Time just keeps slipping away from me. I can not believe that we have been home 5 months now, yet it seems like we have been home forever with Ri. Five months just doesn't sound like a long time. We recently had our home study. Chine requires that we have a follow up homestudy at 6 months and at one year. We have a wonderful social worker who is a joy to have in our home. The visit was wonderful. Jacob was concerned that if the visit did not go well, they might take Ri away from us. I suppose that is possible, but we assured him that Ri was safely our son! Regardless, Jacob was very nervous throug hhis "interview".

Five months.. where has the time flown? I have been in quite a fog. It has been so much harder on me then I ever imagined. I can't exactly figure out what has been so hard, I am truly baffled by it. I think that part of the reason is that I have struggled so desperately with my walk with God. When your walk with God is not personal, your life often reflects that. For me, I feel like this "season" is a viscious circle that is going around and I can't get on or off it easily By that, I mean that because things are so tough right now, I can't seem to have the energy or make the time to spend with God. But I know the truth... if I want to be able to deal with things better and handle this "tough" season, I know the answer is to spend time with God. But... I do feel like my spinning wheel is beginning to slow down. God is faithful and He has never let go of me. He has given me the breath of fresh air I need, just when I need it. He has allowed me to walk through this dry and tough season, but hsn't let go of me through it all. The poem "Footprints in the Sand" is very true... God has held me through every step.

As I begin to come out of this fog, I am beginning to feel His presence once again. There were fleeting moments when I could see Him and feel Him, but I would soon go back into my fog. But now, I feel like God is bringing me "home" once again. He seems to be restoring me and giving my that living water that He speaks of in the Bible. And so I rejoice! I good friend of mine reminded me of how God allows us to go through things so that we will be able to minister to others when they go through them. What a joy that will be!

So what is our precious clan up to these days? Well, Erin joined the swim team. She has never swam before, but wants to stay in shape for soccer. SHe seems to enjoy it very much right now. What I enjoy is the "new" relationship we seem to be building. A very, very long time ago, I was once a decent swimmer. That past seems to be brought up and talked about often these days. It is such a joy to be able to connect with her once again. I am truly loving this new side of my little girl. Emily is participating in a school play. This is so exciting for me. It is really the first high school activity that she has really been involved in. I am loving watching her be excited about it. This week is "tech week" because the play is Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so she has practice from 6-10 every night. It definitely is keeping her busy! I can't wait to see her in it :). Sam and Jacob just finished soccer. Neither is involved in anything new, yet. It is nice to have our sons home for a little while. Sam's team ended up winning in his league. Jacob's team ended up playing in the championship game of the tournament, but lost by 1 goal. Both boys played incredibly. This has been a wonderful season for them.

As for Mark and I... well, I believe with all of my heart that our marriage is a beautiful example of God's grace and faithfulness. We are so blessed. After 17 years, I am more in love with him then I ever have been. He is my better half. He has been the one person who God has used to carry me through this tough season I am in. He is my encourager, my support, my constant friend. He has smiled through almost every little fit I have thrown. He has known exactly how to handle me. I have more respect for him then any person I have met. I thank God for my wonderful husband. God truly gave me the perfect match.

As for myself, I recently entered a design contest for digital scrapbooking. There were 4 rounds in which I had to make 4 different "kits" for scrapbooking. If you are familiar with paper scrapping, it is much like that, only you don't have paper. You have the same elements and gorgeous papers, but they are done on the computer. ANyways, I made it to the last round. I did not win, but I was asked to be a designer for their site. My kids and Mark all encouraged me and watched me 'stress out with the designs. But through it, they saw my love of design and are encouraging me to try it. So.. I just signed a contract to be a designer. It is kind of exciting and kind of scary. I guess I will probably start a new blog site just for my desiging. I'll let you know once I do for those of you who want to see my designs or are interested in digital scrapbooking.

Well, for now, I need to get off. Elizabeth just woke up, the kids need woke up in about 10 minutes for school and I need to get at least one element designed for my new kit.