++++++++++Ethiopian Adoption - Henn Family

Sick House.....

2012-02-07T09:02:00.001-06:00

Yes, we here at the hennhouse are all sick. very sick. Squeakers was rushed to the hospital on Sunday because she was having a seizure, because she has a fever, that's how sick we are. But the few good things about being sick: Daddy being home, Starwars all DAY, no school,time to make packing for Ethiopia lists!!, Pop, chips and extra attention, and pancakes! The bad things: Runny noses, fevers, coughs, sneezing, icky medicine, (but we are thankful for it!), and the other sickness symptoms that aren't worth rambling on about. Thanks so much to the friends and family that prayed so hard for us on Sunday! That was so hard and scary to see little Squeakers so helpless and not knowing what was going on! Thank also to the people who have been so sweetly bringing us meals, flowers, coffee, and tea!! Please keep our family in your prayers and thanks to every one who has been praying for us! We are slowly on the mend!
~Bugg

A little bed night levity

2012-02-04T10:47:00.003-06:00

It's always fun to get little people ready for bed at our house (tongue-in-cheek). It seems like this song has been coming up more and more as we start the process of getting ready. Enjoy.

it comes from this part of the Dispicible me movie:

a little help can go a long way

2012-01-13T19:54:00.002-06:00

Check out the link below:
http://nordstromsadopt.blogspot.com/2012/01/swing-set-for-orphans-please-help.html

As many of you who would read our family blog already know, Ta and Bugg are getting ready to travel to Shone, Ethiopia to serve with Look Development.

Last year, the day after Christmas, I went on a similar trip to the exact same area with a group of 28 people.
Below are some pictures from the trip I was on. It was such a joy to see the families that we sponsored. They loved spending the brief moments we had together and wanted to talk about our family and their love for the Savior!

I will never forget my time there, and I hope to return someday. I learned so much about faith in God and the power of prayer in a place where depending on God takes on a whole new meaning. Bugg and Ta will be truly enriched by the faith of the people they will meet there, the Look Development ministry and the beautiful work of the gospel as they bring the Good News!

There are so many ways to pray for them as they embark on this journey. They need prayer for funding, medicine, formula for the infants in the orphanage and all the preparations. May God bless their journey!
I'm posting the link again, there is a place to give your donation at the bottom of the linked post!
http://nordstromsadopt.blogspot.com/2012/01/swing-set-for-orphans-please-help.html

End of the Year Review

2011-12-28T16:49:00.000-06:00

Oh! Every year we wait patiently (or not) for Christmas and the new year, but it seems that every year it manages to sneak up on us! God has blessed us so much this past year, I don't know where to begin....

Last year was a year of blessing...


Daddy in Ethiopia last January. Lord willing, Mommy and I will be able to travel there in March! Praise Him!

I was baptized in September...

A year of fun..

And many lost teeth...

Lots of silliness...

A year of birthdays and celebrations...

Happy 10th B-day!

Our 4th Famiversary!!

This one says it all!

It was also a year of hardships...
You can't really take pictures of hardships, and if you could, they wouldn't be a feast for the eyes. We had flooding all summer, and believe it or not, we are going through a drought right now. We said goodbye to our cousin who joined the Airforce... And we miss him terribly! But there are the spiritually hardships, and emotional ones too. God is right there and even though it doesn't always feel like it, He works all things for good of those who love Him.

We had a year of family,friends, fun, and fellowship...

Vacation in MN....

Disney World!


Apple orchard with good pals!


Monday Night Football!!

This post could go on for a year! :) Everybody is growing up so fast....We are still homeschooling, and we finished our basement renovation a few months ago, watched some friends bring their daughter into her forever family, and are excited with the friends and family who are starting the process of adoption! We made some connections with some Ethiopian and Eritrean friends, and started bringing them to church, and rejoiced when a friend serving overseas came home. (See that story Here) With love,

The Henn's! Wishing you a Happy New Year...

~Bugg~

Yeah! Christmas Break

2011-12-22T16:41:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from the HENN'S!!
Today we start our Christmas break from schooling. The next few days we will spend with family and friends celebrating the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ!
Erna has drawn us a festive Christmas tree picture and below, i'm posting a picture of the Solar System model the kids made from balloons! It fits right in with the rest of our Christmas decor!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a happy, happy new year!

Love, The Henn Family!

Happy Birthday!!

2011-12-12T14:29:00.001-06:00

Whooo Hoooo!! Yet another birthday here at the Hennhouse!! Happy Birthday Daddy!! You are the best dad I could ever ask for, and you are an amazing example to all those around you. You are a great teacher, mentor, singer, guitar player, tickle-giver, tucker in-er at bedtime, out loud reader, listener, talker, photographer, provider, protecter, decision maker, friend maker, cook-er, planner, get-'er done kind of person, encourager, writer, correcter, and so many other things I could sit here and write all day! You definitely have your moments, and your boiling points, but you come to see your sin quickly and apologize... =) I can't believe God let me have such a wonderful daddy, and I hope I can celebrate every birthday you have with as much fun as we celebrated your 41st!! Only 41 more years and you'll be 82!! I love you so much daddy and I'm so glad you you were born!!

I LOVE YOU DADDY!!! Post a comment to wish Buzz a Happy Birthday!!
~Bugg

Homeschool P.E.

2011-11-30T12:47:00.001-06:00

Some people do P.E like this.....

But we do P.E. like this....

Crabwalking around the house with a baby sitting on top of you builds arm, stomach, thigh and calf muscles. Not to mention, it is very good for the baby's balance. :) Go Oggie! Keep it up dude!!
~Bugg

Oh dear....

2011-11-27T14:50:00.001-06:00

Oh my. This is bad, very bad. :) I haven't posted in a very long time. I am really truly sorry, really I am. I could give you a bunch of lame excuses like, I have my own blog, school, we went to Florida, holidays....Wait, did I just say that we went to FLORIDA! Yep! And that is what I will write about today.
A couple of weeks ago, we woke up super pumped to get on an airplane and leave for Orlando FL!!! But, this is way to much to write, so I will pick from the 2000+ pictures my dad and I took and tell that way. :)

We spent the night in a hotel in Omaha, because our flight left at 7:00 the next morning. Our grandparents were there too! The next morning we woke up and groggily ate breakfast and loaded onto the shuttle. We were very, very tired. Thankfully, the only thing lost the whole trip was my mother's cellular device. Even though that was a big deal at the time, she got my dad's old one and it all worked out. smile....

God blessed us with a very easy flight, nobody was fussy, had ear trouble or got sick... Every thing was a breeze!! My other family (Aunts, Uncle, Cousins) were all flying different airlines, but we all landed in Orlando within 20 minutes of each other. Talk about a serious whoa.....

PS: They really are not kidding when they say mini pretzels...

Neither me, Erna, Oggie or Squeakers had flown before and Bear and Dash really don't remember it, and all I have to say is it was sooooo cool. And very very pretty!
We had to transfer flights in Georgia and that went smoothly, and the rest of the ride to FL was quick!

We met up with our cousins in the FL airport and let me tell you.... It was a very happy reunion! My cousin Bears( Same nickname as our Bear) brought 4 lightsabers so our boys and Bears were happily cuttting off eachother arms and using the force to slam each other into the walls. :) Just kidding!

As you can imagine getting a group picture was impossible. literally impossible. But our group was a pretty good size.... We had rented to 7 passenger vans for our 17 people (that's including 8 carseats and luggage and 2 strollers) and thankfully, when we got there the shocked car renter person gave us a 15 passenger and a 7 passenger. We had room to spare! That really was a huge (literally) blessing. We would have had to make 2 trips and check into the resort and then manuver back to the airport to pick up the remaining troopers.....Jeepers. Thank goodness we didn't have to do that.

We made a quick dinner stop at Cici's! Yum, all you can eat pizza/pasta/soup/salad/desert buffet. I think we need one of these in our neck of the woods....

The resort we stayed at was great! There was plenty of room and a full kitchen which was nice.

Well, that's all for now, but here is a preview of what is next.....And I promise I will post again soon...

~Bugg

Out and about...

2011-10-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

A couple weekends ago, my mom found a gift card for a restaurant that we had received and forgotten that we had. So they surprised us and we ate out! Our family loves to go on outings, whether it be going to church, to a friends house, even just to the park, but eating out is a special treat.. =) We had a great time and it was fun to eat dinner together in a different setting than the regular dining room table. After we ate, we decided to go to the Morningside College campus and take a walk. Boy, am I glad I brought the camera. There were so many good places to take pictures; fountains, tall evergreen trees, tall brick walls with ivy and flowers spilling all over them... If you ever need a good place to take a family picture, I would definitely recommend it. We took a pretty good distance walk, then went to the gym and ran around the track several times. It was very, very fun. Did I mention that's were my mom and dad met? They loved pointing out to us where their old dorms were and their parents old dorms. Yep, I had grandparents that met at that college too...weird....Here are some of the pictures from the night.

We are jumping off what my dad kept calling the 'spoon-holder', I don't know....It looked more like a horseshoe to me =) By the way... it took at least 7 tries to get this picture... just trying to get balanced took awhile..

I think my sister is just adorable, and so photogenic...

