Wild Life Praire Park

Today, we decided, would be a good day to take off of work. We ended up at the Wild Life Prairie Park and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Collin got to see most of the animals, even the cougar and bobcats. Although, we did not see a single butterfly in the butterfly garden. Here are some photos of our time at the park.

Here we were waiting to see if the chicken was going to peck at Collins nose.
We are not sure what he saw but it sure had his attention!

We were trying to figure out who was going to push or pull the wagon.

Someone's cheezin for the camera. Britt or Collin?

Just enough of a step stool.

Little Girl??

Jason and I have accepted the referral of a little girl!! It is not official yet, so I am not comfortable posting her photograph on this blog just yet. Our next step is to go before a review board and they will decide if our family is an appropriate match to her special needs.

Here's a little bit about her. Her name is Tamara and we would keep that. She is from the Philippines. She is gorgeous with a full head of dark brown hair and huge black eyes. Apparently she also has on ornery persona much like Collin...and Jason.....and myself, so she will fit in well and WE MAY HAVE OUR HANDS FULL.

Tamara is 4 1/2 years old with some developmental delays and speech delays, but we've familiarized ourselves with her medical records and decided WE'RE GAME....on to the review board!!

New Family Photos-Favorites

Mother's Day Gift

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Revolutionary Parenting

I just finished reading the book, Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna. I really enjoyed it.

One of the things talked about in the book is how we as parents measure success in childrens lives verses how God measures their success.

Our Measurements:

• Physically healthy
• Performance at or beyond their age level
• Decent friends
• Physically attractive
• Athletic performance
• Not involved with gangs
• Not involved with drugs/alcohal
• No/little sexual activity
• No criminal record
• Obedience to authority

God's Measurements:

• Loving heart
• Serving heart
• Obedience to him

We've been blessed with the job of raising and coaching this beautiful little boy and we hope that God will continue to offer us the same blessing through this next ad0ption and others to follow. I desire to be a Revolutionary Parent to these kids, but man...talk about defying culture.

What does Revolutionary Parenting mean to me? It means teaching my kids that a strong athletic skill is not of them but of God and encouraging them to do their absolute best with what God has given them. It means teaching my 2 year old that by sharing with a friend you are showing love to that person. It is because of Jesus that we can show love to others. It means teaching our children that serving one another within the home is an honor.

.....and right now, with Collin, my outgoing, active and often aggressive toddler; it means that instead of just telling him not to kick/hit other children I instead use the opportunity to coach him on how Jesus would have him show love to that child.

Jason and I could definetly use prayer as we learn to become Revolutionary Parents and raise spiritual champions. Please pray that we do not demand obedience only for the sake of obedience, but that instead we are able to pass on a love for Jesus so that obedience may come from that love.