What? Nov 1st?

Where has the time gone? Wasn't it just October 1st and still sweltering?

We've hit Fall weather and it is glorious! Yesterday the Princess did home school out on the balcony with a lovely breeze. The only downside to Fall...is the length. SO SHORT! But we will take what we can get.

I think I can say I can be back in the blogging groove soon. So many unexpected changes that take precedence over blogging.

The Prince is back at school and going at full steam ahead. Pray for him...for stamina and endurance to finish the term well. He has a lead part in a play that we will travel to see in about another week. We have a small problem with his visa that we're praying will be worked out quickly and easily, but nothing in that realm is ever easy. :)

The Princess has come through her October funk fairly well. She likes school most days, but is counting down the days until we have more peeps in our house. Being the last one at home stinks. She has had sleepovers with friends and earned extra privileges for random acts of kindness. She loves to read the Bible on the King's iPad. THAT makes my heart smile. She misses her brother constantly and is counting down the days til we see him and she can have a "date" with him alone. When he comes home for visits...she has to share him. He's everyone's big brother around here. She was bummed that we didn't do a Fall Fun Festival this year, but we made a switch...to celebrate Reformation Day and use it as a learning tool as well. Got this great idea from another home schooling mom and jumped in on their time to see what they do.

The King and I have been ships passing in the night it seems. Both busier than we'd like to be without the other, but still able to pull off "dates" with the help of friends that we treasure. Sometimes he's gone and we're at home trucking along with home school and sometimes we go with him and that throws a kink in home school. Anyway. Life does NOT revolve around home school, but we do try to keep a schedule in order to have guaranteed family time as well. Pray for the King. He is doing a ton of things...good things...things God wants him to do...but he doesn't like being away from us for long. He was gone for 7 out of the last 9 days and when he was home he was exhausted but prepping for the next trip. We just pulled in our welcome mat one evening and didn't go anywhere or talk to anyone...we just WERE....together. Nice.

I am okay. This month I tried to pass a major language exam fully confident that my language is at that level consistently, but the test didn't go as well as planned and I didn't pass. I tried not to be bummed about it, because I really feel like my language is at that level, but the interview didn't go like I thought. I was kind of funky afterwards. Working so hard to learn this difficult language, I really wanted to prove that I can do it. I didn't do it, but am still moving towards that goal.

Along the home front, we are on the tail end of our home study paperwork. We are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. We are applying for two and asking Father for wisdom and grace along the way, which he has shown time and again already to confirm this is the correct way to go. He will supply our every need. There are days of life over here when I think, "What? Are we CRAZY? We don't know what tomorrow holds...where we'll be...what we'll be doing or where we'll live..." and in those moments, His grace is completely sufficient. He reminds me He Holds Tomorrow...all of them...mine, yours and the little ones he plans to bring into our family. He reminds me he is in control and that I CAN'T do it without him...that's his plan. When I am weak, then he is strong! Whew! SOOOooo glad for that.

October 14th marked three years of living in this country and studying language and culture. That was pretty unbelievable for me. I remember when we moved here and I was counting how many weeks we had survived life over here. Now we are looking forward to coming home next summer...for a break and then returning in the Fall. It seems a waste to walk away from all we've learned language and culture-wise because there is still so much more to learn!

I'll keep you updated on the adoption process. I hope to be back in the blogging groove. We'll see.

A glimpse into our future. This is the Prince with another little one who has been adopted from the big country of E.