Our (not so) quiet morning

This morning, I was working on making a few things for our Easter dinner.  It was quiet and peaceful, until the kids came thundering down the stairs.

"Happy Easter!" 
"Yeah!  Happy Easter Mom!"

They were exuberant, and joy-filled.  They were loud and noisy and fun and excited to celebrate the day.  Almost immediately, they started talking about the importance of Easter, and what makes it a big deal.

"Mom, Jesus GOT BACK UP FROM BEING DEAD."

"And he was different than that other dead guy who was raised again in the Bible, because Jesus could be the payment for our sins, Mom."

"Yeah, because he hadn't done anything wrong at all, then they killed him.  But he GOT BACK UP!"

The wonder and awe in their voice was beyond priceless.

They then proceeded to pretend to make a video (for their TV show, obviously) explaining to other kids (their "viewers" who might not go to church) why Easter was a big deal.  It was full of many interruptions about the food I was making, since they got very distracted by the giant ham I was working on, but they still got the main points in.  I was impressed. 

They talked about how Jesus came to earth, fully God, and fully man.  They discussed how He lived a perfect life, but people crucified him anyway - and He let them, because it was part of His plan.

And then, they discussed with triumph that their Savior rose from the grave.

They talked about it all with such conviction and sincerity.  They were funny and said some of the words and phrases wrong - which tells me they're not just mimicking the proper stories they've been told - this was coming out in their own precious words.

Child like faith nearly moved me to tears this morning.

It wasn't until we were at church that I realized something amazing:  They were so excited about the real reason of Easter, and I hadn't even heard them mention a peep (pun intended) about Easter baskets or chocolate or what they might get.

I'm sure they were excited about what might be coming (they were not disappointed).  But on our loud, funny, wonderful Easter morning, my boys exuberantly spent time reveling in the sacrifice of their Savior.

And it was amazing.

God still does miracles!

Awhile ago, I met with my surgeon for a regular follow up visit, and while there, discussed the possibility of trying one more time to get pregnant.   Before cancer, we had tried for quite awhile, and that didn't do much of anything except break our hearts.   But still, though I outwardly wrote it off, there was a small lingering hope in the back of my mind that one day, God would choose to bless us with a baby.

Don't get me wrong.  I meant every word I said about adoption being Plan A for our family.  If I could birth all the babies I could ever want, I would still want adoption to be a huge part of God's plan for our family.  I hope that God brings more kids to our family through adoption.  Lots of them.  Adoption is firmly embedded in the deepest parts of my heart.  But I still had a desire to experience the blessing of pregnancy.

So back to my discussion with my surgeon.  When I asked him what he thought, we looked through my charts, and while I'll spare you the medical details that we discussed, he at last told me that while a pregnancy would be a viable option for me in terms of medical safety in regards to my history of cancer, that it would still take a miracle from God for me to become pregnant when considering our medical history in regards to fertility issues.

You see, all the fertility drugs are hormone-based.  And, since the cancer I had was estrogen-positive, going back to fertility drugs would like sending an engraved invitation for the cancer to come back.

No thank you.

So, Dave and I did what we have done since the beginning of our marriage:  We trusted God to bring each of our children to us in His perfect timing, and in His perfect way.

With that in mind, I am delighted to tell you that we serve a God who still does miracles, because I am pregnant! 

In man's eyes, this was nearly impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

God is good, no matter what.  Even if I never experienced the blessings of pregnancy, He would still be good.  But I am in awe of His great gift to our family.  I'm indescribably thankful for His goodness to me.  That he has chosen to allow this in our lives is yet another sign showing that God dearly loves to shower good things upon His children.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights... James 1:17

My boy is 10.

I can't believe it.  Yesterday, Andy turned 10.  TEN.  I mean, just a few days ago, he was 9.  And a few days before that, he was this 8 year old little munchkin just joining our family.

But now he is 10.  He's growing up so fast.  And, as he says, he's "practically a teenager."  (gives me heart palpitations every time he says it.)

So, we spent the weekend celebrating!

Andy wanted an Angry Birds cake, so I did my best!  I keep waiting for the kids to request a plain chocolate cake with just candles.   Hasn't happened yet.   But he was really excited to see his cake, and it made the crazy late night worth it.

My parents came up for the day, and after some time spent on the basement, we went out for dinner, then came home for cake and ice cream.

The next day, the four of us went to the Faith and Family night that was hosted by our local Christian radio station to finish celebrating.  We watched the Iowa Energy basketball game, and stayed for the Jason Gray  concert afterwards.

After the concert, the boys stayed to get autographs, and Jason sang Happy Birthday to him.   I believe Andy is now the first person in our family to be sung to professionally for his birthday.

It was a fun way to usher in the double digit years!

They want to move to Russia.

When we were first married, Dave and I decided we would trust God to provide just the right kids for us - whether that came through birth or adoption.  And over the years, God has cultivated in our hearts such a strong desire for adoption, that we just can't wait to keep growing our family.

Adoption is our mission field.  It is our heart, our passion.

But when you have kids, you take them to the mission field with you. So what would happen if the kids we adopted weren't so interested in continuing to adopt?  It happens.

