Our Little Golden Book Stories Of The Week~

Life here is never, ever dull :) Thought I'd share a little story from each of the little girls that has happened this week. We will go in chronological order from oldest littlest to youngest littlest. (not to exclude Julie who is first youngest:)) Wrap your brain around that logic:)

First, we have Miss Leni. Like we have mentioned before, this angel has had the most to overcome in her short little life. We have dealt with many medical, and mystery issues as well as Sensory Integration Issues.....all of which we have valiantly conquered/or are mastering. It's been alot of work and here is the payoff. Two months ago, this child couldn't even recognize a letter of the alphabet ...mostly because we had never sat and formally tried. These last two months we've been working very hard academically with her and decided to teach her as aggressively as we did Jason and Julie....not having any idea how she would respond. Take a look for yourself. She's now completely writing her name on her own with no prompting or cues from Mom...AND can do an entire phonics lesson on her own without a cue. (not that we do this everyday...she just did it on her own when I had to leave the room for a moment). Math is extremely easy for her as well. Who knew? When she came in to show me her paper you see in the pic....the mom sat down here and cried. She's completely at grade level and even ahead in some areas! God knew just what this little girl needed and in His kindness and mercy....we were able to provide it. This is a HUGE milestone for us!! Party!!!! We are sooooo proud of her!!!!

Second, we have Miss Kristin a.k.a. Pickle. Her story is a little different. Pickle is very precocious. Make that very, very, very. :) Last Thursday, the mommy wasn't feeling all that well. I called my friend M and said...do you want to go to the park? We agreed to meet at a certain time that morning....well,I proceeded to get many phone calls, interruptions, etc. so I was hurrying quite a bit to get out the door. This is also our Cade day, so we had extra child to bring too...along with a quick picnic to make. (realize...there was NO food in our house as this was unplanned picnic....I almost had to bring dry rice to crunch on :) We made do without the rice)Pickle got herself dressed and didn't look all that bad at the time. Pink shirt...denim shorts that were way too big cuz P has gotten really skinny. Then she put these white socks on and pulled them up over her knees and put on her hot pink mary jane style sneakers. Add the Daniel Boone coonskin hat w/raccoon tail hanging over bushy-unbrushed-blonde-curls and she was ready to go. At this point Julie came downstairs (I was on the phone) and announced that P looked like Eloise (from the children's book series-Eloise at the Plaza). So now we will refer to P as Eloise. I made her push her socks down....and we went to the park. Now...here's the funny part. We get there...with our 4 kids....M is waiting with her 3 + a guest child. The 8 of them set about playing and M and I were talking. All of a sudden Eloise who is a ways away from us, pulls something out of her pocket. It's a roll of Scotch tape she had stashed in there. Why? Who knows..Doesn't everyone bring their favorite brand of tape to the park when they go? Don't you think it's a perfectly wonderful park toy?.....BUT then...Eloise proceeds to WRAP the trunk of a giant oak tree (remember the white socks and Daniel Boone hat still in place) with Scotch tape! M is asking what Eloise is doing...to which I reply..."I've never seen that child in my life!!" I was caught between laughing and being pretty darn embarrassed. THEN Eloise gets an audience. Other park kids came to watch Daniel Boone's tree-wrapping party. They actually stood there and watched. I still don't know what possessed the 4 yr. old to wrap an oak tree with an entire roll of scotch tape that day, dressed like Daniel Boone meets Wal-Mart.... ...because I turned and walked away. Couldn't take it. Too mortified. Too tired. When the tape ran out....she went on to something else. There are no pictures..because I didn't want anyone to know who's child that was :) Just ask my friend M...she'll verify all this. So the picture you see is of Eloise later that day...when she came clump- clumping down the stairs in Julie's old pointe shoes. How cute is that? Very....we love her. She makes us laugh.

