The Gang's All Here!

Today, I had all of my children for Sunday dinner. It has been months, maybe close to a year, since they've all been home at one time.

I cooked a family favorite Brisket recipe. The greatest compliment came when my daughter-in-law Casie said, "I need this recipe. Caleb said if there is one recipe I need from you it is your brisket recipe." (So easy, I'll post it later for all to enjoy.)

We also had garden fresh green beans. They were picked less than 24 hours earlier by a couple in our church, delivered to us at church this morning, snapped as soon as we got home, cooked and ready for us to eat by lunch time. Delicious!!!

After lunch, all of my children politely got ready for a family photo. And, they were all nice....butcept Drew. (Yes, butcept is his word.)

When he is 21 years old, and we take a family photo, I plan to show him the several I took today of him being "ugly." I wonder if he will have matured by then. ;)

 

 

We did manage a couple of good ones, though.

 

 

 

And, of course, the traditional goofy shot. Maybe this should be my blog header.

 

It's summer finally! We've already begun the beach and the pool and Wild Adventures and the housework. More to come soon!

 

Wild Days and Wild Flowers

Our wild days of late have included clogged toilets, leaking faucets, flooded floors, and upset tummies.

Today's wild time took place in a field of wild flowers. Last year, we were just settling into our new life, so I wanted to be sure we held this year's photo shoot. With the Crazy Bear, Drew Bear, I am surprised that we came away with so many good photos.

Fewer words now, just look at my beautiful youngest children. Tell me which photos are your favorites!

A New Favorite Place

I visited here many times as a child. I have wonderful memories of being here with my mother and my sister, my cousins sometimes, and my aunts.

My children are now learning to love it as much as I do.

Jekyll Island

We've taken the children to the beach there a few times. That's where we were last year when Drew and Zeke had their first trip to the beach. (See it here.)

But, I have now shared with them some of the other experiences to be found on the island. I covertly loaded up scooters loaned to us by friends from school. I didn't tell them the plan. It was a secret. We got to the beach and I showed them the scooters. If you don't live in south Georgia, you might not have been to Jekyll Island. It has MILES of bike paths along the ocean and through wooded areas.

The kids and I spent a couple of hours on scooters along the bike paths.

Ellie, though, told me she wanted a picnic on the grass...like she had seen in books.

So, I took them for the first time to the historic district of Jekyll Island. They loved it far more than I could have imagined. We sat in a grassy park area between the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and the water. The live oak trees offered precious shade, but my children found much more than shade.

Low hanging limbs to ride like horses and climb, or even just to sit and enjoy the view.

They surprised me most when they enjoyed looking at the historic "cottages" and talking about the history. I look forward to more memory-making days with my children at Jekyll!

Praising in the Rain

I have faithfully kept my commitment to reading, studying, and listening to God's word this past week. I can also say with all honesty, my spirit is renewing day by day.

And, now I plan to return to the blog world, sharing the ups and downs of parenting 7 awesome children, 4 of whom are 10 and under. I hope the posts will once again be more regular, that I can share all that God is doing, while keeping it real.

We were on spring break two weeks ago. The kids and I did LOTS of long-overdue cleaning, AND we managed to have some fun.

On one of the those days, I was blessed with an invitation. Caleb, who had only been home from his recent submarine underway a few weeks asked me if Josie-Tatum and I would like to join him and Casie canoeing at the Okefenokee Swamp. My heart sang, remembering when he was younger, how he and I went canoeing  on 2 different trips and took a small motor boat on another.

 I guess his memories of those days are as fond as mine, if he invited us to go now when he is an adult.

The weather was beautiful, albeit cloudy. That, however, kept us from getting too warm.

 If you look closely in the top of the photo above, you'll see a small tour boat. As Josie-Tatum and I adjusted to the use of paddles, we were not quite travelling in a straight line. Sometimes we ended up in the bushes. The boat loaded with tourists stopped just behind us. I'm not sure if the "captain" was showing the people some of the wildlife, or if he was afraid JT and I would interfere with his preferred path. As the boat finally made its way past us, I said, "Hello," to the passengers and assured them we were not part of the show.

Caleb was a good instructor for  his mama. I learned how to correct our direction and keep us from going into the bushes, sometimes. I learned when to hold the paddle in the water to slow us down if we we had over-corrected our direction and were quickly headed into the vegetation.

 I think he might be smirking just a little here.

We paddled along the trail recommended by the lady who took our money at the visitors' center. We saw a few alligators and turtles. Then we came up on a dock. While resting a bit, we took a photo:

 Please note my appearance in this photo...and note Josie-Tatum's as well.

While we were here, a group of tourists speaking more than one language asked if I would take their photo. I agreed, of course, and learned they were from France! Wow! They were from France, visiting Florida, choosing to canoe the Okefenokee. Remember them, they will play another part soon.