So we prayed.  And prayed and prayed.  And we asked God that if our heart for adoption and our passion to grow our family was truly from Him, that he would give us kids who also had hearts for adoption.

God has answered our prayers in such big ways.  Our kids both have such a desire to bring more children to our home - in fact, sometimes they overwhelm us with the prayers they pray:

"God, would you send all the kids that need a home to our family?  We'll promise to love them." 

"God, could you please send us lots of babies?  And a kindergartener too.  They're both cute."

"God, could we please get a baby sister? Or a big brother?  Or even better, both?"

"God, could you please fill our whole house with kids who need homes?"

Thankfully, our God is a wise God who can filter through the exact requests, and find the precious heart behind the prayer that wants to love on kids who need it.  And I think he'll honor that.

The other day, though, they took the adoption plans to a whole new level.

Dave turned to me, not realizing the kids were paying attention, and casually said, "Hey, did you hear that Russia isn't letting Americans adopt anymore?"

"WHAT?!" the kids replied, before I could even react.

"WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS IN THE ORPHANAGES!  We need to go get them right away before the law goes into effect!!"

They were just beside themselves, their hearts breaking for these children who needed homes.

Dave tried to explain that there wasn't anything we could do.

"I got it!" said one of the kids.  "We could move to Russia for a year.  Then we'd be Russians, so we could adopt the kids in the orphanages, then we could move back to  the USA."

"Yeah!! That's a great idea!" said the other.  "Let's do it!!"

I think that in their wonderful childish minds, they were picturing about 5 lonely kids that we could just bring back home with us.  I don't have the heart to give them a more realistic picture.

But I love that my kids were completely willing to pack it up and move to Russia to rescue kids.  They were willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus.  How many times in my life do I want to take the easy way out?  To just decide something is impossible, or just hard, and hope someone else picks up the slack?

1 John 3:16-18: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

This is a hard passage to live out.  It calls us to pair faith with action.  To show our love for God by loving other people.   May the challenges that God has laid out in these verses rock your world as they have mine. 

My kids have their days.  Some of them are tough.  But they have giving, generous hearts when it comes to loving children who need a home, and for that, I'm incredibly blessed.  

No experience required

I saw this video this past week, and I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.

I loved how they talked about how they had no experience, but they were committed to sharing love unconditionally.

People have told us many times that we are "unusual," or that the ways God has led our family must take a lot of work.  Maybe that's true, but we feel pretty unequipped except for the grace of God.  We have nothing to give except for for the unconditional love shown to us by Christ.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch this video!

Happy Anniversary Andy!

Today was the one-year anniversary of Andy's adoption, and the four of us spent the afternoon celebrating!  We went to Caribou for a very late lunch and had very cheesy grilled cheese and hot chocolate (coffee for me, of course).

After our grilled cheeses, we stayed and played Skip-Bo and Uno, and snacked on carmel hi-rise snack mix (yum!).

We had so much fun laughing and spending time with each other!

After a quick stop at Target, we headed out through the snow to Build-A-Bear, where we had gotten Peter - Andy's adoption bear.  We let him pick out a new outfit for his bear, and enjoyed our time there. I was really proud of him - we gave him a very specific budget, and he was very careful to stay within it.

We let Andy choose where he wanted to eat, and he chose Wendy's at the mall.   I was a little surprised that he didn't go for something like Fuddrucker's, but he was happy with his choice.

It was a fun way to spend the day!

Andy, I can hardly believe you have been a Schoney for a year.  We've had ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade you for all the riches the world could offer.  You have grown in my heart in ways I never could have imagined, and I love you more than words could express.  You have grown so much in this past year - and I'm so proud of the person you are becoming.  God blessed us greatly when He brought you to be part of our family!  I'm so very glad you're home for always.
Love,
Mom

Andy's Adoption Day

Andy's Adoption Video

Merry Christmas!

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned...
...For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
     Isaiah 9:1, 6-7

The Accidental Christmas Program

Last night, we went to a Christmas Eve service.   It was at a different church than any of us normally go to,  so we weren't as familiar with how they did things.  We were all in a row, comfortably singing along with carols, when they gave a call for the kids to come forward to the stage.

Never one to shy away from being involved in church activities, I told the kids they could go ahead and join the rest of the K-4th graders that were being called to the stage, and to just stick together.

Andy promptly led with his shoulder down (Dave was proud) to get past another kid and catch up to Isaac so they could walk up together.

Much to our surprise, a children's director of some sort came out and started handing out little props to each of the kids.

I thought it was nice.

Then she started lining them up in a specific order.

That seemed a little weird.

Then she made sure they all remembered the words, and made little last minute adjustments. 

And I noticed that other kids were kind of staring at my kids in an  unfamiliar, what-are-you-doing-here kind of way.  Not unfriendly, just confused.

Then it hit me.  It was the church's children's Christmas program. 

My heart sank, but then I realized there wasn't much I could do about it, and I had to fight the laughter.  I looked over at my brother and his wife, and they had just realized the same thing, so the four of us sat through the Christmas program, trying as hard as we could to maintain our composure, as our kids stumbled through a Christmas program they were clearly unprepared for.

