Right on Time

God is never too late, nor too early, but just on time.

I have often wanted things when I wanted them. I complain/grumble that it didn't happen when I wanted it to happen. Slowly I am learning that God's time is always the RIGHT time.

We have added another addition to our house, a 7 yr old boy. He is a great kid but adding another child into the mix is difficult. It takes changes on the part of every member of the family. Surprisingly, the two yr old has had the most difficulties adjusting. Three weeks later and she has settled into the new routine and accepted that she can't always keep up with Kelsey and the 7 yr old.

God's timing in him coming into our house was trying to say the least as I was flying to Buffalo when he came to our house. Rich has jokingly said no more traveling as we always seem to grow our family when I am traveling. We had to trust that God's time was right as we haven't added anyone since last October.

Our basement was finished the week before he came to us. This has been a great blessing as we now have a kid friendly place for play. The wii has seen more use in the past three weeks than in the past several months. God's timing not ours!!!

School is back in session for all the kiddos and this is making our schedules a little crazy until we get a routine in place. I have faith that it will all come together as it is meant to be but in the mean time I am getting a few grey hairs.

Thanks for continuing on this journey with us.

Later in the week, I will share my experience at IFCC conference and Kyle's continued impact on the lives of others.

Return to Reality

God does not lead His children around hardship, but leads them straight through hardship. But He leads! And amidst the hardship, He is nearer to them than ever before.

We have spent most of the summer on vacation. We traveled to Tampa, Florida then to Seattle, WA followed by glorious days in Hawaii before heading back to Seattle for a few day then back to Grove City.

I loved every minute of our travels but there is nothing quite like returning to your OWN bed. I missed my bed so much. I know the babies were excited to be home. Little dude squealed when he saw his crib.

God blessed us with well behaved babies on the plane rides. They flew 12 times in three and a half weeks. Most of the flights they spent sleeping which was fine with us.

Hawaii was great but hard at the same time as Kyle so wanted to go to Hawaii to swim with the Sea Turtles. Our hotel on the Big Island was on a reef so Sea Turtles surrounded the hotel. It was magical to walk out of the hotel and see the sea turtles close to shore. The other highlight of the big Island was our trip to the volcano. Watching the lava flow into the Pacific was incredible. It was amazing how close we were to the lava flow.

The babies are doing well. Tay is catching up quickly with her speech and her two year old personality comes shining through each and every day. She is starting to play with toys which has been a long time coming. She has started potty training and does well as long as we remind her to go sit on the potty. Little Dude is still struggling. He is now over 13 months and he is still not crawling, pulling up or cruising. He is able to get himself into a sitting position 3 out of 4 times but it takes him a long time and it is hard for him. He is improving with his feeding issues but has surgery scheduled next Friday for his tied tongue. He will be starting speech therapy as he is struggling with making sounds. His personality is second to none and he is starting to develop a little temper. His smiles light up a room and he is so easy going.

Kelsey will be in Honors English next year at Oak Stone. We are so proud of her. She has completed the two required summer projects. Her report card was almost perfect and she has made lots of new friends. She is looking forward to start of the school year.

Rich started back to work this week. It is always hard when he returns to work as I miss having him around the house. I only have a few weeks before I start back. We are trying to enjoy the last few weeks before school year chaos starts.

I will not go as long between posts, I promise.

Catching Up

If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy.

I found this quote and I love it. When I stop and live by this life is so much easier. I have struggling lately with a crazy schedule. I keep telling myself that I need to slow down and just relax and enjoy life. When I get really quiet and reflect on God's will, I see that giving my time to volunteer work is giving to God. Volunteering and being Foster Parents is GOD's will for us. What I need to do is better organize my schedule and use my down time to spend quality time with my family.

I find it so much easier to give of my time and talents than to give of my treasures. This is an area I am trying to work on. I know that every time I have given my time or talent GOD has provided for us and everything has gotten done. I need to turn over our finances and give more to help those in need.

Summer is in full swing here at the Noble's. Kelsey's report card came the other day and she earned all A's and one B+. She was disappointed that she did not receive straight A's. The best news was that Kelsey was accepted into Honors English. We are so proud of her. She is really coming into her own at Oakstone. Kelsey had her first two check out dives today and did GREAT. She has her last dive tomorrow then she is certified. I am so proud of her. She and her dad are two fish in the water.

The babies are doing well. The littlest dude is in therapy several hours a week. Progress is slow but it is coming. His smile and sunny personality light up the room. He loves to experience new things and shows no fear. His sister on the other hand is showing anxiety when separated from us. Her speech has really come along and she is putting together several words. When she is in comfortable surroundings she is happy and has the best laugh. We are truly blessed to help them along their life journey.

