Summer recipes

Summer is in full swing around here and the days are flying by. I don't know about you, but I do not like heating up my already warm kitchen while cooking in the evenings. (Well, okay . . . I don't even want to be IN my kitchen cooking during the summer months!)

 Last week I searched for some easy summer recipes that wouldn't heat up the kitchen, and these two were winners:

Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad from Our Best Bites. It has a yummy lemon poppyseed dressing drizzled all over spinach salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, cucumbers, slivered almonds, and red onions. Seriously delicious.

Note: My kids will eat salad, but it isn't their favorite. I served them grilled chicken, leftover rice, and strawberries instead.

Slowcooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna. So very easy to assemble and surprisingly good! I cooked it on high for about 3 hours and it was perfectly done.

We all liked this one.

Feel free to link up your favorite summer recipes . . . I am in search for more. ;)

Gifts.

I attended a homeschool convention last weekend and was blessed. I left with reminders that my children are lent to me for just a time. They are gifts. Sometimes I want the gifts of my children to look like everyone else's. (You know . .  . perfect.)

 
Sometimes I get caught up in the frustrating things like a certain three-year-old daughter who cannot for the life of her remember to sit on her bottom at a restaurant.


Or how about an ornery little boy running away from his teacher and wrestling in the Missions room at Vacation Bible School?

 
Or a two-year old who has never used her legs and has a major surgery in her semi-near future?


The truth is that I do not want to miss the gifts of my children. I want them to grow up knowing not only how much I love them, but how much I like them. My heart's desire is to help them become who God intends them to be. I want to cast a vision of what God has in mind for them; they need to know that He has a plan for them, and it is not yet complete. Our God--who makes no mistakes-- can use things like premature births, sensory processing disorder (SPD), and arthrogryposis for His glory.


This entails letting go of certain perfect expecations of what life "should" look like and embracing what is actually going on . . . because what is actually going on in my family is pretty wonderful.


Katee is slowly learning to use her feet.


She is bonding with Daddy, something that has taken much time and effort but is beautiful to witness.


Calla, my fighter, has a zest for life and is a joy-giver. Oh, how she makes me smile!


Ori loves to learn and is always building, creating, and asking big questions. He's a thinker.


Yes, there are challenges . . . but so.much.good. I am forever thankful for these three gifts.

Don't miss the gift!

A summer plan.

Summer days are my favorite.


Playing outside. Water fun. Bike rides. Nature walks. Vacations. We love it all.

But it is also a time to get out of routine. . . specifically regarding time in the Word. As my friend Jess and I were sharing our hearts with each other, we decided to start a community Bible study this summer using Nancy Guthrie's book, The Promised One. We both live out in the country and it is sometimes difficult to build relationships when living a bit  . . . isolated. ;) We are hoping to build relationships with those God has placed around us and also share Jesus and encourage women in the process. I know my heart will be challenged this summer as we seek Him together.

Don't live in our little community, but want to join us this summer?? Please do! Head on over to The Macs for details on how you can participate online.

The big bad brace.

I've had several questions regarding Katee's new brace, and finally have a little time (and energy!) to answer.

How is Katee doing in her brace?
Immediately after her new brace was put on at the hospital last week, she made it very clear that she was not a fan. She cried for about 4 hours straight. Not exaggerating.
The first several days and nights were frustrating, to say the least. She was basically immobile and couldn't figure out how to scoot during the day or turn around in her crib at night. We have had physical therapy, and I have been working with her too. She is figuring out how to scoot, army crawl, and roll in her brace and that makes her a happy girl. I am confident she will adjust just fine and this will all be a vague memory.

How long does she have to wear her brace?
 Katee will wear this brace for 2-3 months, 22 hours a day. After that, she will move to AFOs (ankle braces that you wear with tennis shoes). She will, however, wear this brace at night for several years.
We have been LOVING her two hours of freedom each day. She isn't ready to have her feet in sand or grass yet (they are still so sensitive from being casted), but loves water!

Can she stand now that her feet are straight?

No. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. Katee will not be standing on unsupported ankles any time soon. Her legs have never been used and are kind of like little baby legs. :) Her doctor's are still very confident that she will walk and we look forward to that day!

What about her dislocated hip?
The doctor will address her hip once we get her feet fully corrected and help her start walking. He is still thinking she will need surgery at some point.