Mr. Dash is pretty stinkin' handsome too! I loved being with my family and eating with them and walking with them and being silly with them. =) It will be sad when we are all grown up and not together anymore...
I have to write about one more thing. Friday night we went to our friends the D's house and had a bonfire!! It was so much fun. They have a girl and a boy around my age, and they live on a farm! (Which is very fun and exciting for us 'city slickers' as my mom would say) While we were there we did a hilarious skit (it's our tradition) and told scary stories while sitting on fence in the dark. It was a great time of fun and fellowship and I wish I would have brought the camera and taken pictures. bummer. Anyway, have a great week and thanks for reading!
~Bugg

Fun in the Fall~Part 2

2011-10-18T11:20:00.001-05:00

See? I told you it would come! :) I am feeling very accomplished, because I actually followed through with a part two.....
A couple weeks ago, we went to an apple orchard with our friends the Nordstroms and the Etheringtons. We had a great time, the weather was perfect and the apples were amazing! When we got there we ate our packed lunch and set right out to pick apples!! After picking ~~too many~~ plenty of apples, sampling cider, and walking around the orchard for a while we were ready to go. But not ready to go home, oh no! The day was just getting started! After leaving the fruit farm we drove through a beautiful place called the Loess Hills. Really though, beautiful is not the word to describe this place, it was more like stunning, magnificent, breath-taking, marvelous, to name a few.....
Apparently, the Loess (pronounced Luss) Hills are a rare land form and the only other like it is someplace in China! Wow.... Impressive... We took a hike and had the privilege to marvel at the wonder of God's glorious creation. Here are some pictures from our delightful afternoon.

We got quite the kick out of seeing a (full) pack of gum hanging from this tree. It was weird...

All of the kids found sticks and posed with them, even Squeakers!! It was so fun to be with friends and enjoy the seasons, food, and weather God has given us!
A few days after picking apples, guess what we made? Apple Crisp!! It was the perfect way to use the apples we had picked and it was scrumptious! We have been very thankful for this lovely 60 to 65 degree weather, because in the middle of October, that can be pretty rare. Other than visiting friends and family, playing outside, and school work, the Hennhouse hasn't been up to much. Thankfully, that also means we haven't been to the E.R in a while and hopefully it stays that way. I will try (really try!) to post again soon. I know I get behind sometimes...
~Bugg
Oh, and by the way.... I started my own blog!! Here it is...
Dingy, but Loved =)

Boyz doing freestyle Tricks in the driveway

2011-10-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

A little taste of some of the tricks the boys have been learning to do in the driveway.

We also have some cool stuff they've done in the back alley with dirt ramps and stuff. No broken bones yet, but the bikes are taking a beating!

Fun in the Fall~Part One

2011-09-30T21:26:00.001-05:00

Oh my! So much has been going on since the last little update. We recently started football and the boys are LOVING it!! Playing football and being with friends is a perfect combo for them.

My friend Natasha (from the blog Unto Him We Live) took this last picture. It usually looks like this every Monday night at practice. Beautiful!!

Since July we have been working on a bedroom in the basement for Oggie, Dash, and Bear. About a week ago the boys started sleeping down there. Erna moved into the boys old room and I moved into her old room. It was quite the flip-flop and is still a work in progress. But it is wonderful to have all the boys in the basement and I am loving having my own room.....=)

Bear in his new Bed!!

In the mail the other day was a package with two very special things in it....

Dash and Bear's citizenship certificates!!

Although they were officially US citizens in 2008,

It has been a very long and tedious process to get the actual certificates. Even though it was fun to get those in the mail it was slightly confusing to some. Dash looked at mom and said, "But, Mommy, It's just a piece of paper." It reminded me that no piece of paper or official court date could ever make Bear or Dash more a part of the family as they have been or ever will be.
The final thing I wanted to write about is the wonderful Ethiopian experience we had last Sunday. It would take a bit too long to describe in words, and it was so wonderful and fun filled I don't even think I could describe it in words. =) Here are some pictures though....

Our hostess Senait did a marvelous job cooking plenty of Ethiopian food. She and her husband Ron did a fantastic job making you feel welcome at their house. My dad (who's been to Ethiopia a couple times) kept telling me it felt like being back in Addis! (The capital city)

Dash and Oggie were so into their food they could hardly pose for a photo!

My and my bud SUNSHINE!! (from the blog Room For More) If you want to read even more about the time we had eating and fellow shipping Ethiopian style, I would definitely check out that blog....
Well, I think that is the end of part one... Don't worry, Part two will come, soon!
~Bugg

A Little Update...

2011-09-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

Our chubby little Squeakers isn't so little anymore...... She is walking and running all over the house, and into everything. We have been calling her our little bird, because she looks like one when she waddles throughout our house. The last time we had a toddler in the house was when we brought 16 month Bear home in 2007. But how time flies! Now Bear is 5 and the basketball star of the Hennhouse! Anyway, we went to Grandview Park for a back to school picnic about a week ago and Squeakers was toddling all over the Bandshell, crawling all over the stairs and of course, posing for pictures. :)

She is just about as cute as they come!

This is her new look, we call it the Smolder. She pooches her lips then leans forward and smacks her face on your cheek. SO ADORABLE!

YUM! Mom found a subway gift card from Christmas that we didn't know we had. Score!
The day after my birthday (which was FABULOUS) we headed out for our annual Church Retreat. Our Uncle JT was the speaker this year so my Aunt Lea and my cousins were there...I didn't take a single picture (whoops) and I can't do justice trying to explain with words......But check this blog (Unto Him We Live) and you can read all about the wonderful time we had. Also, we are finishing a part of our basement as a bedroom and as I am writing the carpet is being put down. Eeeek! We are soooo excited to move bedrooms around and I will post pictures of it later....Thanks for reading this little update!
~Bugg

Fierce Tenacity

2011-09-12T22:59:00.002-05:00

I pretty sure my kids think their daddy is nuts. I tried to make this as dramatic as possible.

Bugg is turning thirteen

2011-09-08T00:41:00.000-05:00

It is really hard to not cry as we look at these pictures and think about how fast the time has gone by. Our first little baby was born 13 years ago! There are so many things we want to say about her and how special she is. Our family is so blessed by Bugg each and everyday. She has a special gift of serving and loving. Bugg is usually ready for a new challenge, especially if it comes to her in the kitchen or in the form of music. It is amazing to see how God is using her and we are even more excited to see what He has in store for her future!
Happy Birthday, sweet Bugg.

Please wish her a happy birthday!

Minnesota Vacation Memories

2011-09-04T16:15:00.002-05:00

This is a list the kids and I generated driving home from our vacation this summer. I wanted to log it on the blog to remember.

Tubing
Indian Pies and smores
Bathroom floor sand
laser guns
Nate/ butterscotch pie
Becca/ blue cupcake in the face
crafts at the lodge
Kaylee and daddy write a song about Nate and Becca
worship time on the beach
beach volleyball
lodge games(pool, PacMan, pinball, Deer Hunter)
checkers
"Big Boy" (mad dog down the lane)
hide and go seek in the dark
shopping for tea cups
going to town-getting birth stone rings at the Trading Post
Bella's Cafe-coffee......
eating Claira's fish she caught
Levi catching a rock bass
looking at the stars on the dock @night
deer on the side of the rode on the way to visit Papoose Bay
reminiscing @ Papoose Bay (swings, shuffle board, lakefront)
bare feet all week
skiing/ tubing and knee boarding on the "Shell Bell"
orange and grape soda in glass bottles at the lodge
bike rides
bike ramp off the side of the road near the golf course
riding in Jerry's Gator
sleeping with the windows open with a lake front breeze
double tubing with Logan/ Andrew and Kaylee
being near extended family all week long

Planting Trees.....

2011-08-09T11:22:00.001-05:00

Recently, our family just returned from a family vacation in Northern Minnesota. We do not take this blessing of a vacation for granted. We realize it is a gift to take a family of 8 anywhere for a week. God used our phone free, clock free, computer free, calendar free week to remind me of my calling to be a mom. This is my attempt to remember what God taught me last week.

Andrew Peterson wrote a song entitled: "Planting Trees". The words resonated with my heart as I was surrounded by the beauty of the Minnesota cedar and birch trees. God has given Layne and I six beautiful young saplings to take care of. Some of the lyrics of the song say, "So many years from now, long after we are gone these trees will spread their branches out and bless the dawn. These trees will spread their branches out and bless someone." Our hope and prayer is that these "young trees" will ultimately have roots that grow deep into the soil of God's Word and a love for the Lord.

God in His perfect timing has also given me some practical application as to "how" to nourish and encourage my kids. The book: Everyday Talk by John Younts is a great read! I had read it years ago and picked it up and flipped to the chapter 8 "Your Home is God's Greenhouse". I was reminded of the verse Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." If I am not encouraging and building up my children with my words, my words are considered to be corrupting.

This was convicting........I am praying for God's grace to help me to look for opportunities to find ways to encourage them throughout the day. This becomes a challenge when they are fighting and whining and complaining. My flesh wants to sometimes whine and yell back. This is a serious battle. I am trying to pretend that I put tape over my mouth and not respond until I pray. My prayer may be short, " Lord set a guard over my mouth.....Lord help me.....Lord help me to LOVE...Lord remind me of my own sin......I am asking Jesus to help me see my calling as a mom, to care tenderly for my trees. I long to use the short time they will be at home to nurture them in the ways of the Lord.

Lord, thank you so much for my children. Only by your grace can I love my children the way you love. Help me to bear with them when some of the days seem challenging. Thank you for gentle reminders of your love and goodness. Thank you for the lives of my children. I ask in your name, Jesus, that they would have strong roots that are clinging to YOU!

Tanya August 2011

Summer Days!

2011-08-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

Oh my, my, my. There is so much to write I have no clue where to start. We have had such an eventful summer. Squeakers turned one July 1st, our family anniversary was July 7th. I can hardly believe it's been four years since we brought Dash and Bear home. They bless our family in soooo many ways and I can't imagine life without them. That really is hard to imagine. For our Famiversary we went to LeMars and first went to the park and had a picnic and played for about an hour and a half. Then, we went to the Blue Bunny ice cream parlor and had a couple of yummy, yummy sundaes!!