Story 3 is Miss Katie Mei. In the last week and a half.....she has cut her own hair. Twice. You will see her in the pic with her friend Lauren. This is the famous park day from above. I can't remember if this picture is before or after she was going down the slide with Lauren... when Katie turned and chomped down on Lauren's finger and wouldn't let go. Yes...Katie bites. She bit Leni on the way home. Hard! I actually (confession) turned it in to a phonics lesson because B was the letter of the week. B-B-Bite!! Katie You May Not Bite!! B-B-Bite! Leni! Did you hear the word that begins with B?! Sorry she bit you Leni! B-B-B! THEN yesterday (see pic) our little Asian angel decided to draw a portrait on our lovely living room wall. Can you tell we are 2?? So you see.....it doesn't matter what country you were born in....kids will do what kids do....all around the world there are biters, scribblers, cutters, and "NO!!" shouters. (Lauren...we are so very sorry!! Hope your sweet finger is better!)

And there is just another couple of days at our house. We're very blessed don't you think?!

A Sobering Moment

Two days ago, my husband called and said you need to look at this. Invisible Children is a non-profit, non-religious based effort to bring education, aid and awareness of child-soldier abductions in Uganda. Children as young as 8 are kidnapped by the "army" to fight in the 20 yr. war this country has faced. Once kidnapped, they are used as spies, given weapons, used as forced labor... among other things. Many flee their homes at night ...in the dark...on foot to avoid being taken hostage. Watch the movie trailers for a great overview as well as current press releases to keep track of the battle this country faces for it's children. Pray for the country of Uganda and all of Africa. Another site I recommend is Shared Hope which is another non-profit dedicated to the war on global sex trafficking and women's rights. Began by a former Senator, this particular site gives UN stats, as well as an excellent overview of how widespread abuse, prostitution, and slavery of women and children really is. (it is a G-rated site). I did observe however on this and other sites visited, that much of Asia remains in the dark as far as help being given by the west. Please pray that in countries of known trafficking (much of Asia would be in that window) that God would prepare the hearts of those who would lay down their lives to serve these suffering children in the dark, dark corners of the world where there is little hope. Children here as young as 5 are being sold into prostitution and slavery by their own families in return for food. (another site is Save the Children) As Christians we have the privledge of not only serving God in all we do....but gladly, willingly...with sobering thought and prayer...participating with our savior in intercession for the weak of this world. Please continue with your own research on these and other related topics. I know in my own limited time constraints that I've barely scratched the surface.

Do you ever wonder...why us? Why have we been given so much...and others so little? That's a question that can only be answered by the Almighty God...but those who are given much have much to give in return. I'm humbled daily that the savior picked these children now in our house, out of depravity and darkness...to be set apart for Him. Millions still lie in wait. Millions still suffer. Pray. Pray for the God of the Harvest to bring help and hope to those daily bearing the marks of abuse, suffering, and malnutrition.

"Father, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.
Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret hidden peril,
Father, hear us for our children.
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them,
Father, hear us for our children.
From the worldling's hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Father, Father, keep our children.
Through life's troubled waters steer them,
Through life's bitter battle cheer them,
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.
And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide."

Amy Charmichael-The Gold Cord

The pic above is Katie and her nephew Cade at the park yesterday. They are doing so well together these days! This is without a doubt my new favorite picture!!

We Gave Birth!

Scare you?! ...Jason, Mel and Cade gave Leni a real-live-catepillar for her birthday. His name is/was....Furry. We fed Furry. We fed Furry alot. Furry ate many, many milkweed leaves. Furry got very big and fat. Then Furry made a really odd coccoon. We weren't sure that Furry wasn't d-e-a-d Furry because cocoon was strange and he stayed in there a very long time. Parents worry. It's their job. Anyway...Sunday morning came and Furry wasn't Furry anymore!! We now had a HUGE Swallowtail butterfly! We let him go after church to many cheers and hurrahs! Another chapter in the VanLue Homeschool Chronicles is complete. Parents are just grateful for another successful mission in the Leni-loves-all-animals-and-can't-stand-to-see-anything-die-stage. If you look close you can see the very lovely and attractive haircut Katie is wearing. She's into DIY. (do it yourself:)) Pickle has been incredibly silent (for her) and obedient lately! Gotta love that!

