His Praise Shall Continually Be in My Mouth

The righteous cry and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17

Psalm 34 is one of my favorite Psalms. I have often turned to this Psalm for comfort and someday I want to memorize all 22 verses. Someday when my plate just isn't as full, but I don't know if that someday will ever come.

However, this post isn't about me. It's about Elizabeth and a mighty God that answered a sweet little 5 year old's prayer. Last summer Elizabeth took swimming lessons at Camp Nickajack and was swimming pretty well by the end of the summer. Well, about two weeks ago she jumped in the pool in Williamsburg and completely forgot everything that she had learned. Maybe she just panicked and then got scared about the water, but going to the pool since then has not been a fun event with Elizabeth. She has cried that she doesn't want to go. She has even gone as far as begging while we're at the pool to take her home and put her to bed. She'd rather go to bed early then put her head in the water.

Well, Derek bribed her to put her head underwater and to try to swim to the side and she just cried and cried. He made her do it, but it's like she never even knew how to swim. We knew that this week would be our week of swim lessons at Camp Nickajack and we just couldn't believe that we were starting all over. She cried this weekend that she didn't want to go and we told her she didn't need to be scared, etc. Sunday night as we said our family prayers, Matthew and Stephen were praying that they'd have a fun week at swim lessons and Elizabeth's sweet prayer was "Dear God, I pray for my family and help me not to be scared at swim lessons tomorrow."

Then at 5 a.m. Monday morning she shows up next to my bed and says, "Momma, I can't sleep. I keep thinking about swim lessons and I'm afraid." If you know me well, you know that I'm worth nothing at 5 a.m. in the morning. I really just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but instead I said, "Crawl in the bed with me. I'll pray for you. God told us that we don't need to be afraid. He has not given us a spirit of fear." I prayed for her and she fell back asleep. I then asked God to please answer her prayer and mine. I didn't want to listen to Elizabeth scream and cry later that day about lessons.

Well, praise God! He answered our prayers! Elizabeth walked back to those lessons (the parents aren't allowed by the pool) without a tear in her eyes and she did great yesterday and today. She didn't cry at all and did exactly what they said including jumping off the diving board today.

Here's the best part. My mom asked her today how her swim lessons were going. Elizabeth said "Good and I'm not even scared".
My mom said "That's great, what changed your mind?
Elizabeth "I prayed"
My mom "Well, that's good"
Elizabeth "God answers Christians."

Oh yes, sweet little Elizabeth, He does!

"O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" Psalm 34:8

Family Fun

So, let me tell you about the rest of our vacation. We traveled over to Williamsburg, VA after our stay in Lynchburg. It is about a 3 hour drive and I want you to know that we fit 4 adults and 3 kids and a whole lot of luggage and snacks into a Chrysler minivan. What this means is that we had 3 kids in the back seat most of the time and occasionally it would be two kids and a squished adult in the middle just to keep some peace in the van. There was one other family member along for the ride and that would be "Squishy". Matthew got Squishy when he was a baby and he loved Squishy very much and mommy was so paranoid that we might lose him (Squishy, not Matthew), that we don't just have one squishy, not two, not three, not four, not even five, but six Squishy dogs living in our house. However, Elizabeth and Matthew will tell you that they are not all Squishy. One is Carrot (who knows) and one is girl Squishy and one is boy Squishy and I don't know about the other three. (Just for clarification, only one Squishy traveled with us, not six)

Here's Squishy taking a nap with his best friend.




All in all it was a great trip and the kids kept the fighting to a minimum. If there's no fighting between the siblings at your house, then PLEASE share your secret. Honestly, three's a crowd. Someone is always the odd man out. For example on most coasters, there are only two seats. Who rides by himself?

I'm glad you asked. Matthew does in the very front car. He's crazy on coasters. His biggest hindrance right now is that he can't ride the big coasters, because he's not 48" yet. He is great to ride with though because he just laughs and screams through the whole ride. The park was so empty on Wednesday (probably because it was very cold), that we didn't even have to get off the coaster(The Big Bad Wolf). We could stay in the same seats and ride it over and over and over and over again. You get the picture!




Then, there's this coaster....Griffon. Griffon carries riders up 205 feet, then hurtles them 90 degrees straight down at 70 mph. And that’s just the beginning.

This picture doesn't accurately portray the ride. You can go to www.buschgardens.com if you're interested in more details.