God has definitely blessed our family greatly through adoption. And to think we even got surprise Squeakers on the end!
Since it has been a very hot summer we have been swimming at pools with friends, and a couple weeks ago we went to a water park! Unfortunately, because we were all busy swimming, there is not many pictures of that! On the 18th our friends who just recently adopted for Ethiopia came over for injera and wat. (Traditional Ethiopian food, similar to bread and stew.) We also invited an Ethiopian man over who we had just met at the Doctor's office. That was sooo much fun! Just this last week, we headed out to Minnesota for our family vacation!! This is something we look forward to all year long. All my mom's side of the family is there and we have so much fun. We can also get pretty crazy..... One of my favorite things is church on Sunday morning at the beach. My aunt Shelly and several of my cousins led the worship. There is nothing like being with family, but even better is when all worship God together. It is a wonderful feeling and really it doesn't do justice to try to describe it. Just all of us sitting there talking about what an amazing God we have, we were all teary eyed, but in a good way. We can come together and talk about our trials and hardships, but I don't remember one person who ended on a sour note. You can see God working in so many different ways, giving and taking away. He is so wonderful and awe filling.

We did all sorts of fun stuff but it would take a million words to write it all so I will just post some pictures.

TUBING!! One of our Fav activities! Got to love it!

Then one night we went to a resturant called The Logging Camp. It is very old fashioned, they serve all the meals family style and your plates and cups are tin. For desert they have fresh doughnuts! Very fun.

We had a great time!! Can't wait until next year. I could write about this 'til Christmas, but I won't! Thanks for reading my very, very long post! I hope you all have been having wonderful summers as well!
~Bugg~

Happy 1st Birthday!!

2011-07-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

Our little Squeakers just turned one yesterday! She is growing up to be such a big girl. Wednesday night we went to the mall to eat dinner, then went birthday shopping for her at Target. It was super easy shopping for her and only took us an hour or two. Thursday we spent the day finishing unpacking, ( we spent last week with our cousins in Chicago, more on that later...) cleaning the house, making cakes, and wrapping birthday presents. It was very hot so we went down to the swimming pool and swam! Friday was the PARTY!!! Squeakers was the star of the show all day long! Aunt Susie came over in the morning a brought doughnuts! Yum! She brings us doughnuts so often that she has been officially dubbed 'The Doughnut Lady'. Thanks Susie! We had blown up a little wading pool for Squeakers and she sat in that for most of the morning. I took ~~too~~ ~~many~~ plenty of pictures, she is very photogenic. :)

These next pictures are exactly a year ago. She has gotten soooo big in the past year, I can hardly believe it!

I just love my sister! I will post a few more pictures, if you don't mind..... In my opinion, pictures speak much better than words. :)

We had quite a bit of family and some dear friends come to celebrate with us. Thankfully, it was a beautiful night, despite the bugs and the kids played outside most of the time! We played freeze tag, soccer, cops and robbers, and did a skit! It was a very fun night. Squeakers had a cake all to herself, and she was very dainty with it. For the first two minutes she didn't hardly touch it! She eventually dug in and ate it though! We praise God for Squeakers every day and have no idea what our family would do without her! Post a comment to with Squeakers a Happy Birthday!!
~Bugg

Happy 7th Birthday!

2011-06-04T01:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, It's another birthday at the Henn House. This time it's Erna and she turned 7 today.
A bit different celebration for this one because of some other activities going in on our home today, but I am thinking she still fully enjoyed the day. She got to have a birthday breakfast of her favorites, pancakes and bacon. She opened presents. She played with her presents before going off to a wedding, seeing her brothers in tuxedos and her cousins from Chicago. She had cake (wedding cake, but cake none the less) and got to dance the night away at the reception. All in all, I'm guessing she had a pretty good day!
We love you very much, little Erna sunshine. You always have a special smile that can brighten us up in the hardest of times. I can't believe you are 7 years old!

Teeth, Teeth and More Teeth!!

2011-05-18T13:02:00.000-05:00

Or lack of teeth, I guess! =) About 2 weeks ago Dash lost one of his top teeth. Just yesterday Erna was riding off of a bike ramp in our driveway, but she didn't quite enough speed to make it all the way over. She flipped over and landed on her face! Her legs and knees are all scratched up and her upper lip is scabbed and red. Poor baby! But she looks soooo cute and her other top tooth is very, very wiggly. She hasn't stopped flashing her new toothless smile and whenever you see it you can't help but smiling too.

Both of the toothless kids! Are they adorable or what?!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's day Mommy! (A 2 days late) I hope that you had a great day and I meant to post this on Sunday. You are the best, most amazing, patient(most of the time) loving, caring, thoughtful, sympathetic, smiley, happy, playful, smart, mommy ever in a million years and I love you soooooo much. Thank you for all the work you do around the house laundry, cleaning, teaching, cooking, driving us around, doing projects with us, making our birthdays special, packing to go on trips, lesson plans...... But most importantly thank you for loving God with all your heart and leading us on the right path through his word, I have learned so much about loving God and serving others and relying on the true Savior through you. You aren't perfect or always a good role model but I still love you sooooooooo much. It is just one of those things you can't put into a word. I love you Mommy.

~Bugg~

Happy Birthday to my Sweet 10 yr old

2011-05-09T23:04:00.001-05:00

We are so blessed to be the parents of Oggie. He is such a sweet boy. He has such a gift of taking care of others. He is amazingly tender with his baby sister. He loves books and music, but also being active and playing sports. We see God working in his heart and he has a desire to learn more about Jesus. He is a deep thinker and has asked us many questions regarding the Bible and what faith is. We are looking forward to what God has planned for him this next year. Happy birthday sweet boy!

I LOVE YOU!
Mom

2011-05-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Today is a big day for Dash!! His top right tooth has been loose for days now, and it was finally ready to pull! Mommy is very brave, I highly doubt I could pull bloody, fleshy teeth out of somebody's mouth! So now Mr. Toothless is walking around the house showing everyone his new toothless smile! :) We love you buddy!!!!

~ Bugg~

Easter and other Hennhouse happenings......

2011-05-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

I have been planning to write a post since we got back from Minneapolis in March but as you can tell, I just hadn't gotten around to it. With that being said, it's good to be back to writing again. We went to Minneapolis in March and had a BLAST! We got to see our cousins, including little baby Bebo, who is just the sweetest little thing!

We all stayed in an empty house with only 2 bedrooms but it couldn't have been more fun.We were very greatful for a place(thanks to good friends of my Auntie L's) to stay where we could all be together and just hang out. With all the cousins jam-packed in there we were all bumping into each other and running around and being just plain crazy! There was this looooong staircase that all the kids were sliding down on their rears until somebody got hurt and then that game was done.

So the kids found other things to do such as....playing legos with a beloved cousin

Or coloring pretty pictures to hang on the fridge at home.......(By the way, even though almost everybody loves the Packers in our family, some family members a.k.a.Mom, Dash, Bear LOVE the Vikings. And since we were in Minnesota, Dash decided that is was the perfect time to don the purple vikings shirt, and I agree.)

Pausing for photos on the dangerous stairway.......

Holding little Squeakers................

Taking more random pictures................

Or maybe watch a short movie. As you can tell, we just adore our cousins. The next day we hung out at the mall and that was no short 2 hour trip to the mall, this was an all day thing. There were 10 adults and 9 kids so each parent took 2 kids or so and we called it good.

This is most likely the only thing Oggie really enjoys at the mall. He probably spent and hour or so in there!

The girls had a great time at the American Girl Doll store.

And Dad had a amazing time with his dear friend Mr. Chicken.
Just messing! There was this costume and magic trick store and this was in the doorway. I couldn't miss the chance of getting dad's picture next to this waaaaay larger that life sized chicken! :)

Me, Oggie, and Dash all got to climb on this huge(4 stories) climbing structure. None of us are afraid of heights so we made it to the top. Such fun!

We had a fantastic time with our family and can't wait to see them again!

We came back home and had no major things going on. I was in a play so my family came and saw me in that. I had sooo much fun doing it and the play turned out really well.

We went to our Grandparents house for Easter and dyed eggs, hunted for easter baskets and stuffed ourselves silly with ham and green beans and potatoes all made by my grandparents! yum!

We went on a walk to the Rose Garden and it was wonderful to see all the new life popping up all over. Spring!

It was fun dying easter eggs, but it was even more fun eating them!!

All in all, we have had a great past month or so. We had our friends over who just brought home their little girl from Ethiopia, and have been taking advantage of this warm weather and playing a lot outside.
Signing off :)
Bugg

Rabbit Stew

2011-03-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

Yum! This with some mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, now that's good eatin' right there! Oh, can't wait for dinner tonight!
Bugg

Overheard at the Hennhouse

2011-03-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

This morning I was making scones and Bear came up to me and said

"Bugg, I don't think I'll like those thorns you are making. I have never eated one before."

I have no idea where he got thorns but it was awfully cute!
Bugg

Chickens!!

2011-03-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

Today was an amazing (yet insane) day at the Hennhouse. This morning we all woke up extra early to get to a friends house by 7:30 am to help them with them with their new 24 hr old chicks. The chicks arrive in the mail and if they don't get water, they might die. So, Mrs. D went and picked up the chicks at the post office and by 7:30 we were there. We had a great time. You just pick up the chick, and dip its head in the water so that it swallows some. We almost had an assembly line going, pick up the chick, dip its beak in the water, make sure if drank some ( the chicks head will slightly shake and its beak will open and close) then after it drank had it to the person inside the area where the chicks were. The little chicks were adorable, it was like a little ball of yellow fluff, and they had the cutest noise. Sometimes you could even feel its heart beating! It got very crowded in the little coop so Bear and some other kids went and fed and did stuff with the horses. Everybody was SOOO well behaved and absolutely loved helping with it. It made us all want chickens..........Don't think that will happen. :)

You can tell we were just a little tired. :)

Bugg

Happy Birthday Bear!!