Is Your World Spinning?

Do you ever feel like you're on the teacups at Disney and can't get off? Our life has been somewhat like that these last few weeks, as have those of some of our friends. One friends father passed away, one has a mother that two months ago was fine....today she is racked with pain..unable to move because of cancer. Another friend is herself fighting her own war on cancer. One is pregnant with her 4th child and not feeling well. Another faces a list of circumstances of which the outcome is uncertain. We're making many changes in our own lives and our children's that will certainly effect the future. The list goes on....It's stressful.
Last Saturday morning my own perspective was also changed a bit. I was heating water in our microwave, went to get it out and the bowl dissentigrated in my hands. Boiling water poured out over both of my hands. After a giant "yelp!" because I didn't want to scare the girls...I found myself with some pretty serious burns...and pain. (the great doctor was not at home). I've experienced "little" burns before from a curling iron, or iron....but this was different and the level of pain was certainly different. Air hurt. Water hurt. Scott was encouraged that I felt pain (like 100's of stabbing needles.....no other way to describe it) but Lordy Be.....it hurt. It also affected my ability to use my hands normally which needless to say, had a huge impact on daily life this past week. It gave me a new regard for those with some type of handicap in which their normal mobility is affected. I'm moving towards fine now (skin is growing back...ewww!).....glad to use the inconvenience as a chance to learn...another opportunity to be grateful that it wasn't worse...and learn to honor God through trial.

Scripture says our lives will be marked by trials and tribulations of all kinds. I've been reading the story of Moses to the girls and how God continually provided....not all at once...but with "manna for the day' as the grumbling, complaining Israelites wandered in the desert. People mumbled, grumbled about their conditions...yet God still provided. Little by little they made it to the promised land, in Gods way, in God's time. Little did they know they were fulfilling a miraculous plan of redemption that would be preserved in scripture..... that we would be reading thousands of years later! Today, as I read this, I am held in holy fear at how serious God took their unbelief and groanings. Do we trust Him as Lord over our lives or not?! When illness, circumstances press in, causing us to complain and be moved to fear...what's our response?

I pray that this blesses you, in whatever circumstances you find yourself. This served me this week in my attempts to prayerfully give all to God.
"But indeed, through it all God does make known to us wonderful resources of His Mercy. He does help us, beyond all that we can ask or think, by the kindness and gentleness that He teaches others to show us, and by the Light that changes the look of all things, and by the uplifting power of His Grace, and by showing us our task in life, and by setting us to help and think for others: so in all these ways He bears us on from day to day. And it is just from day to day that we have to hold on: not looking into or puzzling about the further distances of this life, but doing our best each day, with each day's task and each day's duty, trusting God to give us the strength and light which for each day we need.--Frances Paget"

" So we cannot fear for the future, however uncertain the prospect may be, or however apparently unsafe. 'He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing' is a sustaining word in times of faintheartedness. Tomorrow's sea is as uncharted as was yesterday's. It is sufficient that we carry a compass [the Bible]." Amy Carmichael-The Gold Cord

Have a great week! "God's work done in God's way, will never lack God's supplies" Hudson Taylor--

I Would Gather Children...

I found this yesterday and although simply put....it conveys part of the reason we choose to do what we do!

Some would gather money

along the path of life,

Some would gather roses,

And rest from worldly strife.

But I would gather children

From among the thorns of sin...

I would seek a golden curl,

And a freckled toothless grin.

For money cannot enter

In that land of endless day,

And roses that are gathered,

Soon wilt along the way.

But oh, the laughing children

As I cross the sunset sea,

And the gates swing wide to heaven...

