Items of Interest

I know its only October yet but I do start my Christmas shopping earlier. With this many kids I have to to find deals.

I have a few sites that I keep going all the time where I get points and In return I either get cash or points that I can turn into gift cards. So far I am getting $60 in Kb toys gift certificats which will be huge for this Christmas. Also any age can do these surveys

Here are a few of my favorites.

www.mysurvey.com this one turns it into cash or points for different things

www.mypoints.com This one is points that you can use at different stores

http://webeffective.keynote.com/join/public/register.asp I get $10.00 in Amazon GC here.

www.mysurveyspree.com I do a lot of surveys for cash here

http://www.opinionsquarerewards.com this one I get points towards products. I have something free coming for a Christmas present that I am excited about.

There are a few others as well and as I get emails from them I will list them!!

Enjoy!!! I had done VERY well with these programs. It does take a while to add up but if you start now by next Christmas you can probably have a really good head start!!!

Turkeys everywhere!!

My neighbor called me this morning and asked me if I had looked out m
window lately! I went and looked and our front yard was covered with wild turkeys. I bet there was 20 or more of them!! It was such a pretty picture!!!!! The kids were so excited and of course my kids and the neighbor kids had to go and chase them through the neighborhood!! Lots of fun!!!

De-lurking day

I hate so being left out and I would love to find out who is reading the blog!!

So if you would come out of hiding and just give me a shout it would make me

So happy!! Thanks to all those that stop by!!

Today was such a nice day just hanging out with friends and being able to

be honest with eachother!! I want to thank each one of you!!!

By the way is any one up for a batch of friend mushrooms!! LOL

Our October camping experience

This past weekend as you know we went camping!

It was hard to imagine that it was around 90's for October

We took lots of pictures and I hope you enjoy some of my favorite ones.

I highly recomment fall camping (when the weather is nice that is!!)

The 1st picture is our family picture. The 2nd picture is my parents.

The third picture is of my children and their grand parents!!!

Every year I climb the big sand dune at least
one time for my family!! Yes I love them that much

More pictures of Holland

For those of you who do not know this is
my dad that I am yacking with!!

Hard to believe its October!!!

Do you see the resemblance!!!

We have been teasing Tori since Haiti that she looks and acts like Wednesday from the movie the Adams family values!! LOL What do you think??

Love ya Tori!!! Hee hee hee!!!

Camping!!!

The weather is beautiful and we are going camping again!! This
time we are going to Holland State Park!! I will try very hard to
remember my camera this time!!! Hope you all have a great weekend
to!!

A little about me!

I have been tagged by Melissa over at Melissa's world!! http://wonderfulworldofmelissa.blogspot.com/

1) 10 years ago! Wow. Nikolas had been home 1 year from Russia and we were just spending tons of time getting to know him. You can see his picture up above!!!

2)5 years ago: 5 years ago on October 24th we add another daughter from Russia. Ekaterina! Hard to believe it will be 5 years ago this month!!!! You can see Katies's up above also.

3) year ago: LOL I am begine to see a patter here!!! We had just brought home our newest Daughter Hannah!!! You can see her referal picture up above too!!!

4)Yesterday: I babysat Jeff and Michelle Janssens children so they could spend the day up at the hospital and then last night went to Mission Mobilization

.5) 5 snacks I enjoy: Chocolate, Peanut butter cookies, chips and cheese,.Cheri's whoopies pies that she makes (YUM!!!!) Peanuts

6) 5 things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: Pay off all our bills and start a foundation for adoptive families, start another foundation for people and families to go on mission trips, Buy an airplane so we can just pick up and go, Pay off my friends bills so they could all go with me!!

7) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Russia, Austraulia, New Zealand, Haiti, Switzerland

8) 5 bad habits I have: getting mad at people who (in my opinion) are bad drivers, eating too much, eating junk food, talking instead of listening, Yelling at my kids too quickly

9) 5 things I like doing: hanging out with my friends, being online, reading, listening to music, Camping with my family

10) 5 TV shows I like: mm...this is hard, I don't really watch TV, Deadliest catch, law and order, House hunters, Emeril, ?

11) 5 things I hate doing: dusting, Laundry, helping with math homework, Mowing, cleaning my 3 bathrooms.

12) 5 biggest joys of the moment: Knowing that Jesus loves me, Knowing I have awesome friends, Having a wonderful church to attend, Knowing that some good friends will be coming in a few weeks to stay with us, Knowing that our 17th anniversary is coming up in a few weeks.

I tag Kimberly, Tori, Tammy, Kathy F.

Nothing new for today

I do not have much to post today so I thought I would share some of the pictures of the Livesay Baby shower that we had in Haiti. We had so much fun!!

Kimberly made up these shirts for the kids! They were so cute!!!

















Phoebe is sooooooo cute!!!!






We even had food at our baby shower! That was fun and interesting!!!

My Weekend

Wow!! A girl doesn't post for a few days and I get nailed to the wall! LOL Glad to know I have such caring friends out there!

