Home with Tracy

This morning my children each gave their dad a homemade father's day present. Our oldest son made him a solar powered hotdog cooker. After a few tweaks this morning, it may actually work. One of our daughters made him a picture that had her dad with Lucas and a bunch of money so he could buy him. We are still trying to explain that we don't actually "buy" him. Then one of our sons made him a piece of wood with a nail in it and hand drawn pictures of him and his dad with hearts all around. It was one of his first times hammering, so he was extremely proud of it! Our youngest daughter drew a picture of her and her dad walking hand in hand under a rainbow. She is definitely a daddy's girl. At this present time all of the kids are out in the garden with their dad. This is an occurrence that happens often and warms my heart every time. Their earthly father goes out with them and teaches them about their Heavenly Father's creations. It is a sweet site that never g...

Our home study is almost complete. This is good news, but we are still short some of the funds we need for the next process. We have enough to pay for the final payment for our home study, but then we will need to send off our second payment as well as submit our I-800A forms. Both of these will cost us $3150. After our home study is complete, we will be able to apply for grants, but I'm not sure if we will receive grant money before these payments are due. We currently have a few fundraisers. We truly appreciate and are blessed by all the support we receive. First is our puzzle fundraiser. We purchased a 1000 piece puzzle with Lucas' picture on it and we are asking for a $5 donation to sponsor a piece of the puzzle. When you sponsor a piece of the puzzle we will put your name on the back of the piece. When all of the pieces are sponsored, we will put the puzzle together, frame it and display it in Lucas' room. It will serve as a forever reminder of all...

This morning I was looking at Facebook and I found a post that said "Homeschooling moms.....this is a GREAT way to start your day :)" Being a homeschooling mom, I decided to click on the link, especially since it was from what appeared to be a faith based blog. When I clicked on the link it stated "In case you’re on the fence about homeschooling this year, I thought this might help push you right over the edge. You’re welcome." Following that statement were several photos of an attractive popular actor who happened to be homeschooled. Each of the pictures had something relating to homeschooling written on it as if he was speaking to the person reading it. While I am all for promoting homeschooling, I think this is going about it in the wrong way. First, these pictures appear to have the actor speaking directly to the person reading them as if he was that persons spouse. I know he isn't my spouse, and I'm pretty sure he isn't a spouse of anyone else w...

I coach a soccer team of children ages 3-5 at our local YMCA. I love it. I have been known to compare it to herding cats. The kids all tend to gather in one large group and move around the field. Since it is the first time that some of the children have ever played a team sport, some of them are scared and nervous about getting out on the field. It is a joy to watch them finally get the courage to step on the field. It is a joy to watch them as they first start kicking the ball. It is a joy to watch the excitement of a child when they get their first goal. Last night I had a parent approach me after the game and begin to yell at me in front of all the parents and children, but most importantly, he yelled at me in front of my own children. I was shocked by his anger. I was shocked by his words. He was upset that his child only played one quarter. I tried to explain to him that there are several children and I try my best to give them all equal time. The man continued to yell at me s...