I can take them in with me!

(author unknown)

P.S. I'm going to be doing a FAQ post soon....so feel free to email us (the address at upper right) with any questions such as adoption, how we started, why, where, daily life.......etc. You will remain anonymous:)

Our Day Down on the Farm! We Promise No Animals Were Harmed Or Mamed In the Making Of this Production! (well..that we know of)...

Saturday, Daddy surprised the girls again by coming in during breakfast with their friend Alexis! He was taking us all to Green Meadows Farm for a day of animals and pumpkin picking! This was not a shy group! No fear in any of these girls! Katie had never done anything like this before, and had an absolute blast holding, chasing, riding, all the farm had to offer. The pics are self-explanatory....we had a wonderful day...thanks again to our amazing Daddy who never tires of little girl giggles and sillies! He was a brave man taking a 2, 4, 6, and 7 yr. old for the day, even with the Mommy along!!

P.S. Just to let it be known...we may have "flustered" a few of the animals (ok, not may have...did!)....but all were still alive upon our departure! :) Ahhhh....success!!( What I didn't post were the pics of the animals being held by their necks, tails, and other body parts. :) What happened at the farm, stayed at the farm:))

Find of the Day-Part 2! Dad's Pic of the Week!

"Should I kiss it?! Maybe it will turn into a handsome prince?!".......Dad took the girls out for their favorite ice cream the other night.....Dirt Sundaes. MMMM! Vanilla ice cream with crushed oreos (dirt) and a giant gummy worm. That's what Leni's wearing on her face! Anyway, this frog hopped on up to our table and our resident animal lover....Leni ....picked that thing up and plopped it on top of the trash can...right in front of another family. (I thought they were going to jump out of their skin....or throw up. They absolutely did not know what to think. Their little girl looked like she bathed 3x a day:) Not a hair out of place:) We're not like that here!!:) AND we're used to Leni's attraction to animals of all kinds:)) Anyway, hello frog...bye-bye ice cream...in true Leni fashion. Scott grabbed his phone and snapped HIS favorite pic of the week. Not a bad pic downloaded from a phone!

P.S. Nothing, I mean nothing, can startle me after 5 kids:) In China...they would sell frogs just like this in mesh bags,(oh maybe, 8-10 per bag) alive, on the street, to cook up in a nice dish.......Like I said....nothing fazes us now! Riiiibbbiittt! (She wanted to bring the frog to Colin and Taylor!)

Find of the Day!

Found this at the store yesterday and thought it looked remarkably like someone who lives in our house! What do you think?!

P.S. Couldn't find a Chinese scarecrow, or an Italian one.:) Theirs don't look much like them :(

Caught! With Evidence in Hand!

Yes, those are sissors. Yes, in the other hand there is hair. Today, while I was schooling Leni, Katie drew all over her hands, feet AND shirt with marker. Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I thought "ok, I can handle that". THEN I turned my back for a nanosecond .....turned around and she had cut her hair! Does she look guilty or what? Can you tell where hair is missing?

• Four girls


• One boy


• All four girls have cut their own hair


• Not boy


• Boy wins this one...congratulations Jason...consider yourself honored!

Beating the Body Into Submission! :)

There was an interesting discussion on GirlTalk this week about.....eating. This can be a delicate subject however I wanted to address what God has been doing in our lives in this area. Titus 1:11 says, " For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Every January Scott and I re-read a book by Gordon McDonald called, "Ordering Your Private World". The premise of the book is that you cannot be/ or give away what has not been developed, disciplined, and nutured in your 'private world' (that which no one sees but God). The scripture is clear that all things should be brought under the disclipine of the Holy Spirit. For me I was deeply convicted a couple of years ago about eating, and why I ate, what I ate, and when. I clearly was undisciplined in this area and felt the overwhelming need to change and bring this area under God's order for my life. God made us in his likeness...therefore he cares about our bodies and how we use/misuse them. Scott and I believe that the second half of our lives can be MORE productive than the first...How? Take the wisdom gained from the first half of your life, combine it with stewardship over all areas.....and you have individuals God can use that are strong, fit, and hopefully full of Godly wisdom only gotten by experience thru the ups and downs of life.

