Just For Fun

Ruthie was a bunny for the Noah's Ark program at school. Sam was a dinosaur. He told me several times though that there were no dinosaurs on the ark. Apparently that bothered him. :)

Enjoy!

Perspective on Our Pasts

This is one of those days when I feel sorry for those of you who just check the blog to see cute pictures of Ruthie and I am sure wish that I would keep my thoughts to myself. Good news for you, you can scroll down to the end here and see our latest adventures or you can just hang with me for a minute and then tell me if you think I am crazy.

Sitting in women's small groups and talking to those around me, it appears to me that we as women tend to take on our past experiences and mistakes as a piece of our identity and then use that as an excuse as to why we aren't worthy of the gospel message. For example, you may see yourself as the one who had an abortion, had sex before marriage, broke the law, was victimized as a child, wasted years on drugs, was the child of divorce, etc. Any of these may be a part of your story, but they aren't who you are.

You see, your identity was changed from sinner or victim to healed and redeemed when you chose to follow Christ. Satan would love for us to be bound by the experiences of our past such that we were unable to function in the freedom of our present that the cross has given us. When I accepted that my past was not my identity but just a part of my story, I began to walk in spiritual freedom.

I am still reading Beth Moore's book, The Beloved Disciple, and I thought she made a great point the other day on this subject. She said, "If your heritage had nothing to do with your future, God is far too practical to have allowed it. I am convinced this is true in my own life. When Satan begged to defile my young life, I don't believe he would ever have gained an ounce of permission from God had my faithful Father not known without a doubt how He could use it. God is never more glorified than when He brings an oak of righteousness (Isa 61:3) out of what once was so damaged a root."

Not only is your identity no longer found in your past, but God wants to use your story to advance His purpose. But I think we have to be really careful here such that we don't become come prideful of our sin. It is not a good thing that you made bad choices or that you were a victim of someone else's sin. She is not saying that at all. Sin still breaks the heart of God and cost Christ his life. However, because He died on the cross and redeemed our lives, He is able and willing to use our experiences for future good. How great is that!!

So whomever this is for, my encouragement to you is to stop letting your past limit what God wants to do with your future. Reject the lie that your identity is found in your past and accept the truth that you are a child of God, chosen by Him and for Him to do great things.

Eph 1:3-9

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

If by chance you are reading this and you don't know about this God who redeems your life, I would LOVE to chat with you about that. Please send me an email at ginnyhenderson@hotmail.com and we can visit.

TODAY'S SIDE NOTE: Ruthie has a cast that she is not supposed to get wet or we have to make a 5 hour return trip to Dallas to see her Dr. and on top of that, we were driving an hour today to have professional family pictures made. So what habit did she take up yesterday? SPITTING! YES- I kid you not- SPITTING! And it was not the small cute little bubble dribble, but the let me soak my shirt spitting! So these pictures are of my darling girl in time out, in her dress for her pictures, in a bib all because of disobedient spitting. She puts on a good show like timeout is killing her until I suggested that she could smile for the camera.

Trent Meets Lydia

Trent just spent as week in England and now he is back to this crazy life of ours. While he was there, he got to do several very important things, I'm sure. But the one thing that I was most interested in was his Thursday meeting with the Cuozzos and of course miss Lydia Hope.

One of the absolute coolest parts of this adoption experience has been the relationships we have formed along the way. When we prayed and entered the process of adopting Ruthie, I had no idea that we would form such bonds with others walking the same road. The Cuozzos are a ministry family living in England who were matched with Lydia Hope within days of our match with Ruthie. Naomi and I walked through the PA, RA, and TA waits together as we prayed for each other's daughters, wept over delays, and celebrated gotcha days.

So when Trent was given the opportunity to take a ministry trip to England, it was a must that he connect with this wonderful family we have shared so much life with over the last year. To say that I am jealous is a clear understatement, but I am so glad that Trent was able to see them and that they were able to make the drive to meet him.

Naomi posted pictures and wrote about it on her blog Lydia Hope.

