Which Way is Up?

We finished our garage sale yesterday and I actually met my goal! It wasn’t a huge goal, and at times seemed unattainable, but I did it. We have a lot of expenses this month (post-placement report, Evan’s last tuition payment, and possibly new brakes for the car) and every bit helps. My mom, sister, and I will be participating in the neighborhood garage sale on June 3rd as well. For all you locals, there are usually some pretty good sales.

I also learned (or reaffirmed) this week that I have an addiction – to the internet! We lost our connection for 14 hours (8 of which I was sleeping) and I nearly started shaking and almost curled up in the fetal position. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but I was really not happy. Luckily, I spent the next two days at the garage sale and learned that I could be away from my computer for long lengths of time. I just hate not being able to look something up when it comes to mind. I guess it was a good wake-up call for me though and I am going to work on limiting my dependency a bit.

Nicholas learned a lot this week about directions. We had a workbook that he enjoyed doing each day. We only did a couple pages, but he always wanted to do more. It helped him better grasp concepts like: through, middle, across, left, right, top, bottom, under, and over. This workbook also helped him learn to follow the directions on the page. He was asked to follow the dotted lines, circle an object, or draw a picture. I’m not going to be teaching him strictly from workbooks, but he does enjoy them, so they will be incorporated.

Because he was working out of a workbook all week, pictures are limited to the first day only. I also took a video of him learning about left and right.









He also practiced his cutting, which is something we'll be doing a lot more of in the future. He loves the fact that he has his own scissors.



Our social worker is coming Monday. This will give us about three weeks for them to prepare the report, for us to get the apostille, and send it to St. Louis before it is due. She won’t have to return until May 2011.

We also ask for prayer for the coming weeks. Evan had one job interview last week and has another this week. We really just need wisdom and peace right now. Evan has one class left that starts in June. We’re praying that any job he gets will allow for him to finish his degree. We know that once he does, more doors will be opened.

Finally, I was encouraged by my mom to make a “Gratitude Journal”. It’s just a way to thank God for all the things He does in my life. We’ve had a rough year or two and it is easy to get down in the dumps. It’s easy to only look at one aspect of our life and dwell on it. Some days I am only putting down one or two items, but other days, I have so many more. I really have seen God’s blessings each day. Sometimes it is in the small things and others it is bigger, but He is always here. He is always taking care of us. The journal also allows me to look back and see God’s faithfulness. I highly recommend taking the time the time to write down reasons that you are thankful.