the bathroom in the hospital, Owen literally almost fell asleep on the toilet (**GROSS!**). Five hours later, we were told he has a nasty intestinal infection and that he did indeed have blood and tissue from his intestinal wall, in his poop. They had to send the specimen to the lab for culture and we’ll get the results today. If it’s viral, he’ll just have to ride it out and it should pass within a few days…considering this is day FIVE. If it’s bacterial, however, we’ll have to go back to the hospital where he’ll receive IV antibiotics.

He’s still going to the bathroom every 10 minutes or so, but he got about 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night, so that’s progress! I’ll update when we get the lab results.

~audrey

Isn’t it strange how we go through seasons of wanting something SO badly, only to realize it definitely wasn’t what God had planned for you at that particular time in your life?

I have a handful of friends between their late twenties to mid-thirties that are still awaiting husbands. Most of them are content with where they are in life, but a few are somewhat miserable and simply consumed with thoughts of marriage and the future. I’d be lying if I said I was never like that. Not necessarily about getting married, when I was single, but about other things relating to the future.

How many more children will we have?

Will we get another foster placement before our girls arrive?

Should we try to get pregnant again?

Am I filling the right roles at church?

Are my boys getting all that they should from me as their teacher?

Some of these questions are legitimate, but most are just a sign that I really prefer to feel as if I’m in control of my life, rather than freely giving everyday to my heavenly Father.

Our women’s ministry at church is called, “Girlfriends at Grace”. We’ve just begun some ‘special interest’ groups, called “G Groups”, within our women’s ministry and I agreed to lead the book club. It’s called Lit and Lattes. We’re reading Francine Rivers’ new book, “Her Mother’s Hope”. Read it! It’s so good and I’m only half way through it.
Last night was our kick-off meeting, held at my house. The boys went to my parents’ house to spend the night. I was able to devote the entire day to cleaning my house and getting ready for the ladies to come over. I cleaned things I hadn’t even noticed NEEDED cleaning before! I wiped down every single door frame in my house! I couldn’t believe how disgusting they were and how I’d never even noticed before! I cleaned out drawers, cabinets, and used an ENTIRE magic eraser getting pencil, marker, and crayon off of the walls. It was wonderful to have the whole day to get everything accomplished. I’ve needed a day like that for quite some time, and it felt good to wake up to the same clean house this morning. As I sat in the living room with all of those dear women last night, I thanked God for putting me exactly where I belong right now. As I mourned those other foster babies not coming last week, and then congratulated two friends on new pregnancies, I twisted and turned inside as I longed for the Lord to fill my womb, just one more time.
But last night, I looked around and saw such a variety of life in every seat of my living room; two women were retired, one woman has four children: one is married and expecting their first child, the twins are in college, and her youngest is in her final year of high school….at home. What an exciting time! Another young lady had just graduated from high school, will be starting college in the fall, and just got a job at Starbucks. And of course my dear Ashley, sitting on the floor, surrounded by love as the twins scooted and cooed and giggled all over the place, putting smiles on everyone’s faces.
In that very moment, I thanked God that I am freely submitted to whatever He has for me and my family. And in that submission is great freedom, peace, and joy. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know that He has me in the palm of His hand and His promises are for life and prosperity, whatever package it may come in.
It’s hard to believe my children are growing up so fast. It’s been over two years since I’ve held a baby to my breast in the middle of the night. Owen has been out of diapers for over six months now. There are no more sippie cups in my cabinets or dishwasher. I have a FIRST AND SECOND GRADER for goodness sake!! Where does the time go? As I plan for the coming school year and all that it holds, I’m excited about this new season. It could all change tomorrow, with one phone call from the agency. But I will have joy and peace as I walk through the unknown.

~audrey

First off: HAPPY FRIDAY!!

It’s hard to believe this is still the same week.

The same week in which I found out we would not be getting the babies.

I had a foster parent meeting this morning and then I headed over to the church, where somehow, I’ve become the “in-house” wedding florist. I actually REALLY enjoy it. I make the bouquets, arrangements, and boutineers. It’s a lot of fun…and a little stressful. I have to help the bride with her make-up in the morning, which is also stressing me out a little.

Tonight, I have a surprise birthday dinner to go to at PF Chang. I haven’t been there yet, but hear it’s really good. I’m just really excited about spending the evening with girlfriends…we could eat at Chick-fil-A for all I care!

My mother-in-law has my boys right now and will be dropping them back off at the house in the next 30 minutes or so. I really ought to be running around getting as much cleaning done as possible, but instead, here I sit, at the computer. I’m really relaxed because I know it’s the weekend, so I kind of feel glued to this chair. I’m not sure I could get up even if I wanted to.

In case you don’t know me well enough to know how much of a nerd I am in my own quirky little ways, let me tell you this:

I am SO excited for July to get here so I can start using my new homeschool academic planner!!

Have a fabulous weekend!! It is 107 degrees outside in Augusta. Holy.Smokin.Cow.

~audrey

After our exciting bomb shell news last Thursday evening about getting a new foster placement, I spent the entire weekend preparing; washing preemie clothes, getting the cloth diapers back out, changing batteries in the swing and bouncer, making sure all of our laundry was caught up, and just trying to get the house super clean so I can “coast” for the next week or so while we all get adjusted.