Adventures in Single Parenting

Trent is back from his trip to England and we survived his being away. Things were adventurous around here to say the least, but that is just the life and times of having 3 small kids. Trent's dad and step mom came to help out for a few days and I am quite confident they have slept very well since their departure.

Ruthie is recovering great and is back to causing trouble with her partner in crime across the street. Sweet little Haley has become Ruthie's best bud and they are so cute playing together. We have to watch them closely or they are sure to get into something they shouldn't like Jack's golf cart as seen below.

Hugging in the driveway

Running away when we busted them on the other neighbors porch

My other nut, Sam, is trying his hardest to become a Jedi. Thursday he asked me to teach him a back flip. I thought it would be cool to show him one, so one back handspring and one injured shoulder later, he decided I was pretty cool. He changed his mind today though and informed me that real Jedis can flip without putting their hands on the ground. Here is a short video of his attempts to train himself to be a Jedi.

Beth Speaks a Good Word Again!

Several weeks ago, I started Beth Moore's book, The Beloved Disciple, about the life of John. It has gone a little slow for me because I am not as much of a history buff as I am one who reads for application. However, I can appreciate the importance of understanding this individual when trying to read his account of the life of Christ.

Last night, after almost 100 pages and a lot of history, I came across my favorite paragraph in the book so far and wanted to share it with you. When talking about the Holy Spirit, Beth said...

"Beloved, God wants to hang out all over you! Don't you see? That's why our circumstances and challenges are often beyond us! If life were completely manageable, we'd manage our own strength, and no one would see the living proof of God's existance in us. We were left here for the distinct purpose of becoming witnesses to an injured world in desperate need of a Savior."

SO TRUE! SO TRUE! It also makes me want to cry out- Lord don't let my struggles be in vain, but let my life be a testimony that Jesus Christ reigns over everything!

Today's Side Note: Jack and Sam went to see Thomas the Tank Engine with Trent's family. Here are a few pics from their day.

Thinking about Ruthie's Birth Mom Today

I listened to a webinar last night (thanks Jenn) from the author of 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed. She spent a lot of time talking about the importance of honoring your child's birth parents. Before hearing this, I don't think I would have ever dishonored Ruthie's birth parents but I also don't think I would have made an intentional effort to honor them.

For example, the lady hosting the webinar said that each year on their daughter's birthday, they buy a bouquet of flowers and place them in the center of their table to honor her birth mom. The author was good to point out that adoptive parents accepting and honoring an adoptee's birth parents is key to the adoptee accepting their past.

I have been thinking on this today and would love to hear any other ideas or experiences you guys have for honoring birth parents.

TODAY'S SIDENOTE: Ruthie is getting right back to normal. I walked in the living room Saturday and found this. Please excuse the laundry in the living room. :) Enjoy!

Chasing What Matters

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

I have changed my bedtime routine the last few weeks and I am getting ready to fix it. You see, instead of reading or visiting with my husband like before, I have started spending about an hour before bed playing around on Facebook.

On my way to work Friday it really hit me that I, in an effort to find a routine and then find time of my own to just relax, have neglected the time of reflective thinking and studying that I so enjoy. I don't want to become someone who is defined by the errands I run, what activities my kids are involved in, and my response to other people's facebook status. That life would be real comfortable, but without personal growth.

So I changed my prayer today from "God help me to find a sense of normal" to "Lord speak to me where ever you have me and don't let me become complacent".

Don't get me wrong, I am not canceling my facebook account. How else would I know what you are having for lunch? :) I just want to make sure that the temporal activities in my life don't take precedent over that which is eternal.

Now back to what counts- playing with my kids.

The Side Note...

This dress was made for Ruthie by my friend Brittany. I was so pleased with how it turned out that I have to share her website with you. I just told her roughly what I wanted and she came up with this. Isn't it precious? I took these right before we left for Ruthie's surgery.

www.ohsocutebowtique.com

Getting Back to Normal

Well things seem to be settling back into normal at the house. Between getting home at 4:00 and now, I washed a folded 2 loads of laundry, unpacked, cooked dinner, delivered snacks to soccer practice, read with Jack, cleaned the kitchen, and broke up one fight over the Wii all while continually comforting one very sweet but very sad little girl. How quickly it all gets back into full swing here at the Henderson house.