Another book that has changed my/our life is Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. This life is but a vapor. I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste a minute of it on worldly passions.....for me....a lack of discipline with food was a HUGE issue. After sharing with Scott, he agreed, and felt convicted himself. We aren't concerned about the world's view of weight loss. We aren't interested in the newest trends, fads, or plastic surgery. I'm not interested in fitting into "that pair of jeans" that everyone wants. We are both in our mid-forties and want to spend the rest of our lives "running with a passion" for all that Christ has called us to. In order to do that, not only do our private worlds need to be in order, but what's in private is reflected externally. .....how you conduct yourself, your speech, dress, etc. , including your attitudes towards food. 1 Cor. 9:24 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control IN ALL THINGS. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly: I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

I always made sure that I had every excuse possible for "being allowed" to eat what I wanted. I was stressed, I had a new baby, I didn't eat lunch....etc. I also felt like if I was organized and disciplined in other areas, that this wouldn't matter. Boy was I wrong. So........this past summer Scott and I said "game on". No more excuses! He lost 30 (yes, he did.....30 lbs.) I have lost 20. How did we do it? First, it was a conviction of sin....to discipline ourselves for the right reasons so that we are ready to fight the good fight as long as God has us on this earth. You can't do that if you're undisciplined and slothful. (Please, please hear that I'm preaching to myself here....these were/are our issues.......!! I'm not thinking of anyone here at all!! This is what God has taken us through these last few months:)) Second, we did Scott's weight management program , combined with lots of hard work and exercise. And we know this isn't available everywhere. This is simply what we did. AND the goal for us was not simply weight loss so we would "look thin". We want to be healthy and strong in mind, body and spirit so that we function at a level God can use, in a way that is honoring of the body and mind that he gave us.....so we CAN be obedient to all He calls us to. I have to be creative with my exercise schedule. I try to do it everyday, in some way, shape or form. I used to be a mid-long distance runner when the older kids were little, so back to running I went....except not as intense as before because my schedule/kids won't allow. The key here is doing "something" to keep yourself active and moving. Here is a couple of pics of how we "creatively" are beating our bodies into submission with the kids in tow. This way, everyone goes.....I have an I-Pod with speaker playing kids worship and the new Paul Baloche CD so the girls go biking/running with mom and dad and sing the whole way. We load em up with snacks and many times Scott runs while I pull (75+) lbs. behind the bike. (Hey, we make it 5-6 miles like this:) People laugh at us as they pass by, but so what?:))Sometimes we both run.....sometimes the girls ride their bikes and we chase them. For us, flexibility yet maintaining the drive to do something everyday has been the key. It's working. We feel great, our minds are clear, we have more energy than ever, we're staying strong...building muscle in order to work more efficiently, and we're ready for whatever God has for us in the coming years! Do we struggle still? Uh, easy answer....Yes! We're human and this is a daily battle. But I'm willing to fight because I am not my own. I was "bought with a price" and want to in my days here, be a willing vessel....not a self-indulgent one. I pray this doesn't sound self-righteous or that we have it all together. We don't. This is simply taking a spiritual issue, and practically walking it out in our daily life. This is what it has looked like for us recently. Our private worlds needed an "adjustment". I appreciate Girl Talk for taking on an issue that can be difficult communicate correctly. They did a great job! Now go have some ice cream! (kidding, kidding:)) How about some nice yummy lettuce?

I leave you with this quote, which is not about food, nor weight loss....but about really, really understanding that Christ exemplified all we are to be.

"There are some who would have Christ cheap. They would have Him without the cross. But the price will not come down." Samuel Rutherford

The King Saves the Day at Disney!