Exit stage left: Robbie, Caleb, Casie, and Josie-Tatum. We left...intentionally ahead of the French group because they were kinda slow......

As we paddled back to the dock, 1 1/2 hours away, the breeze shifted, and the clouds rolled in. Ahead of us, we saw a father and his son tip their canoe over. Not....comforting. The father did not use language I was afraid we might hear. He used it as an opportunity to teach his family how to empty a canoe of water....Glad, we did NOT need that lesson.

We paddled past them when we learned they were all going to be okay. No alligators were chasing them. The dad was standing is waist deep water and the remainder of his family was in the other canoe while he continued with his lesson.

The wind began to blow stronger and often Josie-Tatum and I found ourselves pushed into the bushes...not paddling down the creek. She began to freak out occasionally. Then it began to sprinkle.

I'm okay, I can handle sprinkling....until it began to rain...yeah, nice steady rain where the creek ran back into the river. I took off my glasses since they are not equipped with wipers and enjoyed the view through my own lenses which provide a good solid 20/250 vision. I was tempted to grumble when I thought about how I really wanted Josie-Tatum to leave the swamp with good memories....so....

We began to praise the LORD. We sang and we sang. The wind blew and we found our way into the bushes...um....often. Caleb and Casie were growing further ahead of us....you tend to go much faster in a straight line, rather than the zigzag path from one side of the river to the other. I continued to sing. Josie-Tatum's song was growing weak.

Then, somehow, as we headed into the bushes again...and I tried to correct our direction, the wind blew and we got turned around. There we were facing one of the French men we had taken a picture of earlier. He was not one of the men who spoke English. He kept waving his hands at us and making a a turn around gesture with his index finger.

I was so frustrated I began to laugh hysterically.

Then, somehow we were turned so that we were perpendicular to the flow, when another canoe full of French tourists ran into us. Good thing, though. They grabbed our boat and turned  us around.

Just in time for me to see......

Another tour boat full of people watching the show.

I greeted these tourists like I did those earlier and once again let them know we were NOT part of the show.

Somehow, Josie-Tatum and I finally made it back to the dock. Caleb and Casie were standing at the water's edge, in the rain, waiting on us.

Look back at the photo of JT and me earlier.

Now look at this one:

Life is like that, you know. The unexpected. The detours. Sometimes we even get turned around. There may be an angel or a Frenchman directing you to the path. Total strangers may push you in the right direction. We don't get to choose the obstacles we face, but we will face them. Our choice is how we handle the adversity. We can whine and complain...or we can praise Him in the rain.

I'm always good at giving too many details, so let me share this one with you. I had a sweater in the van, so I took of that pink tank top and bra and wore only the sweater home. I had not intention of getting out. I even took off my wet shorts, and wrapped myself in a towel. I drove home half-dressed. Josie-Tatum thought I was crazy.....

Crazy thing is: I'd go back for a canoe ride with my son, his wife, and JT again, anytime, even if there was a chance of rain.

My Story: God's Story

For several months now, I've wondered if or when I would write this post. Tonight, I finally felt the liberty.

Never could I have imagined my life...as a little girl, barefoot on the dirt road, playing with my sister.

My life has undergone many changes in the last 9 years, adding five children who wore born not of my body but in my heart. Each family addition brought challenges, but none that have exceeded the blessings. Each of my children is unique, and I have so much to learn from them.

In the past 4 years, my three adult children have gone through major life changes, leaving for college, leaving for the military, getting married, getting engaged, completing college. Life is always changing.

But, the change I least expected in my adult life happened just a couple of months ago. After being married for nearly 30 years, I am now a single mom. The story is not all mine to tell, personal details that involve too many other people, but I think today is the time for me to share part of this chapter. When I said, "I do," in 1983, I meant, "I do FOREVER." I have learned, however, that I cannot control the choices others make, and all effort on my part cannot change another's heart.

This has been a difficult chapter in my life, possibly the most difficult of all. My faith, like yours, has been tested many times. I have walked in faith, as we waited on our adopted children. I have walked by faith, waiting on God to provide financially for adoptions and mission trips. God has proven Himself faithful. Through each of these faith journeys, I looked forward with anticipation, waiting to see what God would do. But, this test of faith has been different.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1st Peter 1:6-8)

. I am certainly finding it difficult to greatly rejoice. Being married for 29 years and 11 months, I have found it difficult envisioning the remainder of my life. I've had angry moments, bitter moments, grieving moments, even panic attacks. I've also had moments of sweet peace, knowing God was directing my path, and the peaceful moments grow longer and stronger every day.

