Billy's First Time To Vote~November 6, 2012

Getting registered to vote for the first time.

 

Here is Billy with his completed ballot.

And posing outside with his "I Voted" sticker on his vest.

Volcanos & Halloween~October 31, 2012

Oops!  I forgot to make an entry about my hoodlums on Halloween.  I already posted pictures of Caleb, Steven and James in their costumes a few days ago.  Billy dressed up as a Boise State Bronco fan, Scheri as a Hansen Huskey basketball player, and Teresa was a rock band member.  I was stationed down at the church for the annual Trunk or Treat so it was already dark when I saw the older girls so their pictures didn't turn out.  But at least I can include Princess Abby and Boise Bronco Billy.  Shhhhh!  Don't tell!  We never did get around to carving pumpkins this year--and so far none of my kids have complained about it.

Princess Abby and The Great Pumpkin

Billy

Caleb went through the Trunk or Treat line of cars about 5 times I think before actually going door to door with Scheri.

Scheri

Also on Sunday evening October 27, Abby and I baked chocolate cakes to use as the base for her school volcano project.  She and I practiced mixing the baking soda and vinegar to watch the chemical reaction.  We ended up having to make a paper cone top on our volcano because the BBQ sauce bottle we were using for the funnel was too tall for our cake.

The little bottle is holding the 1/4 cup of vinegar to be added during class time.

Orphan Sunday in Retrospect~Nov 5, 2012

Report on Orphan Sunday: 

We had an amazingly good seminar on Saturday using the "If You Were Mine" DVD's. It was attended by 4 family units actually interested in learning more about adoption. If you are from a big church or big city maybe "4" sounds small but for us it is HUGELY exciting. These people blessed me enormously just by attending. I think we all left with full tummies, crammed heads, tired bum-bums and a desire to investigate the adoption option further. Interestingly enough in this relatively small group, there were folks interested in foster care adoption, domestic adoption, as well as international adoption! One lady left promising to look at the Reece's Rainbow site--especially interested in babies with Down syndrome.

During Sunday worship we showed the informational video regarding the "If You Were Mine" series! I had set up a big table in the foyer with rice/prayer folders for Orphan's table; the brochure "Ten Things Every Christian Can Do for the Orphan;" Christmas catalogs from World Vision and Samaritan's Purse; Prayer Guide: "40 Days of Prayer;" a few foster care DVD's from last year's event. Finally, I had made a poster of the ways the Assemblies of God is officially involved in orphan care and printed off 25 copies of the survey put out from the Assemblies of God regarding foster care (for people who don't have internet access.) I got all the rice handed out, as well as a few catalogs and brochures. But I think I was only able to give out ONE paper copy of the foster care survey (though I did hand out a few copies of the on-line link)--and that was to my Daddy. No, wait, I did give out one other copy to the lady who told me she didn't think people should be going to other countries to adopt but should adopt the children right here in the States. I told her, "Then THIS is for you--it is talking about foster care of our kids right here in the States."

So I guess the bottom line is: we've come a long way but we still have a long ways to go.