A Birthday, Letters from Liberia, news from home

How can it be 17 whole years since the Valentine's Day dinner date Charlie and I didn't make because I was giving birth to Jael Shamar?  SEVENTEEN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The  youngest of our bio-babies was born after a pretty easy two -hour labor at 8 PM on a Saturday night. We'd planned to go on a group dinner date, but I had " a feeling" and warned our friends that if we didn't show up, they could know we were having the baby, even though it WAS 5 weeks before my due date. Sure enough................. our 6 pound  10 1/2 ounce baby girl kept us home  but  that event did NOT keep our friends from coming by to visit us  later that night!! Jael had her first non-family  member visitors at 10 PM, shortly after being cleaned and tidied up and getting her first nursing! Thankfully our midwife  Kathy and her partner,  Giselle ( also  my midwifery partners)  made it to our house in time to tend to the rapid - paced labor and the birth. Esther came so quickly that Kathy and Giselle were 5 minutes "too late" and Charlie did a job he said he never wanted to do again!!! Kathy quickly reminded him as she arrived PRE-BIRTH  that he had gotten his wish for this baby!!


Strawberries and cheese cake!



Our family moves pretty quickly all around and these birthday photos are no different. HERe is my beautiful Jael with her beloved brisket dinner and fresh strawberries and cheese cake dinner! Naomi is helping her slice cheese cake.


Oh what a precious envelope arrived in the mail on Monday! Our friend Eric  who had been in Liberia for several weeks doing mission work has returned and with him he brought letters from Junior and Diamoh! Well a lovely colored picture more than a letter from Diamoh  but words of scripture and encouragement  from our precious 11 year old son, so far away. He told us to read John 14:14 because that was his prayer for "it  WILL come to pass" WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! John 14:14 " You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. "   Hallelujah and AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!  It's been along hard wait for our children and for us too, for the day that will come  when we get the word that we MAY come for our children. How awesome that our children are praying with us for their eventual home coming, and trusting God for that day. Our precious care giver is such a Godly  and wise young woman and she teaches the children well in The Word and how to grow in their walk  and relationship with God. We are so very thankful for her in their lives, and in ours. She humbles me with her strength and faith because she without hesitation,  praises GOD ALONE for all that He is doing through her life. He is doing  A  LOT! 



From Diamoh age 8



From Junior, age 11, my young son full of faith!

Isn't this a great envelope?!!

The other side of the awesome envelope!

This last month has been so full of busy days, I have longed to sit and journal my thoughts and prayers and our family activities but sitting has not been on my list of things needing doing "most". School work, lots of doctor's office visits including the long distance visits in OK City have taken a lot of time. Thankfully it seems Isaiah's MRSA is indeed cured/healed/cleaned up and gone and Jael is now more than a month without a black out! Naomi and Isaiah have both stopped coughing and running fevers, PRAISE GOD that no one else got sick along the way!! Still no foal from Sugar, but with our temperatures in the "below Zero" realm for several days and our newest accumulation of snow blanketing everything under, we were glad that we'd miscalculated the date of breeding. It's OK!!!
When the vet came out today to check on the goats and ultrasound for success or failure of the imported buck, we were pleased to see lots of babies on board for Rose, Sunflower and Topsy Turvy, but disappointed that Satsuma, perpetual mother of triplets is not bred at all, so back in the breeding pen she went with clear orders to her and Mr Norvel, the Stud Muffin-in-Waiting to "get busy". Should he fail at his task, I have another buck to put to work, but I am not thrilled about the possibility of a mid July kidding. I suppose I prefer that to Christmas Night kiddings, or kiddings in mid -Spring flood and mud but it's just not the "norm" for dairy goats. We are expecting some "Tax Day" babies from Rose and maybe just maybe I will be blessed with a brown doe who lives!! The Ultra sounding goats is really a fun thing to watch . As the spines and extremities start to appear on the screen we count the future babies growing in the mammas and start to guess about girls or boys, colors and color patterns. It's a cool thing to have a vet who owns a portable ultrasound machine!