Ruthie is recovering like normal. She is still in some pain and is pretty clingy, but is getting used to her new "weapon". I say give it a week and both boys will have bruises from interaction with the cast.

Thanks for all of your prayers. I can't say enough great things about our experience at Scottish Rite. They are wonderful people.

A few more pics from our stay at Scottish Rite:

Ruthie was not a fan of anything attached to her ankle. She removed her ID tag several times and here she is working a plan for removing the IV.

She just loved the little fish mobile and it saved me Wednesday afternoon when she was so upset. I actually have one of these in a baby box somewhere. Looks like I will be hunting that down for the toddler bed.

"I get to go home. YEAH!!"

Recovering

For the most part, she is doing well. She has been vomiting from the anesthesia and is a little angry crazy right now, but I understand all that is within the realm of normal. They just gave her another dose of pain meds and I am hoping that lets her fall asleep.

She needs to stop throwing up and become a little more normal for us to be able to go home tomorrow. I am betting she will be a whole new kid when she wakes up in the morning.

Happy Girl pre-surgery

Almost Done

It is 10:30 and we just got a call that they are almost done and things have gone well. We are supposed to hear from the Dr. in 30-45 more minutes.

Thanks for praying.

Ginny

She's Sleeping- Hooray!

It's a little after 7:30 and my baby girl is crashed out. We have had a really long day of Dr. visits and high energy interaction. This place really is amazing like that. I think they must screen your enthusiasm level before they hire you because the people here are all, well, like Kindergarten teachers. You know, big smiles and every kid is the greatest one to ever walk through the door. I have 3 friends who are kindergarten teachers and they would all make great Scottish Rite employees.

We started out with a 12:00 appt in admissions and when we walked in, the lady said "Hi Ruthie!" like she was the only one who might be walking through the door. I was very impressed. Then we went to see the Anesthesiologist who sat down and explained everything she does. After that, the surgeon came in and went over everything with me. I have heard over and over what an incredible pediatric hand surgeon this lady is. I have even heard someone say that she is the best in the world. Then the PA came in and went over post op care with us. She escorted us to the pharmacy where they talked about her medications and a volunteer was waiting there to take us to the surgical area where 2 nurses met us in a conference room to talk about what all would take place pre-op. Another volunteer walked in after that and escorted us to our room. Shortly after arriving in our room, the nurse, Child Life, and the Dietician all came in. It was like a well oiled machine and again, VERY IMPRESSIVE.

So here we are, exhausted and information ready for what tomorrow holds. I have no doubt that Ruthie is in the right place and in very capable hands. I will post tomorrow. Thanks for praying.

Ginny

WE ARE HERE

We are here at Scottish Rite in Dallas. We got here about noon and have spent the whole day meeting with different Drs. They are so thorough and kind. So far I have been very impressed. Runny nose appears clear for the moment. Go Claritin. :)

Surgery at 8:30 am tomorrow. Gotta go now because I don't think this Child Life computer is intended for moms. :)

Thanks for the prayers

Ginny

Snotty Nose Be Gone!!

Ruthie has had a runny nose for weeks, but no fever. Scottish Rite said it would need to be clear for her surgery, but we could not give her an antibiotic because that would suggest that she has an infection. We started her on Claritin friday and it really seemed to clear things up until last night. She coughed on and off most of the night and seemed pretty congested but we played outside yesterday so I am still going on the theory that it is allergies since she has no other symptoms. All that said, I still have to get rid of that darn runny nose before Tuesday so please pray that it clears up or that if it is an infection, that she shows other signs. I just don't want to get all the way to Dallas and have surgery canceled because of clear drainage.

The plan is to go to Waco on Monday, Dallas on Tuesday, surgery on Wednesday, and God willing home on Thursday. I will keep you updated here. Thanks as always for praying and caring.

Now, of course, a few pictures from yesterday

Ruthie looking out the window at Max our dog. She is still terrified of the "go go" but doesn't mind studying him from a safe distance.

