Pickle Jars & Charlie Brown Christmas Trees

As you know, we are in the process of adopting again. Back in September, we began collecting money in a pickle jar (thanks to a trend my friend Amy began on her blog) as our first step of faith knowing that God was calling us to adopt again. It has touched my heart to see our children wanting to help fill that pickle jar! Kade pushed & pushed for me to have a garage sale. Reluctantly, I did, & don't you know we filled that pickle jar enough to pay for our homestudy! The faith of a child is a beautiful thing!! Bless his heart, he turns this house upside down on a regular basis finding loose change. He even finds change on the playground & comes running home with it. Kaya has joined in & when I get change at the store, she immediately says, "In jar!!" And then there was Kaelee...she's my school teacher in training, so I asked her if she would make a sign for the pickle jar. I'm thinking "PICKLE JAR", but she comes marching in with the jar all decked out saying our favorite family slogan, "O'Hana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." Oh, my heart.

So, are you wondering yet what in the world our pickle jar has to do with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree? I'm getting there...hang with me. Saturday, our family headed out for one of this momma's favorite traditions: picking out the Christmas tree. We go to a wonderful local place where we get to go on a wagon ride and enjoy hot chocolate & cookies. Our goal this year was to NOT get a tree that was too tall. Out in that big field, they tend to not look that big, but we always end up getting one that is too tall, which of course is also more expensive. Well, we got out to the field & couldn't decide exactly how tall each tree was. It began to get really, really cold, so we decided to head back to the barn & look at the trees that were already cut & priced. Usually you can find a pretty nice one...they just pre-cut some from some of the fields that only have a few trees left. The kids were so cold that they left us to pick one while they went in to have hot chocolate. Let's just say that my definition of a Charlie Brown tree has nothing really to with size, but everything to do with the fact that it's a tree that no one wants. I'm a rather nostalgic person, & I always remember my grandma having these short, fat Christmas trees that were more round than triangular in shape. Yep, I found a tree that was so fat, no top, & a far cry from my usual "perfect" fir. When the kids came out, they were pretty much, um, horrified! Once it had been shoved through that netting-thingy & strapped to the top of our truck, Kyler did not hesitate to tell me that it looked like a giant turd! Ye of little faith....

Does this look like a turd?

We are praying for our pickle jar to overflow so that we can bring home our little boy. Where some might see the "unwanted" or "the least of these", I see the potential for something that is going to bring beauty & a special twinkle into our family. There you have it: Pickle Jars & Charlie Brown Christmas Trees! :o) Treasures just waiting to be discovered!

Sunday Snapshot: Family

For my Sunday Snapshot, I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures of our family time on Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family!!

My girls: Kaelee, Kaya, Kearsten (aka KiKi) & Kam

I am amazed at how well Kaya & my nephew, Karson, get along. So sweet!

Me & My Pumpkin

Is this not such a sweet picture??

Grandpa (my dad) with Kyler & Kade...what's Thanksgiving without video games & ipods?

KiKi with Grandpa & the Puppies (not our puppies, thank you very much)

My Aunt Jackie & Uncle Gary...so gracious to open their home to our crew!!

Lots of visiting...such good stuff!! My mom is between my grandparents...I feel so blessed to still have them so actively involved in our lives!

Wonderful food, wonderful family, wonderful memories!

My next post: My Version of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree :o)

*

Be Blessed ~ Dardi

The Blind Side

Okay, I am totally not a movie nut, movie critic, or anything of the sorts. Shoot, I can't even tell you the last time I set foot in a movie theater, but last night we splurged & took all 8 of us to see "The Blind Side".

*

IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!

*

Seriously, we (I'm talking ALL of us) were completely engaged in the movie from beginning to end. I had heard it was a great movie, but having some personal experience with the foster care system & big hearts for adoption, I was a little reserved. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but let's face it, most movies I've seen are "fun", but not real. I have to say that I was more than pleased at how they put this movie together...did it show all of the tough stuff? No, but it addressed some of the bigger, obvious struggles that go along with bringing an older child of another race into your home. And it was so AWESOME to see a family that took their "neat & tidy" life & threw it out the window to give & receive blessings so much bigger than any struggles that they faced.

*

I would totally love to have a discussion about the movie, but since not everyone has seen it yet, I don't want to give away too much. There are two things I do want to share, though, that had me BAWLING: First of all, without sharing the details, I was so touched at how they did not make "Big Mike's" mother into a villain, but showed Sandra Bullock*s character actually honoring her & having compassion for her life circumstances. It was really beautiful, in my opinion, & touched me so much because that was one of the biggest life lessons I learned on our journey to Kaya. Second, she was at lunch with friends & one of them made the comment, "You're changing that boy's life". LOVED her response: "No, he's changing mine." Does that not just sum up adoption!?! It's so hard b/c people want to make you out to be some sort of saint or something; I've always wished I could simply, but adequately, put it into words to try to make people understand!