It is the world's tallest, floorless dive coaster. It takes you to the top and then just dangles you over the side for about 6 seconds. Derek and I rode it twice and tried to convince Stephen to ride it, but he just wasn't sure. Stephen decided he was ready to ride, so Derek and my dad walked back to this section of the park with Stephen and then he tried to chicken out once they got to the front of the line. What did daddy do? He picked him up and strapped him in the seat. Stephen loved it and even rode it a second time. It really is a great coaster! Don't turn us into child services, Stephen just needed a little extra push. I wanted to put him on it from the very beginning, but Derek is the more patient of the two of us (as if you didn't know that already).


We also visited Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne and Jamestowne Settlement while in Virginia. A great family vacation, but wait until the kids are old enough to enjoy some of the history. Derek quizzed our kids every night about what we had learned and honestly, I am just amazed at what they can remember, even when they look like they're not paying attention. It was a huge history lesson for me, because even though I received an A in U.S. History, it obviously didn't stay in my brain because I learned all kinds of new things as well!

Here's a picture of all of us and let me just say that I would probably not have survived on this boat for 5 1/2 months. I'm thankful I was born in 1972!

For such a time as this...

After 8 years, we decided that it was time for Stephen to see his birthmom again. He hasn't seen her since he was less than a month old and of course he has no memories of that meeting. He has been asking a lot of questions over the last year and has expressed quite an interest in her family. She married soon after Stephen was born and has 5 children with her husband. (not Stephen's birthfather)

Over the last year, Stephen has said and done many things that have "stung" as an adoptive parent. Even though I'm supposed to be a mature adult, it does hurt a little when Stephen has "family picture day" at school and decides to take in pictures of his birthmom and his half siblings, rather than our family. I have no other words to describe the feelings I've had over the last year, except that it just "stings a bit". I guess it's like putting a little salt on some infertile wounds. We've tried to explain to our children over and over again that God creates families in many different ways, and for our family adoption was His plan. We are so very thankful to the birthparents who chose us to parent their children. We can only imagine how difficult this decision was for them and in no way do we want to minimize their pain or the anguish they felt and may still feel as they made this decision.

Just on the other side of adoption, nothing could have prepared me for the things that my child would say to me. There were times when I wanted to say back, "Do you realize how much we paid to have you as part of our family?" or "Do you know the tears we shed and how we pleaded with God to give us a child?" and so on. But I don't, instead I've learned that it's best not to have a reaction as he goes on and on about his birthfamily. Aren't most 8 yr. olds ungrateful for how their family provides for them and sacrifices personal indulgences (like a cruise with hubby), so that we can go to Disney 3 yrs. in a row?

Well, we went this past weekend to Lynchburg, Virginia so that Stephen could meet with his birthmom and her family. My parents went with us because we added a vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia on to the trip. I was nervous, anxious, apprehensive, not exactly knowing what to expect. I love Stephen's birthmom and talk to her 4-5 times a year and we can relate on so many levels. We're "doing life together" as they say, because our kids are similar ages. To be perfectly honest though, I just didn't know what to expect when we met. Would Stephen fall into her arms and start sobbing that he wanted to "return to his real home"? Would this just add fuel to the fire and he would begin to think that he does belong in this home rather than in ours? Seriously, these were some of the thoughts in my head. But I decided that we were doing the right thing for Stephen and we would press forward regardless of how awkward or uncomfortable this meeting might make us.

Well, if you've continued to read this lengthy blog entry, let me give God the glory. Yeah God! (as a friend of mine would say) God did "exceeding abundantly" in our lives. We met them at their house on Saturday night and the kids hit it off very well. We had dinner together and it was just like getting together with a group of friends. I was so relieved and so thankful that there wasn't tension in the air. We left and returned to our hotel after hours of play. We went to Thomas Road Baptist Church on Sunday and Stephen was able to meet Jonathan Falwell (Jerry Falwell's son) and was able to shake his hand. We then met Courtney and her gang for lunch on Sunday (6 adults and 8 children 8 yrs. old and under....a blog entry for another day). We then went to a park and the kids had a fabulous time again. Once we were all exhausted and sweaty, we said our goodbyes, not knowing when we would see each other again. (On a side note, they will be moving to Jackson, Miss. in about a year because her husband Matt will be attending seminary there.)

I was again incredibly grateful for this sweet woman who gave Stephen life and gave us the opportunity to be parents. Stephen has an incredible story and I just might have to share it on this blog sometime this week. In 1999 our journey began of God doing "exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think". God is faithful and He continues to amaze us with His goodness and faithfulness.

Here's a picture of Stephen and his birthmom, Courtney.


Here's a picture of Stephen with 3 of his half-siblings. We think he looks most like Mary (the oldest), but Lydia (the younger in the picture) has a face just like Stephen's when he was a toddler.


And then here is Elizabeth and Lizzie having a grand time. A tea party under the deck.