 
I am thankful we take this all a step at a time. God, in His great sovereignty, didn't let me know all of Katee's needs when she was referred to us. And I am glad; had I known, I would have missed one of life's greatest gifts. She is my daughter and we ADORE her. Together as a family depending on God, we can do hard things. I think this video of another family's experience of an unknown medical need says it all:

Thank you to all of those who have prayed for Katee and have inquired about her newest transition. We are blessed.

6 months.Braces.Mud.

Yesterday was an amazing day! It not only marked exactly 6 months since Katee was placed in our arms, but also her child dedication at church and Mother's Day (more on that soon!). It is beautiful to see how far Katee has come in 6 months. My "velcro baby" is becoming more secure in her family and no longer needs mommy every second of every day. In fact, she seemed very at peace yesterday and played with her grandparents and cousins all afternoon. She's a beautiful, beautiful gift!!

Now to catch up a bit . . . 
Last week we took Katee to Kansas City for her brace fitting. For those familiar with clubbed feet, we are getting a Dobbs bar, which will allow her a bit more freedom to move her legs. We pick up the brace this Wednesday and she will wear it 22 hours a day for a few months.


While we wait for her brace to be made, Katee is sporting these cute little pink casts. It's her first time in short casts and it's nice that she can move her knees. However, she has been a little sad as she had just figured out how to walk while pushing her baby stroller while in her full-leg casts (so proud of her!!). Since she has been casted for almost 5 months, her muscles are very weak and she doesn't have the strength to do that with her short-leg casts. We keep practicing, though. She is determined!


The big kids have been loving the mud lately.

 
It makes a mess, but it's just part of life in the country. Their happiest times are spent playing in the water/mud or observing nature on our recent trips to nature parks.

 
I truly believe that kids need to spend a decent amount of time outside when they can. The unstructured play does wonders (and it isn't always messy)!

Have a great week!

Show up.

My mom blessed my sisters and I this past weekend by taking us to the Women of Faith conference. It was a sweet time, for many reasons.

At the conference, Lisa Terkeurst shared her adoption story, and I found it relevant to where I am at right now.


The road to our adopted children, while full of hurdles and disappointments, is also full of multiple encounters that can only be explained by God. His hand moves mountains to bring the fatherless home. I've seen it firsthand.

Once home, life is beautiful and full . . . but can also be a tad overwhelming. Sleep deprivation is never fun, especially when you are a person who really needs 8 plus hours of sleep to function (Ian says I am really mean in the middle of the night! oops!). Medical trips can be exhausting. Surgeries pretty much stink. Bonding and attachment take time and intentionality.


Sometimes I just don't feel like I have what it takes to care for these three beautiful (and highly energetic) blessings and their unique needs and personalities. Sometimes I am not patient. Some days, these three little people know just how to push Mama's buttons.

Lisa challenged us to bring what we have and show up every day. Bring our little bit of willingness to God each morning and expect Him to meet us and do the "more than enough/impossible."


I am committed to "showing up" each day and offering God the little I have to give. He will meet me. He will guide me as I strive to train my children to know Jesus and love people. He will give me grace as I depend on Him and ask for wisdom in raising my kids. God promises that He will complete the good work He began in me and in my family (Phil. 1:6). He is present in my life and He will guide us, even in daily matters (Prov. 3:5-6).

Today, I am thankful for His promises!

Pictures by Firefly Moments Photography.

Hide and Seek Muffins

Since cutting major sugar sources out of my diet (with a few cheats here and there), I have found myself missing baking with my kids. We used to bake cookies together all the time. I loved it. And so did they.

I saw a muffin recipe in my Pretend Soup cookbook that only called for a 1/4 cup of sugar, and it proved to be a great-baking-with-children recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 and line muffin tin with papers. Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, and  1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl.

 

In a separate bowl, mix 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 4 T. melted butter. Whisk about 20 times and then pour dry ingredients into it; stir until "the flour disappears". Divide batter between 12 muffin papers.


The highlight of this muffin recipe is that the kids get to hide a piece of fruit in the center of the muffin. We used strawberries, but banana chunks, cherries, or peaches could work too. The kids rolled the strawberries in a *little* sugar and then pressed them into the center of the muffin.

Bake for 15 min. and enjoy.

Ori can't wait for Daddy to try a muffin because "he will be so surprised when he takes a bite!"
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In other news, who would have ever guessed that our little girl who came home from China disliking grass, dirt, rocks, dogs, etc. would find so much joy in holding a snake skin 5 months later???

So weird, Katee. She kept saying, "My snake. My snake." Even Calla (Miss Sensory Seeker) wouldn't touch it. Katee is definitely our animal-lover, and I suppose snakes are included. :)

Happy weekend!!