*

In the end, I think the saddest part of the movie was when the lights went on in the theater. I looked around & you could see that people loved the movie (actually, there were applause at the end), but I was sad because I wonder how many people walked out never realizing they could be the lead character in a similar story...........

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I love Thanksgiving! I try to have a thankful heart every day, but it's extra special to have a day to focus on all the good stuff, have an awesome meal full of tradition with extended family & just being together!

*

This Thanksgiving, I am particularly thankful that our adoption is finalized with Kaya.

*

I am thankful that God sees past the limitations I set for myself & uses me in ways I could never have imagined or planned for on my own.

*

I am thankful that He has given me a devoted, faithful husband to share every up & down with.

*

I am thankful that our home is full of children & activity...never a dull moment!!

*

I am thankful that we are on a journey to our beautiful little boy in Ethiopia (which, by the way, our homestudy is getting the finishing touches & our dossier is DONE!!! Woo-Hoo!)

*

I am thankful for this crazy world of technology that has enabled me to develop special friendships with people I haven't even met in person (yet!).

*

I am thankful that my mom makes a kickin' pecan pie that we get to enjoy very soon!

*

Happy Thanksgiving!! Blessings ~ Dardi

Risk, Rain & Blessing

Can I be honest with you? REALLY honest? If not, don't read any further because, well, it's my blog & I'm gonna be as honest as I can be about a couple of things. Why? Because I don't ever want anyone to think my world is perfect, that I even begin to think I have it all figured out or that I'm not downright frustrated and afraid sometimes. Just keepin' it real...

*

So, honestly, LIFE IS DOWNRIGHT HARD SOMETIMES. This has been brewing in my head for a bit, but right now it seems to break down like this:

*

RISK

*

I just happened upon this...I'm sorry, I don't know who wrote it, but it was too relevant not to share:

*

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,

But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.

Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

*

*

RAIN

*

By playing it safe, by not taking risks, maybe we can avoid suffering or sorrow (the rain)...for a time. But at what cost?

*

BLESSING

*

Blessings come in all shapes, sizes & forms. I have come to understand that blessing does NOT equal piece of cake with whip cream & a cherry on top. My interpretation has evolved over time, & will probably continue to evolve, but for now I believe that blessings come with different degrees of responsibility and moments of sheer joy & pain mixed in.

*

*

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ~James 1:2-4, 12

*

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. ~Romans 5:3-4

*

I praise God because He gives us the opportunity to live out loud for HIM...not this world's idea of "living" (the "me" thing), but, as our associate pastor so eloquently put it last Sunday, He has commissioned us to live differently so that we can "liberate the imaginations of others that there is a different way". Our lives seem to have stepped completely out of the box into territory that we could not have imagined years ago: Our hearts have been broken for the fatherless, and we are in the process of adopting our 2nd child, which means we will have 7 children--not exactly "normal"; Joe is beginning work on his 2nd book and continues to be invited to speak, teach & encourage others on how to work with wounded children. We are flying above the radar like a big ol' jumbo jet, and while we are thankful, it also gets hard sometimes. When you put yourself out there with your convictions, which don't seem to look like the "American Dream", you are left open to criticism, judgment & spiritual attack. But for us, the blessing of this life that we have been called to far outweighs the risk & the rain...we choose to live...

*

Lord, we want to live for Your kingdom, not the kingdom of this world. Help us to confidently & courageously take risks, knowing that life gets hard, that the rain will come, but also KNOWING that we have been called & that You are bigger than any of the "tough stuff". We ask for encouragement so that we may continue to walk in the blessings You desire for us. We claim this day the freedom that comes with taking risks ~ In Jesus' Name, Amen

Sunday Snapshot

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLER!!!

Today, Kyler is 14 Years Old, so he gets to be the focus of my "Sunday Snapshot"!

Kyler, I am so proud to say that you are my son! Your sense of humor, constant laughter & compassion for others (especially children) makes me smile. We love you beyond words... this family would not be the same without you!! Happy 14th birthday, Kyler-man!!

Thankful Thursday

One of the many things I am thankful for is my husband. I am thankful that he loves the Lord, he loves & encourages me, he is a good daddy & that we are walking this road of faith together. It is good to have someone by your side that knows you, dreams with you, & it doesn't hurt that the man can cook, too!

*

Happy Thursday! ~Dardi