School is almost over for Rich. We are counting down the days until we leave for Oley and then on to Hawaii. We are looking forward to sharing these experiences with the babies.

We continue to miss Kyle each and everyday. We feel his presence when we are feeling really down. We count our blessings that we have so many memories and pictures to look upon when we are sad. We appreciate the people that continue to share Kyle stories with us or just let us know that they thought about him. His life was short but he left a lasting impression on many lives.

Memorial Day

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6, New International Version

Today we spent time at the cemetery cleaning it up and redecorating. It is times like today that are so hard. Instead of redecorating his foot stone and plot we should have him here with us to cook out and relax.

Today, I am thankful for all the days I had with Kyle. While I wish we had many more days with him, I know the days we had were the best they could be. Kyle made sure we had fun each day and took time to enjoy the small things in life.

His smile will forever be etched in my memory. His laughter still rolls around my ears and when I hear our special songs I can feel him giving me a "big squeeze" as he called it.

I love the above verse on days when I am sad. It reminds me where my focus should be.

Christ is not valued at all unless He is valued above all. -- St. Augustine of Hippo

So much has been going on so it has been hard to find time to blog.

Yesterday, we celebrated our foster daughter's 2nd Birthday. She had a great time. Thanks to the friends and family that helped us celebrate this milestone with her. She is really coming into her own. Her speech is really coming along and she is putting several words together and doing the typical toddler jabbering.

The little dude is sitting up on his own now and can sit for longer periods of time. He started physical therapy and will be attending for quite a while. The PT states that he has a long way to go before we get him crawling or walking. I can't wait for the day that he can get himself into and out of a sitting position. It is hard to believe he will be one in less than a month. He starts feeding therapy next week to help with his eating skills.

Kelsey is wrapping up her freshman year. I still struggle with the idea that I have a high school student. She is thriving at her new school and looks forward to seeing her friends each day. Her academic skills continue to improve but most importantly her social skills are getting better.

My mom was here for a visit. I had a great time visiting with her. The worst part about when she comes for a visit is that she has to leave. The babies love her and she is so good with them. Little dude has her eating out of his hands. I think it is his killer smile.

The school year is coming to an end for me and Rich. I am looking forward to Oley this year and then our trip to Hawaii. We spent time planning our trip while mom was here. I can't wait to swim with the sea turtles and spend some quiet time with my hubby.

My achilles continues to refuse to heal-ok I am sure my non compliance has something to do with it. I need a chauffeur and nanny in order to be completely compliant. We are looking into an experimental treatment for my achilles. I am praying that we find out before our trip. The pain is such that I am not sure how much I will enjoy the trip if I don't get it fixed.

Uncle Doug

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"-- Jesus Christ on the Mount, Matthew 5:4

Quick update: Yesterday Rich's older borther Doug passed away at home very unexpectedly. We are all in shock.

Please pray for Rich and his family as they go through the painful process of burying the second of four brothers. It does not seem right that Kyle is in Heaven with two of his four uncles.

I will post more later.

Busy Weekend

Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservations.

-- Elton Trueblood

Friday was one of those days when I let other people make me crazy. I try not to let that happen but sometimes no matter how hard I pray, I just can't stop myself.

I am truly blessed that in those times, I have Richard. I called him and poured my heart out as I drove to the Y to work out my stress. By the time I finished my session, he let me know that he would meet me and we would drive together to finish the rest of the day tasks.

Something that small is all it took for me to feel better-OK so I lied- I also had to vent for about 10 minutes before I was completely better but just his presence made it better.

My heart broke to think about all the people who do not have someone to support them through the good times and the bad. I found myself being less angry and praying for those people without any to support them.

Praying for other's and not dwelling on the small things that go wrong in my life, is what I am sure God wanted me to remember.

Kelsey had her dance on Friday. Rich and I chaperoned her dance. We were good and watched from the balcony. Kelsey has some great friends. It was good to see her interacting with her peers in such a positive way.

It is hard to believe that my baby girl will be 15 on Saturday. The time seems to have flown by. I remember fondly the days I could dress her the way I wanted and put hair bows on her. Now I am thankful if I somewhat approve of her outfit. Hair bows are out of the question and I am lucky if she doesn't put it in a ponytail-lol. I know it will only be a short time before we are pulling her out of the bathroom after an hour or two.

Saturday, I went to Mitzi's grandmother shower. I had a good time as it has been a long time since I went to a baby shower. I must admit I was out of my league. All the other moms were swim moms. Let's just say that swim moms are a truly different breed. Not necessarily in a bad way but they have different priorities and lifestyles.

This week is very busy. The littlest baby has 2 appointments, his sister has one appointment, Kelsey has an IEP meeting and summer swim season starts, and then we have several family appointments.