School has started again for the kids and so we are now trying to get back into the swing of things with that schedule. Jen and I have also spent a lot of time reflecting these last couple weeks on our time here so far. We feel that we have done some things very well but obviously there are other things we need a great deal of improvement on. It is becoming increasingly stranger to realize that we as messy human beings are supposed to try to help other messy human beings. On paper it seems considerably easier to do what we have to do here. But when you mix in pride, different values, etc. it becomes much less clear what is the right thing to do in each and every situation that pops up on a day to day basis. We have had several kids come in and out of our care in the last couple months. It is hard to constantly be in transition and try to have a somewhat consistent family dynamic. We are trying to get to know the kids and they are trying to get to know us, and most importantly trust us. Things get hard.
Jen and I love our kids so much and this has been such a growing process for us. For me I have finally been able to accept God's answers to some of my faith questions that have been haunting me for some time now and that has been a total blessing. Of course now I am dealing with different questions. Such is life.
We had a good summer. I went to my first rodeo and heard some live bluegrass. And Jen and I got to head back to Portland for awhile and hang out with family and friends. It was amazing but also reminded us of how much we miss it there. We of course told our family about our little alien invader (in a couple of weeks we get to see our baby on the ultrasound and find out whether it is a boy or a girl.) Funny enough while in Portland I got to see a couple of North Carolina bands that I had wanted to see and that was one of the best concerts I have been to.
The kids of course got bored over the summer but they got to go on several really cool trips and we tried to take them on little outings every once in awhile. It's so easy to get caught up in doing the little appointments and miss out on doing the things that will really make their lives better.
After several hard days, right now (and I do mean right now, we'll see how I feel later) I am feeling very at peace amidst all the chaos we have dealt with as of late. Below are some pictures from our summer.

View from a hike taken early August.

The friendly praying mantis that crawled all over Michael and I (it like my face and hair)

Blueridge Parkway (I took this picture while someone was driving so it gives the basic idea of what we are surrounded by).

Michael going down Sliding Rock...it looked SO fun (was told I couldn't go down as I was about 7 weeks prego...perhaps next summer)

16 weeks Prego

UB & Daddy

Walking the Greenway

This butterfly is AMAZING...I wish I could have gotten a picture of it with it's wings open, the colors are beautiful!!

Alien Invader

Well, we have been on vaca for the last week and are loving the down time. It is amazing to be able to relax. Before leaving one of our kids was discharged. It was sad but we are praying that she will do better where she is now. After leaving for our time off, we found out that another girl was moved in so the tally is back to 4 girls (3 teens) and one baby boy. Life is going to be crazy when we return. We love it though. Life has been so crazy over the summer. We have been trying to find fun things to do but when you have five kids (and for a little over a month we had six) who vote on what they want to do someone always loses. Recently a couple of our kids got in a yelling match over thumb tacks...it was actually quite comical after everyone calmed down and apologized. God has been so good to us. AFter all this shifting around we also found out in June that we will be having another kid moving in only this one will be our own...I'M PREGNANT! Our first child is due February 2. We are so excited and yet have a healthy fear. We love the kids we have in our house but it has really shown us both the commitment and time it takes to care for them well. We have seen so many horrible situations with the kids we have that we feel a little more prepared. But, you can never be truly prepared for a child. We will be hearing the heartbeat for the first time on Monday and the ultrasound is scheduled for September 22. I can't wait to see our little one. I am so excited to begin this new chapter in our marriage. My stomach is starting to pop out and it is amazing to realize that in a few more weeks I'll be able to feel the little one moving around. Michael has been so amazing since we found out. He has allowed me time for naps and breaks. It has been amazing to see him protecting me and the new little one. The Lord is so good, I have had no prego symptoms other than exhaustion. I don't know how I would have been able to get through the last few months if I was dealing with morning sickness. I feel so blessed. We had decided to simply open ourselves up to the possibility of having kids and within the month I was pregnant. I was so concerned that it would take forever. I was very wrong. Michael's response was amazing...he just looked at the test and said, "what does this mean?" I told him I was pregnant and he just laughed and had a huge smile on his face for a couple of minutes. It is finally starting to really sink in that we will have a little one of our own.