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

Today our Jesse Bear turns 5!!! Where has the time gone. Jesse was 15 months when we traveled to Ethiopia to bring him home, and he has grown up so fast. I will never forget his precious smile that melted my heart when I set eyes on him for the first time. He has a very gentle and quiet way about him. He is an observer and loves to snuggle. I am blessed to be his momma. Happy Birthday, Big Boy!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-03-05T13:13:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, March 6th, is my beloved mommy's birthday. She is an AMAZING mother, teacher, and friend. Mom has her moments but is willing to confess, forgive and listen. I love her soooo much. She puts up with all of our many 'moments', cooks, teaches, throws parties, does laundry, cleans up after us, and many, many other things.

This is the only picture of Oggie and mom together that I could find......

Post a comment to wish Ta a happy birthday!

make a difference

2011-03-01T23:41:00.001-06:00

This is a reference post to another blog of dear family friends. Thank you for posting this!

http://untohimwelive.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-can-make-difference-part-1.html

We have a Birthday Boy Today!

2011-03-01T07:04:00.000-06:00

Eight years ago today, our Dash was born! Today we celebrate and thank our Almighty GOD for giving us this precious child!! Leave a comment to let him know your wishes for his Birthday!

Gotta love the fist pump!

2011-02-22T12:41:00.002-06:00

Below is a video of our Jbear doing what he LOVES, basketball!!
This was during his final game and he had a great season. Check out the total package, he dribbles, he shoots, he scores!

Daddy gone- Part 1

2011-01-04T14:17:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 12:9~10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I wanted to start my blog post off with that verse, because without His grace and power, Dad going to Ethiopia and us staying here without him would have been impossible. Seriously impossible.
With that being said I will start rambling on about our many adventures here while daddy is in Africa.

all of his bags, ready to go!!

Our first day went very smooth. My Aunt Lea, Uncle JT and cousins Claira, Malachi, and Cecily (also their dog Jasper) Came over about 45 min after Dad left for the airport. That was a GREAT distraction to the first 36 hours of him being gone. After they left we headed to Target for and outing. We had all gotten giftcards there for Christmas so we packed a lunch and headed out the door. All of us in a store can be quite a sight, but Squeakers was and absolute angel and we didn't have any major issues. smile........

Dash loves to help, pushing the cart, stroller, you name it!

The day after that my Aunt LaRae, (dad's sister) Uncle Bob, Cousin Nate and his girlfriend Nutmeg came up for a visit. (Nutmeg is Not Nate's girlfriend's real name but just a nickname I came up with for her. Her real name is Megan) We had a TON of fun. Mom went to Panera and read her Bible for a while, when she came back she said she felt like a new woman! :)

That evening we had dinner and fellowship at a dear friends house. We had a blast!! They are currently in the process of adopting and have kids similar ages to us.

That is the end of Daddy gone-part 1 (hopefully there will be a part 2)!
Bugg

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-10T11:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! You are officially 40 years young! You are the best dad I could ever ask for! You are a mentor and guide, a musician and a teacher. Boy,can you make people laugh!

Buzzard's birthday was actually yesterday so we all went to his restaurant of choice, Archies. We had a GREAT time. And I hope he did too! Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

this isn't from archie's but I thought I should post it anyways.

Buzzard and his sister, LaRae.

Boy, did he enjoy that cake!!

Okay, this last pic has a story behind it. Greta, the woman in the middle of the picture is a very loyal reader of our blog! We ran into her at the restaurant while we were eating. It was weird, she knew all about us and even called us by our nicknames! We all felt pretty famous.

The morning of Dad's birthday we made a cake. It was SOOO good and we had a lot of fun with it. We also pretended to be elves and decorated a Christmas tree for my grandpa, who didn't have time to put one up this year.Here is a picture of it.

I made a popcorn string to go on it but I could only make one because Bear ate all the rest of the popcorn. We had a whole lot of fun decorating that tree.

Post a comment to wish Buzzard a Happy Birthday!
bugg

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2010-12-04T21:20:00.000-06:00

WHOOOOOHOOOOO! 21 days 'till CHRISTMAS!!! The Henn family is ready for it! Anyway, since Christmas is so very soon we put up our tree and decorated the house. And while decorating for other holidays might pass unnoticed, decorating for Christmas(or Christamas, as my piano teacher might say) does not. It could almost pass as another holiday in itself, (maybe not but whatever!) So, because pictures say 1,000 words, I will post some :)
.
Last week our family went to Minneapolis to celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas with my mom's side (grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles) We had a BLAST!! There is NO words in the world that could describe the fun we had. Here are some pics of that.


All the girl cousins (minus Squeakers) eating breakfast.

My cousin (on the right) is SO cute in everything she does!

THANKSGIVING!!!

Dad and Uncle JT took us to the closest YMCA.

all the cousins having a pj party.

             We had a ton of fun! But that's not the end of this long post :)
       I also have pics of our Christmas decorating party!
   Usually we set up the tree, then have our decorating but but this year we did it differently. This year, we had our traditional Jerry's pizza, and cookies the night we set up the tree, then this morning we had doughnuts and hot cocoa and decorated.

sprinkles, sprinkles, sprinkles!!

notice Dash and Buzzard in the corner. so sweet!

what do you think that he is thinking?!

It is always is sooo fun to post to the blog! Also, this is Squeakers first Christmas!!
Last thing, this video of Squeakers is ADORABLE. I have never seen (or heard) her laugh that hard.

Bugg

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-24T22:07:00.000-06:00

An eventful day!

We got the kids up REALLY early and headed out for our turkeyjerky day weekend. at 2:30 am the boys were rousting around in their bedrooms. So we decided to get underway. on the highway by 5am, trying to beat a winter storm. however we were slowed down a bit by a deer.

the chrome piece that was left here didn't make it must past this stop... the wind was blowing like mad, you can see how it shifted the cargo topper clear to one side.

The car ride was pretty smooth otherwise, only a few fights and none between ta and buzzard!

we made it, beat the storm and still had time to hit the the Christmas display downtown. it was so cool. The animated elves were fun for the kids to watch and SANTA! what a day. The kids are so excited to be with their cousins and they just crashed a few minutes ago.

2010-11-16T16:29:00.000-06:00

Goodness, blog posts are getting scarce aren't they? My fault. I planned on posting a while back but as you can tell I never got to it. Anyway......

We had a birthday party for our close friend Tatiana Beaver (she's now 13) Her family and 2 others came for stew and cake. So much fun!!! Happy really,really late birthday Tatiana!!

Oggie, Dash, and Erna had a piano recital. I wasn't there but I know for a fact that it sounded REALLY good. Dash and Erna just started, but Oggie has been playing for 3 years. They all are great musicians!

oggie

dash

erna

We also carved pumpkins!!! It is a tradition at our house. We started a new tradition too! Roasting the pumpkin seeds! They are SO good! And apparently they are healthy for you too. :)
About a week after that we went trick or treating for halloween. The weather was perfect and the candy was great, as usual.


my face looks weird because the texture of the pumpkin guts is not appealing.

Sadly, there is no pumpkin pictures because 2 of them got smashed/stolen. bummer.

I was a square dancer

Oggie was Robin

Dash was Batman

Erna was fairy princess butterfly

Bear was a football player. GO HUSKERS!!

Sweet little Squeakers was a bunny!

and last but not least (as she always will be) Squeakers is four months now!! She is getting chubbier by the second.

Bugg

Hennhouse Updates

2010-10-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's been almost a whole month since the last time anybody posted anything! That is just sad. Because you know in a month at the hennhouse a lot can happen..... So this will be a fairly long post. :)

In september we went on a church reatreat at Twin Lakes Christian Center. It's a great place with a lake, zipline, climbing wall, ball pit, just lots of entertainment. We all had a really great time and it was nice to just get away and hang with all of our friends! The only thing is I don't have any picture of it so you're going to have to just imagine it in your head. bummer.
Also in September we went to the Fairview schoolhouse with some homeschool buddies. That was super fun. We all got to dress up in old fashioned clothing, bring a praire style lunch, and sit in those fun desks that are nailed to the ground! And luckily I do have some pictures of that.

I say we make a great group of pioneers!

Just a couple more things. Earlier this month we went to this GREAT resturant called the Black Bear Diner. It was great to have family time together and we all had fun eating out.
Here are the pics.

what a great idea! you can sit over here and read books while you wait for your food!

Isaac and I sharing a milkshake

And last but not least, Squeakers is 3 months now!! she is getting sooo big! I just have post some pictures of her!

Bugg

Blue Poem

2010-09-10T10:25:00.001-05:00

Oggie wrote a poem and we wanted to share it with everyone.

Blue looks like a blue whale jumping out of the bright blue ocean.

Blue sounds like a fluffy blue jay chirping in the woods.

Blue feels like a cold blue lake splashing under my feet.

Blue smells like a fresh blueberry pie hot out of the oven and

tastes like blue cotton candy melting in my mouth!

A dozen years have past!

2010-09-08T07:14:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it but my baby Bugg is already 12 years old today.
Leave her a birthday wish in the comments!
Happy Birthday little bugg, Love, Daddy!

She was age 3 and now 9 years later...

just plain silly

2010-08-27T21:58:00.000-05:00

Bugg and her buddy have been messing with the video camera.

this is the silliness that i found... enjoy!!

Vacation.....