I asked them what they thought of it later, they said they "had fun, it was just a kind of confusing type of fun."

Sorry kids, we'll pay better attention next year.

Mom, was I an orphan? (This Christmas)

I've enjoyed music from Toby Mac for quite some time.  My kids think he's cool because he's adopted some of his kids, so they get excited whenever his music comes on.

He has a song called "This Christmas" that I've loved since before we had kids - and I still feel the same way.

You can listen to it here, lyrics are also posted.

I'm quite positive we listened to *"This Christmas (Joy To The World) last year, but I guess the kids weren't paying attention, because when the song came on, and they heard that Johny was spending his first night in a real home, they sat straight up and listened to it carefully.

At the end of the song, one of the boys looked up at me and said, "Mom, was I an orphan?"

As I choked on my coffee, I mentally scrambled to think through how to answer that one.

"Well," I started slowly (while still thinking), "an orphan is a child where both parents have died. But I think the verse in the song talks about orphans as being children in distress.  Kids who need help.  And I think you were a child who needed help."

They quietly took that in.

"However," I continued, "It's ok to be a child in distress, or an orphan, or a widow.  It means that you will have gone through some extra-tough things while here on earth, but it also means you have an incredibly special place in God's heart."

They started to perk up.

"God doesn't put lots of verses in the Bible saying, 'Be especially careful to show love to the successful man in the business suit,' or 'make sure to take care of the healthy family with 3 children.'  The Bible talks hundreds of times about caring for orphans, and widows, and people in distress.  That's because they have such a special place in God's heart."

"So, do you mean like poor people," one of the kids asked, "because I was definitely one of those."

"Yes, God cares very much about poor people."

"Mom," the other one started, "So you're saying that God really has a special place in his heart for me?"

I looked over at him and saw he had tears gathering in his eyes, and nodded.

"Remember, we talked about the verse where God says he sets the lonely people in families," I reminded them.

"Yeah," he said.  "That's what God did with me." And with a small tear still in his eye, he looked up at me and said, "Mom, I'm so glad it's my second Christmas being home with my family."

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families
             -Psalm 68:5-6a

*Referral link

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

 It's been a busy year for us!  So much has happened, and time has flown.  It really does seem like this season of life contains the longest days, but the shortest years.  I have to say that it sure doesn't feel like 2012 should be nearly over, but here we are.  Here are a few highlights of our year.



In January, we were still reveling in the fact that we had just been able to adopt Andy at the end of the December 2011.  It was a month of adjustment and time spent together.



In February, we decided that a mini-van would both be spacious since we all agreed that more kids would be welcome.  Though I inwardly groaned at the idea of having a van (and outwardly a few times, too), we found a van we liked in Chicago (I use "like" loosely) and fun when we spent some time there as a family.  We got to see the Bean downtown, and Navy Pier, and eat Garrett's popcorn and Giordano's pizza.  Yum!



In March, Andy turned 9, and we celebrated with lots of fun and a massive Cars 2 cake made by mom.



In April, Schoney Piano Studio hosted the last piano recital, and closed for good.  I really miss teaching, but it took a lot of pressure off of our family for me to be more available.



May brought Isaac's birthday, and my brother's college graduation from ISU.  Between the two occasions, we did lots of celebrating!



June was a whirlwind of weddings.  It was so much fun to watch my best friend marry the man of her dreams, and it was fun to be a part of it.

My little brother got married a week later, and I'm thankful for my new sister in law and the way she compliments my brother.  It was also a really fun time for the kids to meet more of their extended family, which they enjoyed a lot.



In July, we went to Illinois to spend time with Dave's side of the family.   We spent time out at the family farm, followed by time in Chicago visiting museums and, of course, eating more pizza and popcorn.



Before we realized it, it was time to go back to school, or in our case, head to the kitchen table.  We started homeschooling in August, and it has been quite an adventure, to say the least!

We've gone on field trips, done science experiments and art projects, and read lots of books.  We're thankful for the option of homeschooling.

September, October, and November flew by exceptionally fast.  We enjoyed lots of football - watching Iowa State beat Iowa, watching the Bears play, and cheering Isaac on at his flag football games.

We spent the fall enjoying time together at the Apple Orchard, picking pumpkins, learning about the elections, and spending time together.

Many people continue to ask how I'm doing health-wise, and I am always touched that people remember, and feel blessed by their caring.  I'm happy to report that despite a recent scare this fall, I am completely cancer-free still, and will pass my 3-year mark of surviving cancer in just a few weeks!

We are truly enjoying spending time together during the Christmas season this December, and treasuring our reason for celebrating.

One of my kids told me a couple of weeks ago, "Mom, this will be the best Christmas ever, because it'll be my very first Christmas as a Christian!  Now I'm really excited about the baby in the manger!"

It was amazing to hear his wonder and awe as he spoke of Christmas.  And truly, we have an incredible  reason to celebrate:

Source

May you feel child-like delight when you think of the Baby in the Manger this season!