The children were originally going to be arriving this evening, sometime after 5:00pm. Then I got a call this morning informing me that I’d need to travel with my supervisor to their county (about three hours away), so I could meet with the NICU nurses and be trained on how to use the breathing monitor for the baby. I got all kinds of new details about the children, the baby, the background, etc. I was really getting excited. Even better, my mom is off on Tuesdays, so she will be able to keep the boys while I go out of town to pick up the children. All of this new stuff was just getting me more and more excited.

Then, all of a sudden, out of no where, my supervisor called me back and said the case manager is suddenly apprehensive about sending the children so far from home because the mom still has to have visitation with them on a weekly basis and it’s going to be a lot of traveling for the preemie. It’s true. So, things were up in the air for a couple of hours until I got another phone call from my supervisor again. This time, with the bad news; they’re not coming. It’s just going to be too much for the baby. He was nine weeks early and is still in the hospital as of today.

Obviously God has other plans, but I sure am disappointed. I could practically smell that newborn baby as I imagined holding his tiny five pound body. And of course I was excited about dressing that little two year old girl in the sweet dresses I’ve already been buying for my girls. I looked forward to ribbons and bows, knowing that God’s timing is perfect and everything would work out according to His plan.

That’s a little harder to swallow now.

~audrey

When our last foster placement left three weeks ago, I informed my supervisor and case worker that we really, REALLY didn’t want any foster children over the age of four in our next placement. I was told it isn’t common to get two or three siblings and one not be older than four, but that they would keep that in mind because none of the other foster parents want babies…too much work. Of course, then we got the call about the girls, but haven’t heard any more on that, so imagine my surprise when I’m at a birthday party this evening and get a call from my supervisor with a new placement!!

It is PERFECT!!!

Three siblings, from another county, so I never have to meet the birth parents and will not have to participate in any sort of visitation between the children and the birth family. But best of all—the ages:

a preemie boy, not even released from the hospital yet!!

a 16 month old boy

and

a 2 year old girl!!!!

I already have clothes for the girl that I’ve been buying for my girls!! I’m hoping I can borrow some preemie clothes from friends and I should have plenty for the 16 month old. They will arrive on Monday!

Please pray for a smooth transition. I have to take a class at MCG on how to care for a preemie. I am so very excited to have a newborn in the house. Pray that the baby doesn’t have any effects from mom’s drug use.

I’ll update soon. Owen’s birthday party is Saturday.

~audrey

You know, like The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

That’s what I feel like! …Except for the fact that I am not actually lying about our girls, it just feels like I’m talking about something that doesn’t exist because this is turning into such a long, communication-starved journey.

The good thing is, my sweet supervisor at our agency put in several calls to some “more important people with a little more pull” toward the end of last week. SOOooo, hopefully, hopefully, HOPEFULLY we’re hear something of some sort SOMETIME this week.

Last week was a whirlwind of pool mornings and late VBS evenings. I started to not feel so well on Thursday of last week and by Friday night I was miserable with a sore throat and a fever half way through the night. Josh had the terrible sore throat as well and my mom called me Saturday morning to inform me that she had tested positive for strep. So, being sick and tired, I sent Josh to the clinic Saturday morning, hoping if he tested positive for strep, they’d give ME a prescription for antibiotics as well since we share germs quite often….you know, being husband and wife and all. I was right. He tested positive and the doc gave us both prescriptions for FREE antibiotics; thank you, Lord, for that program!

My amazing in-laws kept the boys all weekend for us so we could lay around, take our medicine, watch movies, and eat an entire box of popsicles…..undisturbed. I’m serious, I’ve never had strep that bad before. On Saturday, I felt worse than when I had the flu…..it was more like the worst case of the flu on top of the worst sore throat I’d ever had in my life. Anyways, enough whining, I’m all better now.

Last night, after the VBS Family Night Cookout at church, we all piled in our bed and the boys suddenly were all enthralled with Little Women, you know, my favorite movie in the whole world?!? I can’t believe it! Three little boys begging me to remember at what “chapter” we stopped the movie for bedtime prayers, so we could pick back up tomorrow at the same spot.

Yes boys, I’ll remember. We turned it off right when Jo refused Teddy’s proposal and they’re both in the woods by the old fence….I’ll remember.

Joshua even said, Momma, do we have the next one? Meaning, do we have the sequel, I guess? When I told him “No, there is no sequel.” His response was perfect,
What?! How will we know what else happens later in their lives??

Believe me, Joshua, I feel the same way!! I’m hoping their love for the movie will make them want me to read them the book, which surely has many more details about their lives, as books always do.

We just finished lunch and the boys are piled into my bed again, so I’d better go start the movie.

Happy Monday!

~audrey

Cucumber and squash learning to grow “up” together.

The first green pepper.

With the promise of more to come!

Look at this chubby cucumber! Can you see another one growing in the background?

Learning to climb up the trellis as to keep the ground insects away.

The first squash of my entire life. Last year’s squash crop was a complete failure!

The flowers on the squash plants are gorgeous.

The first signs of okra!

Green Bean Forest is looking full and promising. Do you see all of those baby beans in there? I’ve already picked over a dozen. I’m clipping the ends, washing, and freezing them, until I have enough to serve the family.

This has definitely been the best year yet for the Wilkerson’s Garden. I’m really enjoying it.

Happy Wednesday!
…day three of VBS. It’s been a great week so far!

~audrey