This weekend was the Dream Kids Convention. The first kids convention we have done here in Iowa! What an amazing time we had. The team brought an amazing opportunity to our kids and I am so grateful to have been a part! These pictures are ones I took of Elijah at convention. The ONLY draw back to convention was that we could not afford the cost for all our kiddos to attend. :0(  We decided it would be Elijah because he went to camp this summer and has been talking about convention ever since camp!

An interesting thing happened today.
The mail arrived and I ruffled through it and came across one pink envelope and one blue envelope. Both with hand writting that was foreign to me. I studied both for a moment and realized they were addressed to Jade Jones and Nicolis Jones. and my heart. skipped. a. beat. c/o Angela Albers. with me address. not my po box address but the real deal house address. and tucked in the upper left corner was the name of the kids biological mother.
my heart.
stopped.
beating.
while I pondered for a moment what could be inside and what would I do with it when I found out.
I opened Sam's first. a birthday card with a simple message written on the inside cover. with a promise to write again soon.
then I opened Amaris's. hers not only had the greeting but also an apology and a request for me to explain everything to her.
The first thing I thought was how thankful I am that we have been open and honest (on the level that the kids can understand). We celebrate their adoption. We celebrate the blessing they are. and we Pray for their biological family. daily.
I have allowed these thoughts to dance around in my mind all evening.
do I contact them?
do I ignore it?
do I read the cards to the kids?
do I tell the kids about them but not exactly read them?
do I just save the cards and wait until they are older to tell them?
I am not sure what I will do.
I will continue to pray about it and wait....until I know.

Happy 13 Isaiah!

WOW! Today is a sad day for me. I can not believe Isaiah is 13 today. There is just something about that number that makes me sad. He is not a child anymore, no longer my little boy. Today he is a teenager. I am blessed though.
13 things I love about Isaiah!
1. He is a living walking miracle, and this past year he came to realize and understand exactly what God has done for him. What a precsious moment that was!
2. Isaiah is very creative.
3. Isaiah can build anything with Legos. I look at those crazy instructions and am lucky to fit the first 2 pieces together correctly!
4. He has a compassionate heart.
5. He is an amazing big brother.
6. He has a great sense of humor. He makes me laugh daily!
7. He loves to play jokes on people and 'set traps'.
8. When something tickles him, his laugh comes form his toes. I love to hear him laugh!
9. Isaiah completely enjoys life. He rarely ever complains about anything.
10. Isaiah loves people with his whole heart. No reservation.  If you are his friend you have a friend for life.
11. Isaiah loves chocolate more than any person I have ever met! It is crazy how much he loves chocolate.
12. Isaiah is one of the bravest people I have ever had the honor to know. The tests and things he goes through at the hospital and doctors would break most people. 
13. He is my hero!

Isaiah, you bless my world ans swell my heart daily! I love you so much and I am so very proud of you. I hope you have the best birthday ever!!
Happy happy happy birthday!!!
Love mom!

Yesterday was Labor Day. And it was a day of rare moments. My brother Philip was temporarily transferred to a wind farm in Iowa. So we packed up the kids and my mother and drove 3 hours to Storm Lake Iowa. Philip reserved us rooms to stay over night and took us on a very educational tour of his wind farm. We stayed in a hotel right on the Lake. It was beautiful we walked and walked around down by the shore, climbed on the rocks, played on the play ground and much to the kids delight. There was an indoor/outdoor water park at the hotel. We drove back home today. the kids missed a day of school but it was definitely worth it! all the photos in this post are from the tour of the farm. I will post other fun photos later. Thanks Uncle Cowboy! We had such a great time!!

sorry boys....it was too bright I had to change the colors...

This morning Isaiah and Elijah decided they wanted to design my blog.
SO.......
this is what they chose!

Yesterday I was reading to Zephan the story of Daniel from his little story Bible. Later, after he had run off to terrorize the house I got to thinking about Daniel and God....and me.

Because Daniel chose to honor God, he was thrown into the den full of hungry lions.

Daniel 6:13-14
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day." v.16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den.

Have you ever felt like you were doing everything you were supposed to do. living life as you should. being a light. raising your children to love others and God...yet still your children disobey...or wander away from the faith you raised them with...or bad things happen...does anyone besides me ever feel like...holy cow!! i am doing what i am supposed to ~ why is this happening ~ how did i end up in the lions den?? ~ I have. I do. but the more i think about this story the realization settles in around me...
finally i get it...
I understand what God was up to with Daniel. but more important than that....i understand what He is up to with me!
Daniel 6:19-24
19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions den.20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

I get it! Its not about me at all. its not about how many things i get right or good deeds i do or even how many mistakes i make....it is about God. He alone in ~ all things ~ deserves the honor.
I already knew this...i just didnt really GET it. there is a difference.

If the story had ended with Daniel being set free, then, Daniel would have been the hero of the story, but God gets the glory because He saved and protected Daniel in the darkest scariest time!

Sometimes God allows me to walk through things so that He is the One who shines the brightest, it is difficult for me in the dark to remember this. I know that I want to see God lifted up and magnified in my life. Some times are easier to be discouraged with the situations He uses to do that. I need to remember that “it’s all about Him- not me.” When I remember I can allow Him to work and move. The ending may not always mirror the desires of my heart but they ALWAYS mirror HIS!