2010-08-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh......relaxation, blissfulness, no scary E.R trips. How much better can it get? Yes, vacation is prime time. We had a great time on our little trip this year. Even though some of us (smile) didn't get much sleep! We had a great time just kicking back with no agenda, swimming, tubing, skiing the list just goes on and on. Giggles did great too, she had lots of cousins to play with! We also found a stray cat at the resort this year, Erna and her cousin Claira named it Sallie Jo! But to their dismay it wasn't actually a stray cat, it was the neighbors missing cat. bummer. Oggie and I both got up on skis this year and had a blast knee boarding! Bear, Dash, and Erna loved tubing. Erna, cousin Claira and I had a girls night, we watched a movie, made a tent, and had popcorn! Cousin Natalie brought her friend and she loved our crazy family.( I think) Our cousins the Taylors, Aunt Jaimee, and grandma and grandpa, and our family all went out to eat one night at a restaurant called, The Logging Camp. They serve the food family style on tin plates and you drink out of tin cups! It's almost like living on the prairie! Here are some pictures...

Erna in her purple car!

are you talking to me?

what's better than homemade doughnuts?!

All the cousins watchin' a movie

Korah: A repost

2010-08-10T23:50:00.000-05:00

Our friends the Nordstroms are adopting from Ethiopia and have a blog, too.
They posted about Korah today and I'm reposting here on our blog because it is so so powerful and moving.
http://nordstromsadopt.blogspot.com/2010/08/korah.html

Korah is a community outside of Addis Ababa where the outcasts of society live. (Read more about Korah by clicking here.) Korah is located at the Addis trash dump. The outcasts who live there are the lepers, the poor, the orphans, and the widows. When you stop to think of what a trash dump must be like in a 3rd world country, it is staggering. And to think of people living there, trying to have their physical needs met by what they can scavenge day after day, it is difficult to contemplate.

The videos included below are both about Korah. They both show the sobering need among these people. They also raise a lot of questions. How can we meet the needs of so many people? What about their spiritual needs too? Do we just try and meet their physical needs first, then work towards meeting their spiritual needs? How do we balance all of this? What would Jesus do? What does Jesus want us to do? These are the questions that roll around in our minds.

Ordinary Hero~ A day in the trash dump in Ethiopia from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.

HT: R Nordstrom

Overheard at the Hennhouse.....

2010-07-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

Recently we had some close friends come over to play at our house. They brought there bulldog, Duncan, over for a short visit also.

Dash: "Mom, Mom!!"
Ta: "What buddy?"
Dash: "Duncan just peed on the pasta's!" (hosta's)

Also, Ta and Buzz just celebrated their 15th anniversary on July 22nd! They are the best parents in the whole world and I am so glad that they met each other! Ta told me that on there wedding day a friend said to them, " Someday I just know that you guys are going to have 5 or 6 kids!"
Ta and Buzz cracked up and never thought that there 15th anniversary present would be precious little Giggles! But they were wrong about that, and I don't think that they regret it!
Bugg

Extreme Makeover ( Roof Edition)-Day 1

2010-07-15T16:43:00.001-05:00

Extreme Makeover-Roof Edition is the biggest project ever to go on at the hennhouse. I mean we have had little projects like new closet door and porch windows but nothing ever like this. Wednesday we had an extremely big truck deliver shingles, tar paper, and all that good stuff.
We were all very excited and a little bit scared of that huge truck....

This is Ta's "very happy" face


cheezin'

Then at about 6:30 this morning I woke up to this sound: Beep, beep, beep, beep.

No, it wasn't my alarm clock; is was the sound of a truck backing into our driveway. But, it was no ordinary truck, it was the dumpster truck!


That is what I call a garbage can!

Here are some more random pics....


Sunshine, (from the awesome blog Room For More) having a great time cutting watermelon. YIKES!!


Me grilling hot dogs. Yes, grilling


That's our ROOF!

There will be more crazy adventures to come!
Bugg

Holding new baby sissy for the first time.

2010-07-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

Each of the kids got to meet their new sister for the first time and hold her. They were very excited and sweet to watch knowing how much they were looking forward to this addition to our family! The last picture i took very spontaneously as they were all hovering over her as mommy was getting her blanky all snug around her. I will have to get a better shot of all 6 when we get home.

SHE'S HERE!! Lilly Joy Henn

2010-07-01T18:40:00.002-05:00


She's here!! Lilly Joy Henn, Born 4:27pm on July 1, 2010. 7 lbs. 6.3 oz, 19.5 in.

What a beautiful day!! We are so excited and she is gorgeous!! Thank you everyone for all your prayers!!

Picture of us while mommy is still pregnant

2010-07-01T11:48:00.001-05:00

Here's a couple pics that I thought we'd share to show our changing family!

I'm Gonna Get a Sister!

2010-07-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick update. My mom is in Omaha and the baby just had her lung testing, which she passed with flying colors! So in ten minutes my mom will be heading up to labor and delivery to have our precious little sister! We are so excited and ready for chick #6!
Bugg

37 weeks ago...

2010-06-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Tanya and I had a babysitter and a date to go out to eat and see a movie. However, Tanya had not been feeling that great. We needed to stop at Target for some things, so we went there first. On our way there she tells me that she may want to get a pregnancy test. I remember being so non-nonchalant about it, almost laughing, like "wouldn't that be hilarious!"
She decides to use the restroom right there in the pharmacy at Target. From outside the door i hear her exclaim, "Wow, that was quick!" Not quite enough information...
She comes out of the door holding the stick with a really bright PLUS SIGN!!
WOW- #6!! by now we are both laughing hysterically in the Target Pharmacy.
So here we are, 37 weeks later, ready to go deliver our 6th child.

If it wasn't crazy enough around here, it's about to get even CrAAzzIeR!!

Hens in a Hennhouse

2010-06-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

My new favorite animal is a chicken! A good friend bought them over today and the kids were mesmerized! The pictures pretty much explain everything but there is one hidden detail....
At the same time my aunt Susie brought doughnuts! Chickens and doughnuts, how much better does it get?

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm quiet of a sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of eagle's flight,
The joy of morning in the spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it...
Dad
We love you dad! Thank you for loving us so much and also pointing us to the best father of all, The Heavenly Father. We couldn't have asked for a better daddy!
Bugg

Poem's author: Unknown

Overheard at the Hennhouse.....

2010-06-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Bear: Kaywee, I can't swim witout my goggles!
Bugg: Why not?
Bear: Cause the shween (chlorine) will burn me!

Happy Birthday Erin!!!

2010-06-07T20:39:00.002-05:00

Our little Erna is growing up so fast! She turned six years old on June 3rd, or as she used to say, June "Fird"! Erin is a happy, bouncy, joyful little girl with a loving sisterly heart! She also eagerly awaits the day her younger sister will be born. We are so blessed to have Erna in our lives, they would be very dull with out her! The day of her birthday we went to Applebee's with grandma and grandma and then went home for cupcakes and don't forget the presents! On Saturday we had an all girl, very fancy princess tea party. Me, Isaac and my friend Maddie made a ballet shoe cake which I think turned out pretty cool! Here's some pictures of the party, she had a BLAST!
Post a comment to wish Erna a Happy Birthday!
Bugg

A very thankful birthday girl!

Her lovely ballet cake

This is Erna when she was about 18 months! She was an artist even then!

God has Blessed us with a beautiful princess!


I just had to add this picture, it's SO her!

Ground Squirrels....

2010-05-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, in honor of our dear friends that are moving to Hungary, we had a breakfast picnic at riverside park. We decided to catch some ground squirrels. This is the video where we capture it.... more to come

Isaac's Birthday!

2010-05-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Isaac!! Iceman's birthday party was complete with wounds, weapons, and lots of fun! The theme was "A Cardboard Weapon Party" and the boys absoulutley loved it! Of course every good party has to start out with an injury. Levi was trying to cut out a sword with a razor blade and sliced his finger! Ouch! It probably should have been stitched but the doctor from the ER gave us some medical glue for future emergencies when Ernie went to the ER. Here are also some pictures from the fun filled party. Me and my buddies made cardboard purses instead of weapons!

Post a comment to wish Isaac a Happy Golden Birthday!

Overheard at the Hennhouse.....

2010-05-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

Kaylee: " Hey Jess, where did you go today?"
Jess: " To da gym"
Kaylee: " Jim who?"
Jess: " Not Jim! To Gym-nac-stics!"
That was our dinner conversation for the night!
K

Day 1 - CAFO Summit VI

2010-04-30T07:57:00.001-05:00

We are at the Christian Alliance for Orphans in Mnpls, MN.
What an Exciting, Spirit-filled, challenging and exhausting day we had!
The morning session was very good, with some keynote speakers introducing themselves and their heart for adoption. There was a guy their named Peder Eide that led worship. He was amazing and he shared some stories about his family and how God used orphan ministry to change his heart. He sang this song called "Why wouldn't I". I didn't know if I'd ever stop crying from this one.
Then, we hooked up with some friends from Estherville, Iowa who are adopting from Ethiopia. They just received their referral and are awaiting a court date. Their 2 new kids will be home with them some time around July, Lord willing.
We spent the morning and afternoon in and out of breakout sessions. The one that most impacted me was Tom Davis, author of Fields of the Fatherless, talking about engaging youth and college age kids for reaching out to orphans and engaging in orphan ministry. It was so exciting to hear him tell about how God has used orphans to teach middle school kids about Christ and having a relationship with a savior. But it all happened by doing. Going to an orphanage, or developing a project that brought help to an orphanage, or something tangible that kids could do. One ministry called Both Hands is an amazing ministry. You have to go to their website. Read the story, that will help you understand :)
The most difficult part of the day was a session about child trafficking. Girls especially are being exploited all over the world in this horrific evil. Tom Davis, again, shared ministry opportunities with this from sites like Not For Sale and his new book Priceless.
For supper, we gathered all of our friends that joined us at the conference, (Nordstroms and Beavers and Estherville Friends) and went to our FAVORITE ethiopian restaurant, FASIKA's. This was no easy task, because we were in Eden Prarie, MN and had to travel to St. Paul, with 2 cars and 17 people and mega 5pm traffic. We lost the Beavers at one point, but we smacked our tails on the pond (using cell phones) and they found us. It was so fun. JJO met us there and ordered for everyone. The food was amazing, the fellowship was very fun, because they have never eaten authentic Ethiopian Food before.
FINALLY, we headed back to the Summit site and got to hear Mary Beth Chapman and Steven Curtis Chapman speak about how Christ has moved their family through the loss of their sweet Maria Sue. SCC performed. HE WAS INCREDIBLE. I am in awe of the incredible talent that God has given him. He stood up there with just his guitar, after hearing his wife pour out her heart about their daughter who is now in heaven and then sang SO beautifully and just worshiped with all of us in the room. It was an amazing experience that these words can not express. I REALLY MISS OUR KIDS right now, and I'm so thankful to my parents and Tanya's parents for taking such good care of them! Thank YOU!!