We actually left Friday evening for a weekend of Camping. We went to Muskegon State Park and the weather and the park were just beautiful! Nice big campsites. We were right across from a large sandune and the kids just spent hours on it playing. Which made a nice quiet weekend for me.

However I made one big mistake! I left my camera at home again. Ugh! I was so mad at myself.

So that is where I was and no update.

:)

Well my dear friend Cheri http://www.cmnah.blogspot.com has tagged me for 10 things that make me smile.

1. Jesus

2. My kids actually getting a long with each other and using their imagination

3. Getting together with friends on Tuesdays.

4. Tammy B helping me with Kingdom cove!! Yes that gives me a great big smile.

5. The friends that God has given me in the last 3 years!! Wow! God you are so good to me!!

6. Getting away with just my husband. (It would make me smile if it ever really happened.)

7. Fall is my favorite time of year. Cider, Pumpkins, donuts, apples! YUM!!!

8. Our praise team at church!!! They Rock!!!

9. dancing, singing and acting crazy with the kids! They think were nuts but is fun!!

10. Camping in the fall with the family.

I am tagging Tammy B, Kathy F, Kim J get to work girls!!

School pictures

I did my own school pictures this year. I just could not stomach paying
$150 for the pictures that I needed. They are not professional but I am
Happy with them!!
Ekaterina age 9
Caleb age 6
Heather age 8 (9 in 6 weeks)
Nikolas age 10 (soon to be 11)

Hannah age 7

The weather has been so beautiful!!!! I hope that everyone has had a good week. Its been a nice quiet week for me!!! Thank you, Lord!!

I won an award!!!

I won an award!!! Its the nice Matters award!!

I am so excited as I never win awards!! LOL

thank you Mari http://marislittlecorner.blogspot.com
I could not get my links to work so just clickon Mari to read another nice blog!!!

Also here are a friend that I recommend for a "nice award"

Tammy http://bergys.blogspot.com

She is just starting out and adding some pictures! Maybe this will keep her motivated!! LOL

God moments

Quite awhile back I got this super strong feeling that God wanted me to pray with my children before School. I would get this feeling in the middle of the night and would wake up usually and not even think about as the busy day would get going. Well last night I kept getting the same feeling that we needed to start our school day praying (not just me praying silently for them as they go off but as a group together) and when I woke up it was soooooo strong and so just before school we all met in a circle and held hands and prayed. I prayed and then offered the chance to the kids and they were a little shy but i know as the days go by and they get used to it they will take part. It was such a beautiful feeling and one of the best parts is that as I was leaving the room Caleb came running up to me and said can I pray with just you. So now the tears are coming and I said of course. Do you want me to pray or do you want to?? He said I would to. He had the sweetest prayer for a 6 year old!!! I had a nice good cry and praised God for this idea and thanked Him for not letting me !! I wanted to share it because first I want to give God the glory for always being there and in case anyone else is stuggeling with their morning before school!!!

We had homegroup last night at our house and Nik took Lauren outside and
and she was asking lots of pumkin questions. Wanted to know what those orange
things were! Too cute!!!!! I love this picture!!

Saturday

Not a ton going on today. Nate worked in the yard and Katie and I went to get groceries.
Like I said not much too exciting!!

Tonight we are going to a friend from Churches for supper. Sango and Karen are cooking us a tradition Kenyan meal!! I cannot wait!!!! Hope you are all having a great Saturday!!

This is Hillsong United live. They are singing the song "solution" on the All of the above album.
I am thinking that this is the winner for the next Haiti video. Read the words below. They are so powerful. Let me know if it touches you as it touches me. I sit in my car and cry everytime I hear it.

It is not a human right

To stare not fight

While broken nations dream

Open up our eyes, so blind

That we might find

The Mercy for the need

Singin Hey Now

Fill our hearts with your compassion

Hey Now

As we hold to our confession

Yeah

It is not too far a cry

To much to try

To help the least of these

Politics will not decide

If we should rise

And be your hands and feet

Singing Hey Now

Fill our hearts with your compassion

Hey Now

As we hold to our confession

Woah-oh-oh,

God be the solution

Woah-oh-oh

We will be Your hands and be Your feet

.Yeah, yeah

Higher than a circumstance

Your promise stands

Your love for all to see

Higher than protest line and dollar signs

Your love is all we need

Only you can mend the broken heart

And cause the blind to see

Erase complete the sinners past

And set the captives free

Only you can take the widows cry

And cause her heart to sing

Be a father to the fatherless

Our savior and our king

We will be your hands, we will be your feet

We will run this race

On the darkest place, we will be your lightWe will be your light

We will be your hands , we will be your feet

We will run this race for the least of these

In the darkest place, we will be your light

We will be your light (we’ll say/sing?)

We will run we will run

We will (run with the solution?) (2x)

We will be your hands we will be your feet

We will run this race for the least of these

In the darkest place we will be your light

We will be your light