And so, God prepared everyone's hearts "for such a time as this". Sometimes He calls us to things that might be uncomfortable, but He never fails us. He's walking right there with us every step of the way!

Senior Picture Day

Just for my sweet friend Big Nanny, here it is.

Seriously, I could win some awards for big hair. When is it coming back in style?

Happy 70th Birthday!

This has been a plan in progress for months. We didn't know if we could pull it off, but we did. All the Jordan kids and grandkids showed up on Saturday to surprise "Florida Papa" for his 70th birthday. This is quite an accomplishment since there are 5 children in the Jordan family and 15 grandchildren.

We surprised him though. Derek's dad deserves all the praise he received that day. He is a man of God and has welcomed each "in-law" into the family with love. I personally couldn't ask for a better father-in-law.

(If you count, only 14 grandkids are in the picture, because one was napping)

Happy Birthday Florida Papa!

It's Graduation Day!

Tuesday Elizabeth graduated from preschool. Can you believe that in the fall all three Jordan children will be in school? It has gone by so quickly. Some days I wish I could go back and start all over and cherish each moment just a little more. We know that's not possible though, so why spend time thinking about it!

Here's Elizabeth's picture with the best pre-K teacher around. She has taught Stephen, Matthew and Elizabeth and we will miss her so much! We'll have to stop by school occasionally just to say hi and give hugs.

This is My Story and I'm Sticking to It

So Stephen comes in from school today and announces that it was a double bad day. Stephen had to go see the nurse 7 times. (do you think he's a bit dramatic?) It seems that he needed a band-aid, then lost his band-aid, then smashed his fingers in the door, then had to see her 4 times for anti-itch cream because of mosquito bites.

But the second half of the bad day was on Matthew's part. He had to go see the principal, Stephen announces. So we pull out Matthew's folder to see that he got an N today (two offenses). One for not listening to directions and the 2nd for misbehavior on the playground. We ask him what the 3rd offense is because you have change your card color 3 times to get sent to the principal's office. He doesn't remember, so he says. So I make a phone call to his teacher and she doesn't know anything about him going to the principal's office because they had a substitute teacher today because she (his K teacher) was testing the kids today. So, Matthew's substitute teacher just happens to be Elizabeth's 3 yr. old teacher from last year and a friend, so I call Anna to find out what the story is. She said that Matthew was in a mood today and kept pushing her further and further and so he changed his color the first time, then when they lined up to come in from recess, he got in line, but then decided to get out of line and then was banging on the door once they were back inside. I asked, "Did he go to see Mr. West today?" Her response, "No he didn't get sent to the office."

So, I go back downstairs and begin talking to Matthew again. What did Mr. West say. Matthew said that Mr. West said that he needed to start on a yellow card in the morning (which is a warning card). I told him that Ms. Anna said that he didn't actually go to the principal's office. He says that he did.
"Well how did you get there?" I ask.
"I just took a hall pass"
Derek says, "How did you get the hall pass?"
Matthew "We have to have a partner, but this time I just went on my own."
Derek and I are still trying to process everything. Could he have really made it to the principal's office without his teachers knowing.
I then say, "If they didn't send you, why did you go?"
He says something along the line of, "I thought I was going to have to go because I was going to get a red card, so I just went down and told him that I didn't listen and misbehaved on the playground."
What did he say?
He said, that I have to start on yellow tomorrow. (It's his story and he's sticking to it)

I say, "Matthew are you sure you're telling the truth, because I'm going to call Mr. West tomorrow and ask him if you came to see him."

He thinks for a minute, "Okay, I'll just tell you the truth. I didn't go to the principal's office."

SERIOUSLY, what is this elaborate story all about? Let me tell you. In 3rd grade, I changed my report card. My parents questioned, I denied. We sat with the teacher and I still said, "I don't know who did it, I didn't do it." Payback time for me I guess.

So, let me tell you how sweet God is. Derek pulls out our kids' devotional book for tonight and the title is "The Courage to Tell the Truth". When Derek announced the title, Matthew hit his head and said "Oh great, I lied today." Elizabeth then said, "I lied too today about the cotton balls" (Her story to her dad was that I gave her 100 cotton balls to play with or do crafts with, who knows what the plan was)

I'm just thankful that perhaps we will make it through the year without having to visit the principal's office. However, Derek and I can both see Matthew just making a trip down there and announcing "I need to see Mr. West". And Matthew can charm just about anyone, so he'd probably get in his office without too many questions.

Do you see what we're dealing with? This is why the latest book I read is titled "Have a NEW kid by Friday". Kevin Leman's whole premise is that it's about character and attitude. Derek just offered to trade kids with another family on Sunday night. :-)

You have to love all of them.....they're just a work in progress like the rest of us!