Now for some pictures.

Another busy weekend in the books

2010-04-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well, if you haven't already noticed, we have turned our little Kbugg into a blogger. She is better at keeping things updated on here than either of us, so it's good to get her writing on here and fun to see her perspective on the henn-life.
Saturday's culminating activity to wrap up a hectic day of mowing, bike-rides and grocery shopping was a doozy. Let's just say we now know why one of our children has the letters E.R. in her name. She has officially made the most trips there of anyone in our family. Her tally is at 4. 2 lacerations, a collision with an aluminum bat and a dislocated elbow.
Below is a picture of the latest trip. She tripped and hit the corner of the fridge...YEOWWCH!

The same Dr. was there that recently glued her laceration near her right eye, so he came in, called her by first name, and proceeded to glue it shut. We then made our way over to the DQ for a strawberry shortcake blizzard. That seemed to smooth things over pretty well. many thanks to bopie and bompa, who left the movie theater, met us at the ER and took the boys too a concert! She then came home, bathed everyone for church and got them too bed! HUGE BLESSING!

Sunday was a MUCH better day, way less eventful. Church was great, girls got some shopping in afterwards, while boys went and hunted down some MEAT for lunch (BK Buck Doubles...YUM). Headed home for naps, while mommy and daddy had a lunch date at applebee's (our fave). Kaylee had a concert tonight at Eppley for Philharmonia... it was VERY good, they got a semi-standing ovation. (pictures to come). Headed home for some ice cream cones and put kids to bed.

Short week this week because we are excited to go to Minneapolis for adoption conference!
MUCH thanks going to meemaw and bumpaKK for covering Thurs and Fri at our house this week!

Fridays are Always Fun

2010-04-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

Friday night we had our friends the Millers over to talk about adoption and eat strawberry shortcake! In my opinion those two things go perfectly together! The Millers have a girl my age and then another girl Iceman's age. We had a great time doing fun skits( The Hippie invasion and The war of the Popstars) and I think the adults had a pretty nice time talking! Also just some random updates: Sunday I have a Philharmonia concert, I am super excited! Then Tuesday mom has a doctor appointment with this Egyptian doctor from Sioux Falls. Please pray that this appointment will go well! One more thing we are counting down the days to is Iceman's Golden Birthday!!! He is turning 9!! I think that is all the news from the hennhouse for now! Thanks for reading!

K

3-D ultrasound!

2010-04-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

Today mom had her 3-D ultrasound! The whole family went with her and we were in awe the whole time! It was really cool to see the baby move and to see what she looks like before she's born, technology these days blows my mind! This is mom's last ultrasound unless something goes wrong so it was neat to go with for the last one! We also saw that the baby is not breach, PRAISE GOD!!!
Have a great day!
K

Just Some Updates!

2010-04-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd just post some updates because if I don't post them nobody will! Friday night we went to the circus. It was super fun and were very tired when we got home. There were tons of great acts, but some outfits were a little strange, otherwise it was great! Saturday, me and E had a violin playdate and we had so much fun! That night we went to international night at our church and brought injera and wat.(An ethiopian dish, the injera is like bread and the wat is like stew) We had missionaries who talked that night. It was so moving and good for me to hear! Today the missionary talked for church, and did a sermon on how we are just jars of clay and God is the treasure inside of us! It was amazing! Tomorrow mom has her 3-D ultrasound and we all get to go with her! Well, I think that is all the updates I have for right now but if I have any more I will post them! Have a great day!
K

A New Layout

2010-04-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Easter and the treehouse.This is my first time doing this so I hope everything turns out ok. We also got a new background on the blog( you probably already noticed that!) Isaac has a soccer game tonight and we also have to clean the church! There is not much to update on but I thought I should post something so we don't go three months without a blog post as we have before! Ha Ha! Have a great day!
K

Tree House!!!!!!

2010-04-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

Yes!! I am so excited to start posting on our family's blog!!( This is Kaylee by the way) We had a GREAT Easter and spent time in Cherokee with my grandparents on my dad's side. Cousin Nate planned a awesome egg hunt and all of us kids were eating candy and bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day! We got home from there at about 9:00 and hit the hay. This morning we all woke up and rushed outside to finish the tree house we started on Friday. We've been out there all morning and it is coming along pretty well so I thought I'd post about it! Mom has been feeling pretty good but has been having contractions lately. Yikes. Otherwise we are SUPER excited for our new baby sister!! We have a ton of names that we like. My favorites are: Eliana, Lily, or Ivy. Names have become a topic of major discussion at our house. Ha Ha! Well I think that's all I have to write about for now. Have a great day!
Kaylee

happy Birthday J-bear!

2010-03-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that we have ANOTHER birthday to celebrate in March. We did this one up right with a trip to see cousins in Illinois! A trip that included a waterpark hotel, Shedd Aquarium and nonstop fun for 3 days! The J-bear knows how to turn 4! He had an awesome party with a dinner out at Sweet Tomatoes, Dinosaur cake, balloons (which the dog loved!) and every batman imaginext toy you can find. Write a comment to wish J-bear a happy birthday!
L

Happy Birthday T

2010-03-07T00:10:00.000-06:00

We packed a ton of stuff into this day! Some big stuff and a few little things.

It started at 7am when we heard the kids all whispering in the kitchen...K and I had organized a "Breakfast in Bed" for Mommy's b-day! It was so sweet!

We had to have everyone at L and E's first soccer game of the season. They are the big boppers and they were taking on their arch rivals the banana pops! It was a grueling game. back and forth, kicks in the shins, utter mayhem and constant laughter (by the parents)! They had so much fun. Levi has been sick the last few days, but you'd have never known it watching him jump around on that floor today. Erin was goalie for a while, she did great, but forgot to watch the game a little bit!? oops.

Next, Mommy had a birthday lunch with Aunt Shelly and daddy headed home with the crew to make mommy's cake and get the house ready for her birthday dinner. See pictures to get a jist of how my angel food cake turned out :(

Fed the kids hotdogs for lunch, that was easy....

We had to practice for singing in church tomorrow, so we met the praise team at church by 1pm (it was a no-nap day for little ones). Kids ran around the church while we sang for about 2 hours. Got done there and went over to pick up Levi's new glasses!! He is so cute with his new specs and is very excited that he can see the letters in the books more clearly! He came home and showed me how well he can color now that he has his new glasses.

Mommy and K went and did a little shopping, daddy went home to remedy the cake mess and try to put the finishing touches on the awana grand prix cars that need to be handed in tomorrow.

We had a great b'day dinner of Roast Beef AuJus from the CrocketyPot and the store bought angel food cake fit the bill perfectly.

Isaac went to a Bandits game with a friend, and Mommy read to the kids on the couch until about 7:30. Kaylee and I finished up her car and when Isaac came home we got his done.
It's 11pm and I'm ready to call it a day.

Happy Birthday

2010-02-27T09:58:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday to LEVI!!!
He turns 7 and I can't believe how big he is getting.
We have a big today with party, presents, and CAKE!!
Wish Levi a Happy Birthday by leaving a comment!!
thanks,

L

Daddy Daughter Date Night 2010

2010-02-22T22:39:00.004-06:00

What a fun night we had together. It is so fun to treat these girls to a special night out and show them how it feels to be treated like a princess! First, we get all dressed up and take these pictures. Then we load up in the car, and head to the Long Lines event center. They had a huge turnout and it was fun for us to see all the girls' pretty dresses and some of the dads go all out with tuxes and top hats. They had a really good dinner with fancy serving tables, plates and cloth napkins. Then, our favorite part, the dancing. We did the electric slide, the boogaloo, the twist and let's not forget the chicken dance!

Let's not forget those boys. No, they didn't get all dressed up, they didn't dance, but they did have a date. Mommy treated them to a fun night of throwing peanut shells on the floor and getting stuffed at Texas Roadhouse!

We got elfed...

2009-12-21T18:01:00.002-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

artwork

2009-12-05T23:55:00.002-06:00

We get about 4-or 5 pictures a day from Erin. She loves to draw and the artwork is precious. I have the scanner hooked up to my laptop, so I thought I would share this one, since we just got our first snow...not enough for a snowman, but....

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:55:00.002-06:00

Today,
Our family is thankful for time to be together and relax with G'pas and G'mas and cousins!!
Enjoy your day today and be thankful to GOD for his everlasting goodness and mercy.

The Henn's

Boo!

2009-10-31T23:21:00.003-05:00

Why Adopt from Ethiopia?

2009-10-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

Adoption Sunday is coming!!! November 8th, 2009.
What are you going to do? Check your calendar...
http://www.orphansunday.org/

READ THIS: http://www.orphansunday.org/media/documents/59b1f8cc-72df-62f4-514c-70978d3f51a8/10WaysPoster.pdf
Put a poster in your Church, Office, Grocery Store? Print bulletin inserts?

Ethiopian Orphans from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.