Walking through the grief cycle, grieiving the death of MY dream, I seemed to have faltered in a period of mourning. Still mourning doesn't seem to be quite the right word. Maybe it's fear, a fear of loneliness. Or perhaps it's simply discontent.

As I search for Jesus in the midst of this manifold temptation, I am so strongly tempted to take my eyes off of Him. I know I need Him now more than ever, and I am forming new habits to keep Him foremost in my thoughts. One new habit is to spend time daily listening to a pastor of speaker. And, tonight, God used Louie Giglio to get my attention.

As I watched him, this thought grabbed my heart. There was the apostle Peter, having given up everything for Jesus for 3 years, and Jesus was dead. I pondered Peter's thoughts, how he must have wondered if he had wasted those 3 years, if he truly should have followed Jesus during that time. He didn't grasp the next chapter of the story.

That's where I've been lately, looking at the past 30 years...and wondering...... But, tonight, I was reminded that God wants me to remain in HIS story. His will for my life is not limited because of my past, my mistakes, or the failures of others. He is writing an AWESOME story, and if I but stay close to HIM, I don't have to know what is next. I just have to trust. He is still an Ephesians 3:20 God. The next chapter of my life will be filled with more than I could ask or imagine.

  So, tonight, I ask you to pray for us. Pray specifically for me to be ever prompted by the Holy Spirit to seek the face of Jesus. I invite any of you to ask me frequently, "Where were your eyes focused today?" More than just an invitation, I implore some of you faithful prayer warriors to hold me accountable to my promise to seek HIM.

And, I also invite you to take less than an hour of your time to watch this video. It will bring encouragement and hope to those who have lost it.

South Africa Update

Oh, what a marvelous time we had tonight! Ellie was such a blessing as she sang for the glory of the LORD! I've received several emails and messages from friends who couldn't make it tonight asking how to make a contribution to the mission fund. I've simplified things by placing the PayPal link here:


You may also donate by sending money to The Servant's House Minsitries, P.O. Box 365, Blackshear, GA  31516. Include a note stating the money is to be deposited into the account of Josie-Tatum.

Thank you for your faithfulness to pray! Join us as we watch Him do great and might things!

Thank you to all who came tonight and gave so generously. Thank you, again, Rachel and Mr. Carl for your dedication to the LORD as you use your gifts for Him.

Happy Gotcha Day, Drew!

One year ago today, Drew joined our family forever! A lot has changed in a year.

Enjoy this post from 365 days ago:


And, if that doesn't make sense to you, I will explain.

I expected tears and tantrums from Zeke. He is older. He has been less prepared for our arrival. We have yet to see any of those things, and that worries me some. I wonder if he had a "healthy" attachment to anyone at his orphanage.

Today, Drew joined his Forever Family.

When we arrived at the civil affairs office, he was standing at the glass door waiting on us, so I don't have an offical photograph of that "first" moment.

He seemed glad to see us, insisted on giving us each a piece of candy: one to me, Stan, Ellie, Josie-Tatum, and QingZhuang.

It wasn't longing and he was playing. Then the polished tile floors and marble walls began to echo with the shouts and laughter of four Mattox children. It was musical.





When Zhuang Zhuang (Drew) said he had to niao niao, Baba took him to the toilet. His nanny Tina Ayi shouted good-bye to him and made a quick, uneventful get-away.

All was well until Zhuang Zhuang came out of the restroom and Tina Ayi was not there. That's when the tears began. While I was completing paper work and signing offical legal documents, Baba was in the midst of emotional breakdown--both his and Zhuang Zhuangs. He had to chase him as he ran to the door and tried to run outside, looking for his ayi.

He finally resigned himself to quietly sobbing in Baba's lap.


We left the Civil Affairs office and headed to Wal-Mart (more on that in another post.) The three in the back seat were happy campers.

And the little one with Mama and Baba mourned until he fell asleep.

His spirits improved when he was allowed to choose his own snacks at the ever-beloved department store--the place we all love and despise.

Once back at the hotel, he gradually began to enjoy himself.



Until all of the children grew sleepy. They all surpised me by taking naps...without being asked. When Josie-Tatum feel asleep, Zeke crawled into bed with her.


Except Zhuang Zhuang. He didn't take a nap. He cried. He continued to cry. We went to supper. He was happy--to put on his jacket. He put his backpack on. We were pretty certain he thought he was going home.

At dinner, he sat somberly..until the food arrived.

Btu, when he finished eating, he was back to mourning. He sadly repeated the same phrase over and over again, with two words in particular. It sounded somthing like hui jiao. And, I had no idea what that was. We finally asked one of the waiters who spoke some English to help us. That's when we learned that over and over again he was telling us, "I want to go home." Once I heard him use the word for China.

We left the restaurant, and he seemed to feel a little better...until we stepped off the elevator and he realized we were back where we began. That's when the screaming began.