We work really, really, hard all week....our Daddy especially. As a family we reserve Saturdays for fun, family, and friend time....then use Sunday after church to rest and regroup. Well, last Saturday our daddy had a speaking engagement. He addressed the ECA (Early Childhood Assoc.....accreditation for teachers from preschool thru elem.) at their state-wide conference down by Disney. His topic? " The Epidemic of Childhood Obesity and it's Impact on the Brain". (Next month he speaks at the ECA National Conf. in Chicago on the topic of "Sensory Processing Disorders in Children".) Mom here is very task oriented and tries very hard to stay hyper-organized....however, this day somehow escaped my planning. We had been promising the girls a Disney day for a while...so both parents thought....hmmmmm.....can the Mommy take 3 little girls to Disney World BY HERSELF and meet the handsome King there later...after he's done speaking? I have NEVER, EVER, attempted this big a feat without a friend/relative in tow....but I sure didn't want to stay home either :) so......we went. Mom was plodding along through Tommorowland with her princess collection... quite well I must say. Things were going without a hitch.....then it happened. See pic #1. Yes, talking princess suddenly fell silent (!) and when that happens the whole planet stops in amazement. Our blonde ambition was really, really, sick. Her fever was well over 102. Then....it starts to rain....not just rain...but torrential downpours. Got the picture?? I couldn't go on a ride because I had to hold Kristin, and Katie would run wild. I was stuck. So, I let the well girls play on Pooh's Playground (in rain ponchos) while trying to get hold of Dad, without disturbing Dad's talk....and Kristin was very pathetically laying in the baby jogger, not moving, while the other 2 ran circles around Mommy. I also made a feeble attempt to tour Minnie Mouse's House toting sick one, only to turn around to hear Katie screaming, "MOM!! PEE! MOM!! PEE!!" as she was filling up her shoes with....pee.

Wouldn't you know?! My handsome King (promoted to King because he's now over the age limit to be the handsome prince anymore :)) finished speaking......got medicine for sweet daughter, brought it to Disney, found mommy, declared daughter to have virus, dosed medicine, and took other 2 daughters on "Pirates" so they could at least have some fun while mommy stayed with sick one, and the day wasn't a total wash. Yea for Daddy! He rescues us again! Pic #2 is Katie playing in rain. Pic #3 is the King....looking a little stressed, but not sure if he was tired from preparing speech, mad because he forgot shoes and had to stop at Reebok store or wear his dress shoes at theme park, worried about daughter, or really, really NOT wanting to watch the "Country Bear Jamboree" again (which he did....with a great attitude because girlies love it). Maybe some of all of it?! After that pic, Kristin sat up....declared herself fine, began incessant (but cute) talking (so parents KNEW she was ok) and rode Splash Mountain. Yea! Success! The last pic is of Julie and friend Rachel living it up that day (while parents were trudging along at Disney...do they look worried about their parents at all?! Can you say Botox?..kidding people, kidding :)) at the UCF game. And thus ends the tale of our day! And the Princess Collection continues to live happily ever after. Our Daddy is the greatest!! Anyone need a nap?!

















P.S. If you haven't watched the video from the previous post please do so now. Scott swears that I/we say all that on a 2 hr. rotating basis around here. Not a 24 hr. one:)

For All You Moms Out There!

This was sent to me today by my friend Tammi G. We've known each other since the 6th grade....way before we thought about marriage or children. All these years later....we're still great friends and have 9 children between us! Today I was 'heavy laden' with all the Monday stuff...you know...laundry.....dishes....laundry....school....laundry....laundry....did I say laundry?! This gave me a good laugh and I hope it does the same for you! This video is of Anita Renfroe at the Women of Faith Conference earlier this summer. She sings a song about all the things a mom says in a 24 hour period. I think you will hear some of yourself and probably some of your own mom as well!! Enjoy!