I took Sam to Pottery Barn Kids yesterday to meet some Star Wars characters. Weeks ago he was trying to convince me that Luke Skywalker is stronger than God because he has the force. So we had to break it to him that Star Wars is not real and God is real. Well, on the way to meet the characters, he kept saying, "but they aren't real". I told him that the story isn't real, but the characters are real and used the Miley Cirrus is Hannah Montana example. He bought it just in time to be completely Star Wars star struck by his hero Obi Wan. I wish he could stay 4 forever.

Keeping it Interesting

We could use your prayers for health and safety. OK and go ahead and throw in sanity. As a matter of fact, make sanity at the top of the list. :)

Ruthie was supposed to have surgery in January, but Scottish Rite called Thursday night and said that they were having difficulty with their patients being healthy for 2 weeks and thus they have an opening for this Wednesday if we want it. WHAT? IN 6 DAYS?

The crazier thing is that it really does seem like God has been paving the way for this to be possible. I have had to work a lot more than usual the last 2 weeks to cover for sick coworkers and that has provided us the extra income that will make taking off next week not too difficult. In addition to that, we were just saying that we don't have anything major going on between now and mid December (when she would get her cast off).

There is one hiccup though. Trent has scheduled a trip to England and will be leaving the Saturday after Ruthie has surgery on Wednesday. This is going to make that next week REALLY HARD. To be honest, I would love for him to cancel it, but I know he would be miserable wishing he was there in England, and I am just one of those personalities that can't stand to be at fault. It was going to cost $250 to change the plane ticket to someone else so I figured I would rather be frustrated with him that week than have him frustrated with me and it cost me $250. I told him that I am going to take the $250 and go away for a weekend when he gets back. :)

Pray for Ruthie. She will be in a full arm cast that will have to be elevated for a little while. They are repositioning her wrist, moving some flexor tendons around to be extensor tendons, and shaving down some bone. It sounds pretty involved to me.

Here are some pictures of my little Cub Scout. He was just so darn cute in his uniform.

Voice of an Angel

It has been a very busy few days and so I haven't had much time to post, but I have been busy trying to get good material for you. Ruthie has started singing a few songs and it is just precious. The problem is that she is also busy and never sits still long enough to catch them on camera. Here is my best attempt to share. Enjoy!

Sibling Rivalry! UGH!

I have many themes in my life- pastor's wife, working mom, adoptive parent, mother of children with special needs, etc. The one that seems to be taking most of my attention right now though is opponent of sibling rivalry.

My first born, from what I have read, is a very typical first born. He wants to be in charge, wants 90% of your attention, and is still mad at the 2nd child for shortening his 18 year reign as the only child to just 2 years. My 2nd born (now middle child) is also a typical 2nd born. He is a peacemaker, charmer, adores his older brother, and would do anything to gain his approval. It is really sad to watch this exchange because I feel as though I am constantly sticking up for Sam to protect his sweet heart against the jealous verbal attacks of his brother.

Don't get me wrong, we have periods where it is not that bad and they actually enjoy each other, but we also have periods where it is the running theme of our home.

SO I HAVE A PLAN: Follow my reasoning and tell me if I am crazy....

*I want my children to love each other and to live their lives relating to each other in a manner that demonstrates that love.

*The greatest demonstration of love ever was Christ dying on the cross for you and me

*That demonstration of love was an act of self sacrifice. Christ was a servant and we are the recipients of that service- demonstration of love.

*Often times we have to live something out in order to make it real in our hearts- you know loving a spouse or a brand new baby. We have to "fill" the role sometime to "feel" the role

*HERE IS MY POINT- I am going to start teaching my children to serve one another in order to try and change the atmosphere around here. I am thinking simple things like taking each other's dishes to the sink or putting up each other's laundry.

This may be a total flop, but I think my reasoning is good and I am praying that God will reward my efforts and intentions with heart change in my boys. I will let you know how it goes.

PICTURE MOMENT- we had a bow making night at the church last night and we made these for Ruthie. I was worried they would be too big but my friend Elita assured me that there is no such thing.