Stan decided to keep him in their hotel room, while I brought Qing Zhuang and the girls to our room. So...I don't really know how things are going now. I had Josie-Tatum step to the door, and she know longer heard the crying, just the television.

So, today, please pray for our youngest son. His heart is so heavy. He has no idea what lies ahead. He only knows he was loved, happy, and secure in his foster home.

Pray for Mama, and especially for Baba as he tries to comfort him.

But, for now, I must go referee an argument between three Chinese children....loud as ever, hoping the management doesn't come tell us to hush!!!

48 Hours of Prayer

Prayer Warriors:

As we prepare for Ellie-Live in Concert on Friday night, I am hearing God call me to slow down and pray-inviting me to seek His face. I confess that I have NOT spent as much time in prayer over this event as I should have. I would be honored if you joined me.

Most of you receiving this email already know about the concert, but a few of you who don't live nearby may not. If you'd like to learn the details, see this post on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/627106840636999/

If you have time to read on....I want to share my heart, the words I have been hearing from the LORD, and my specific prayer requests with you:

Through the past several years, since committing to Ellie's adoption, I have prayed that God's glory shine in our family. Adopting a child with spina bifida was a great leap of faith for us, but, oh how He has amazed us. She has blessed us far more than we could ever have imagined.

As we prepared for her major hip surgery, this song, "Cover Us" played through my mind, in my heart, and on CD player. Cover us with your glory. Cover us. Like a flood. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGg68wmpB8Y

As much as I have seen His glory, I desire to see it more and more. Even Moses, who had been privileged to be a part of miracle after miracle- the plagues, the parting of the RED Sea, manna from heaven- petitioned God, "Show me your glory." 

My first request is that He cover us with His glory on Friday night.

Looking for scriptures about the glory of God, I revisited John 2:11...at the wedding in Cana, Jesus manifested His glory, and his disciples believed."

My second request is that He manifest His glory, so that those who are there Friday night will see and believe. 

http://meimeimakesfour.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-all-of-ellies-prayer-warriors.html

And, once again, I ask for you to join me in praying for my third request--an Ephesians 3:20 miracle---where God-who has all power-- will do more than we ask or imagine. So at the end of the night, we can like Paul stated in Ephesians 3:21--to Him be glory!

And, my fourth request--from Isaiah 43:7, I want Ellie to know that God created her for His glory.

I wrote about this desire for her a couple of years ago:

http://meimeimakesfour.blogspot.com/2010/04/passing-through-deep-waters.html

May I decrease so that He may increase,

Robbie

One Year Ago Today--Still In Love

When I think of the changes of the past year, I am still amazed most at the changes in Zeke. He who knew no sense of family who now has a family. The little boy who hoarded food, who now knows he will always have enough. The little boy who said he didn't get hugs and kisses in China who now sneaks in my bed early in the morning to snuggle.

One year ago, I knew I was in love.

One year later, the love has grown.

Enjoy this post from one year ago:



He has the sweetest little voice, a little raspy, and a charming smile. Look out ladies!

(He and the driver were a little late, due to the snow. And, the poor fellow was car sick and threw up two times on the way from the orphanage. He wasn't happy when he found out he would have to ride in a car again when we left.)

He quietly entered the room where we were sitting and followed the director, barely looking our way.

When we spoke to him, he came over. He let each of us hold him--well, he tried to hold Ellie. And, he let us kiss him. He didn't say a word.





Stan gave him cars and he opened them. Instead of playing with them, though, he put them in his pockets. He had to be coaxed to play with them. While the others in the room worked on papers, we just played, kissed, hugged. Qing Zhuang said almost nothing.


He was asked by one of the civil affairs officers, "Mama, Baba, hao bu hao?" (Are Mama and Daddy good or not good.) He said, "Hao," one of the first words we heard. The word was, "Good," and we are glad.

We are back in the hotel room, and he is beginning to talk and play. His voice is raspy. I think he and daddy are going to be best buddies!!! I love it. Everything daddy says, Qing Zhuang says. Everywhere Baba goes, Qing Zhuang follows.


He is beginning to talk a lot, just 3 hours after we met him. We have no clue what he is saying, and for now, he is okay with that. He occasionally shouts, "Mama!" to get my attention. I love it.

Josie-Tatum keeps saying things like, "I can't believe we have a brother." And, "Zeke is so adorable."

Ellie was having a good time until we asked her to let Zeke hold her camera. She is now sadly lying on the bed. I think she is overly tired. I asked her if I could lie down with her and she shook her head no. I must seek God's wisdom to make her feel special this week, too.

I leave you with this one video clip. He was practicing everybody's name, not very good at saying Ellie or Josie-Tatum (JT) but he has decided he likes calling Baba...Mama instead. He loves his own joke.