Flag Football season 2009

2009-10-05T22:15:00.004-05:00

I put together a little video of some of the highlights from this years football season. So much fun! He is number 32. He got to play almost every position.

From Video

Trusting in the Lord, Not Self

2009-10-05T06:28:00.002-05:00

Jeremiah 17:5-7

"Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord."

When my life gets even more crazy and busy than usual, my time in the Word of God suffers! This verse explains in word pictures what happens. I am trying to really imagine what it would be like to be in a parched place in the wilderness.........an uninhabited salt land..............I am definitely thinking a very THIRSTY ME! God's word is the LIVING WATER. I am so thankful that God reminds us as, his children, we will be blessed when we trust in Him!

Today my "to do" list seems very overwhelming. (kids out the door, watching a newborn, homeschooling, laundry, changing out closets from summer to winter, cooking meals) If I trust in my own strength I am already feeling parched and thirsty. I feel overwhelmed and lacking joy. However, AFTER reading God's word, I am encouraged and dedicated to confessing my sin of self dependency and lack of a reliance on Christ! God's word is true and right. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord."

Where do I start?

2009-09-16T21:21:00.004-05:00

The last few weeks of our lives have been so hectic, but fun, it's hard to know where to start.
I can think of a good start, Our dear little Kbugg turned 11! She had such a good birthday and her school year is getting off to a good start, because she recently auditioned and was accepted for Philharmonia of the Sioux City Youth Symphony! She was very excited!!
We did our first family camping trip with the camper in Adel, Ia over Labor Day. This was a TOTAL blast! We spent three days and 3 nights in the camper! We visited Living History Farms and got to slop the hogs!! The kids loved it, met lots of new friends and were so sad when we had to put camper down and pull away! We are going to try to get one more camping trip in during fall, (Sure hope the heater works!)
Just returned from Twin Lakes Christian Center from our Church's Annual fall retreat. This was 2 nights and we had great teaching from Pastor Tom Steller, but awesome worship and tons of fun on waterslide into the lake, archery, paintball war, rock-wall climbing, and amazing food!
Isaac and Levi have been asked to be OFFICIAL WATER BOYS for the 2009 USHL Fall Classic
So, I guess we are going to be catching some Hockey!!
We are about half-way through Isaac's football season, so fun to watch 7 & 8 year olds play this game!!
I'm posting some pictures below, hopefully these shots will be worth thousands of words :)

A very hectic month

2009-08-29T00:30:00.002-05:00

There are about a hundred posts to write just for this month. However, that is NOT going to happen.
Here's a list of events since the last post in July...
Layne finished School Law class in 3 weeks instead of 4, so he could go on vacation and enjoy it.
Our family loses a good friend to cancer
Erin has fever and goes on antibiotics
Vacation in Northern Minn.
Layne and 3 kids get Staph Infection while on vacation (no, I won't be posting pictures)
Tanya's cousin gets married, 2 of our kids in wedding party :)
School starting for Layne (teachers return)
Layne still healing from MRSA (staph infection)
Kids Start school
Isaac starts football
Isaac fever
Layne starts 2 more classes
Garage Sale
Erin starts the Cello
Switch banks
more to come....

Freed to visit orphans (Ethiopia)

2009-07-24T09:37:00.004-05:00

Watch the video below and then visit this website.
http://lookdevelopmentethiopia.blogspot.com/
or
If you would like to sponsor a child please call Amanda at (406) 446-1648 or email matthewdesarro@hotmail.com You will receive a packet including a photo of your child, and an introductory letter about how to get started on this journey of love, hope and relationship with your child. All contributions to Look Development and Hope Ranch are tax deductible.

ht: Justin at http://theologica.blogspot.com/

Omaha Zoo

2009-07-20T22:13:00.003-05:00

Sunday we drove my friend Alison to the airport. She was visiting from Michigan last week. After dropping her off we motored on over to the zoo. Layne's cousin is an employee there and gave us a very up close and personal tour of the aquarium. The kids marched with the penguins, touched the scuba gear used to clean the tanks, visited the kitchen where the SHARK food is prepared.

We are always so thankful to the Lord , for special times and memories made as a family. It was also a very wonderful way to introduce Levi to new vocabulary words. He now knows exactly what a swamp is and what a fruit bat looks like. I had no idea they would be sooooooo BIG in person. Small dogs with wings is how I describe them. Ha!

pop a wheelie

2009-07-12T11:14:00.006-05:00

The kids came up with this on their own!!

"Famiversary"

2009-07-11T00:09:00.002-05:00

7-7-07 we became a family of 7! So every year we celebrate this day on July 7th. This year we loaded in the Yukon and drove to the beach in Spirit Lake. We discovered it was family night at the water park conveniently located next to the beach and got in at a fraction of the cost. (Always a huge plus for a large family!!) We ended the night eating at a fabulous local restaurant, Boz Welz. We all ate burgers, fries, and chicken. The waitress brought us homemade icecream with a candle in it and we sang "Happy Famiversary" to ourselves. Cheezy, but fun and memorable.

We have been very blessed in the last two years. We continue to learn how to depend more on our faith in the Lord Jesus. We are thankful to see how far we have come in bonding together and we look forward to more in the future.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T09:09:00.002-05:00

Righteousness Is Sown In Peace

2009-06-30T07:52:00.002-05:00

James 3:17-18
"But first the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

This verse jumped out at me this morning. As many of you faithful readers know, we grew our family through the wonderful journey of adoption almost 2 years ago. We are blessed by the addition of our sons. There have been however some issues of attachment. Our children by birth have also had many adjustments.

Isaac and Levi are struggling with bonding together. After receiving some Christian counseling last fall we began what we call, "Super Fun Time". This is a time that we carve out to interact and play with the boys together. We are actually the mediators and teachers. We are trying to teach them to play peacefully and lovingly. Lately with our busy lives we have not been focusing on this.

Recently we had anger issues resurfacing. Yesterday I attempted to try to resume "Super Fun Time". It was a disaster...........Ugh! Fighting, tattling, selfishness, anger. All with me in the room trying to help. I ended up sending them away because I was so frustrated. Some days it feels like so much work.

The part of this verse that resonated in my soul was that a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. I looked up the definition of righteousness: morally upright; in accordance with virtue or morality. I long for a "harvest" of these qualities.

I want to press on being a peacemaker in my home. To make time to help my children be peacemakers. This takes time and attention on my part. I need to slow down, let the daily "to do" list go and just be more available emotionally for them. I really do tend to just "get through the day" so often.

Today I am asking the Lord to help me be gentle, open to reason, peaceable, full of mercy, impartial and sincere. I definitely need the GRACE of the LORD to do this. I am thankful for a powerful God!

If there are any of you readers out there that have some ideas for us as "date" ideas for two active boys struggling to get along and see themselves as brothers, could you please post them! Lincoln logs and Legos are getting old!

Thanks for stopping by,
Tanya

It Is God Who Arms Me With Strength

2009-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Psalm 18:31-32
"For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Colossians 3:2
"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."

Our family just returned from a wonderful weekend get away at my sister's house in Minneapolis. (pictures in future post) I always struggle with facing reality when we get home. Things like unpacking, laundry, kids who are tired and grouchy, phone calls to return, a schedule to pick back up..............

As the house is still quiet, I have by His grace started my day in the Word of God. He spoke to me in such a gentle way. I need him for the strength not only to do my daily tasks, but to do them in a way that brings Him glory. I most fear my sin of anger. I don't want to get mad at my kids today........Getting back into the swing while dealing with five little ones in a manner that is gentle and peaceful seems so hard.

The truth is however, it is GOD who arms his children with strength. God wants us to succeed in His ways of love, patience, gentleness and self-control. I have these verses written on cards to tuck away in my pocket today. I hope to read them and pray them as I face the day.

Deuteronomy 4:29
"Seek the Lord your God and you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Springfield Ilinois

2009-06-21T22:15:00.006-05:00

During our time in Springfield, we stayed in KOA camping cabins. Our cabin had a loft on each side. This is the girl's loft. They played "Little House on The Prairie" each night before bed. It was precious. I am always so thankful for time spent with my sister and family. We did miss ourother sister, Jaimee on this trip. Maybe next time......

Chicago

2009-06-21T21:48:00.005-05:00

We had such a fun time at my sister's house in Chicago. We went into the city to Shed's Aquarium. In this picture the kids are at the penguin exhibit. We first saw the real ones and then they pretended to be penguins as they dressed in penguin suits and slid down icy slides.

After a few days in Chicago we all packed up and traveled to President Lincoln Land, Springfield Illinois. We camped at KOA camping cabins and visited Lincoln's home and a wonderful Lincoln museum. It was very educational, but also interesting and fun for all ages.

Erin Turns FIVE!

2009-06-21T21:34:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe Erin is five. She had a "Tinkerbell" party. We just invited grandparents and family. We left the next day for Chicago to visit my sister Lea and family. That's another blog post..........
We have been crazy busy. Layne is taking two classes in June that go towards his principal endorsement. He is studying every night. This is my first attempt to upload a picture to the blog.

Happy Birthday, 8 year old

2009-05-09T22:38:00.004-05:00

It was a great day to turn 8 years old.
An awesome party at Stone Park with friends, a hike, hot dogs, baseball, and an obstacle course. Lots of presents, lots of family and lots and lots of Fun!!
Happy Birthday little buddy!

Snow on May 5th, 2009

2009-05-05T23:16:00.005-05:00

It was a very odd storm, but the kids thought it was pretty cool.
Almost like having a snowstorm in the summer.

The kids made the video below to share the experience.

Ethiopia Memories

2009-05-05T17:44:00.002-05:00

We were watching it rain and hail this morning as we sat on the couch and looked out our picture window into the backyard. We could hear the forceful rain on the roof. I asked Levi if he remembered it raining in Ethiopia. He said that when it rained Abahba (this is the word he uses to refer to his birth father) would check to see if the grass fell off the roof. He would put it back if it fell off. Here is a direct quote I recorded, "Abahba would get on the roof and fix it. Get some more hay and put it in the hole."

Sometimes the reality that my son lived in a hut in Africa with a grass thatch roof, hits me like a ton of bricks. I could just picture him cold and wet watching his Ethiopian father patch a roof with hay. Words really don't express my feelings. I just am reminded that God is the author of our destiny and I am blessed to be a mother to my children. We are blessed by the beautiful road of adoption and the ways we experience our Lord in a deeper way. All of our children our His, lent to us for a short time. Let's make the most of the time we have with them before they are grown up and living out God's plan for their lives.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tanya

Ethiopia Update

2009-05-04T06:32:00.003-05:00

Wow! God is really doing something in the area our boys were born in Ethiopia. Last night we met for the first time with the board of a ministry entitled "Generosity International". God has united us with our dear friends, Awoka and Tess who were born and raised in the same area as our sons. This couple now live in the US, but have continued to try and minister to the needs of their homeland through there church in Ethiopia. Layne is going to work on updating the website so we will post this soon so anyone interested can read more.

Lord willing, at some point Layne would like to travel with Awoka back to Ethiopia. We are excited to see what God has in store for this ministry.

Also, last week we talked on the phone to a couple we traveled with to adopt our children. They used the same agency as us and we have become close friends. They have been back to Ethiopia and become friends and ministry partners with people there who are trying to care for orphans.

Matt, is actually traveling today with a team of 10 people on a work project. They have been given 5 acres of land by the government and are hoping to develop this into an orphanage, school, and medical clinic. While they are there this week they are digging a well.

Of all the places the government could have given them land, it again is the SAME area our boys are from, their daughter was born and our friends Tess and Awoke are from.

WE ARE IN AWE...............What is God planning for us???????? We really don't know yet, but continue to feel a pull to help in the name of Christ in the area.

Here is a verse Layne and I read this morning that speaks of the hungry and poor:

Isaiah 58:11,12
"If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Let us all, where ever the Lord has us, not forget about the hungry and afflicted. God calls us to pour ourselves out to them.

Come to Me All Who Labor

2009-04-28T08:12:00.002-05:00

My kids are sick, Layne and I are very sleep deprived and needless to say that makes us a little more on "edge". God was so sweet to remind me this morning that this is the day He has made. I want to rejoice in Him despite my dread to face this long.........day.

As I was reading my Bible, this verse hit me. It is Matthew 11:28-29.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

God calls us to come to Him. To learn from Him. He reminds us that he is gentle and gives rest for our souls.

I am so weak, yet God is so strong!!!!

May God bless you today!
Tanya

SNC00139.jpg

2009-04-19T15:25:00.001-05:00

j bear at circus

Tanya is mad at me

2009-04-17T05:44:00.004-05:00

I taught Erin to ride her bike without training wheels. Now, Tanya thinks it makes her look too big and wants her baby back.
See video below - I helped with the bike riding, but the dance....She came up with that ALL by herself!
oops :)

Anger Issues.........

2009-04-16T21:51:00.002-05:00

Two years in July, our family grew to 7 through adoption. We have been blessed in many ways through our journey, but continue to learn new things about ourselves and how that works out tangibly in our daily lives. One of the areas I have really struggled in is anger. God is ever so gently drawing this struggle to the surface so I can learn to turn toward Him when anger hits. I have been angry at my children in ways I never imagined before and toward my husband in ways I am not proud of. My anger has affected my children. One in particular is REALLY struggling. I believe my anger towards him has done damage, but I am hopeful that God can repair and I can use it as an opportunity to relate to my son in his struggles.

One of the hardest things for me is to NOT become angry when my child is using disrespectful, disobedient talk. Arguing........Arguing......! I want to PULL my hair out, run screaming up and down the street or hibernate in a hole where no one can find me. I confess it is humbling to experience this anger.

I begged God one morning to reveal to me something in His precious word that would help me turn to Him when I need to correct my child and instruct him, all the while trying to be a sweet aroma of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:15a "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved")

This verse is now hanging on my wall where I can see it:
Proverbs 23:9 "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words." God opened my eyes to a new strategy..............when my children are not wanting to listen to my words and I feel my temper rising, I can send them to a designated spot and leave them there! I in turn take the opportunity to pray for my own anger and for that child. I am not letting the person leave there spot until they are ready to listen respectfully.

Today was a challenge because this process repeated itself over and over with one child through out the day. BUT finally at the end of the day I could see God penetrating his angry heart. I believe God blessed this because I walked away from the situation and prayed prayed prayed. It was HARD HARD work. I wanted to get angry but kept begging God for mercy. By HIS grace I did not blow up and speak harshly to my son. ( Believe me the temptation was there.)

This is another verse that God has used to help me:
Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up
anger."

I am thankful for a new day tomorrow.
Tanya

This post is for you, Greta!!!!

2009-04-13T09:17:00.002-05:00

Last week a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in Meriden, Iowa invited me to come and share about our adoption story and things God is teaching us through our journey. I was enthusiastically greeted by my new friend, Greta. She was ooozing with warm hospitality and joy. I soon discovered that she had faithfully read our blog since it beginnings. How humbling!

What a JOY it was to be a visitor at this gathering. God's presence was very evident. Thank you for inviting me.

Humbly,
Tanya

PS. Greta, I would love to have a response from you on the blog....smile...........

Influenza A

2009-04-05T22:21:00.002-05:00

This past week Erin contracted Influenza A. So far no other family members are showing any signs. The public schools did not have school this Thurs. and Friday so we had made fun plans with friends. Well bummer, we had to cancel these plans, but we tried to make our own fun inside.

Layne made me promise I would do NO housework or daily routines and declare it a total holiday. For any of you that know me well, this doesn't fit my Type A personality. I thrive on structure and routine. However, we all had a BLAST, including me! We made fun stuff for b'fast, stayed in our p.j's all morning and never made the beds the whole day!!! One fun thing we did was gather as many craft supplies in a laundry basket from around the house and pile them in the sun room. The kids spent hours off and on all day crafting, painting and glue gunning. Cool temperature glue guns are a perfect invention especially when used in collaboration with popsicle sticks. I keep learning new ways to keep 3 active boys busy indoors! Ha!

So if there are any people out there who can relate to the "hesitation" of getting out messy craft supplies because of the added mess, let me encourage you to take a risk and get dirty!

Thanks for reading!
Tanya

Most Impressive

2009-03-11T22:00:00.005-05:00

Awana Grand Prix tonight, big night for Kaylee.
She was so excited about her car, not because it was going to win, because she loved how it looked.
We were told before we came that it probably couldn't race because of it's ginormous size.
However, when we got there, the officials checked it and it wasn't going to impede the other racers, so they let it race.
It ran four heats for time and got 2nd 3x and 3rd once.
At the end of the race, it just barely fit underneath the finish bar and it slammed into the catch box at the end of the line.
At the close of the night, the gave awards and the Mystery Machine got the "most impressive" award.
It's actually made out of Balsa wood (otherwise, it was waaaaaay to heavy). A special hat tip to DP at NMS for helping on the cutout :)
What a fun project and great memories, it was fun to watch all of our kids cheer for Kaylee's car.

More Snow

2009-03-10T21:47:00.002-05:00

Today we were snowed and iced in all day. We have been getting signs of spring, but just enough to mentally think it IS spring. So, needless to say today I needed God's help to remind me that He is in charge of the weather and I need not complain. God blessed us with a few sweet moments that I wanted to record.

By the grace of God (and the time change smile........) my kids slept in later than normal. I had some quiet time in the Word of God. Here is a verse I wrote on a note card to put in front of my eyes when I struggled with my own sin today.

Galatians 5:22-23; 25-26

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

"If we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

In the quietness of my home I prayed that God would equip me to seek Him for the power to live by the Spirit. To love during sibling disputes, to be patience at all the things that grate on my nerves when we are inside most of the day. To be gentle and self-controlled when having to correct my kiddos. To have JOY in the job God has given me in raising up my family and loving my husband.

Daily Record Today ( a snowed in day)

Today we had everyone home and we home schooled ( other days the oldest two dual enroll to public school)

mommy awake/Isaac coughing and in our bed
everyone up and hungry
morning chores: beds/pick up rooms/ dressed/ b'fast
Kaylee starts school/ review lessons with mom
little ones play( mommy plays referee to break up disputes Ha!) This makes for lots of running back and forth between school lessons and little ones
Isaac school time
Did I mention I have not yet gotten ready for the day, Ugh! I really like the days I am up and ready before the kids, but I chose to read my Bible first and forgo shower and make- up yet.
put something in the crockpot for supper and defrost bread dough (store bought!)
laundry laundry laundry
run one mile on treadmill (trying to make myself exercise more for heart health)
Layne home for lunch
I get ready for the day (at noon)
Little ones down for nap
Isaac reads aloud to me. He has been reading so much lately. I needed to check his comprehension on books he is reading.
More school
Levi and Jesse up and we read library books. One book was about a tugboat so we go to the computer and find a video tour of a real tugboat. Levi is intrigued and is always soaking up any new vocabulary. We also find video of steamboats and the Mississippi River.
Erin up/ clean up HUGE toy mess. I need to supervise this and make sure it happens.
Piano lessons (K and I go across the street for lessons, great perk!!!)
Dinner prep
Dinner
Layne sends me out the door to Panera. I gather a bag full of books and plant myself close to the fireplace there.
I write some cards, read a novel, a parenting book and delete my text message "in" box.
Now Layne is done working on someone's computer.
We are going to talk and connect on the couch.

Whew this day was full!