A Quarterly Update

 Our blog has been neglected the last couple of months so I'll try to give an overview of the last "quarter".  The term quarter is especially applicable in the educational setting as that as how we lay out the school year.  We recently had a laugh in one of our staff meetings when a coworker asked innocently if there were 3 quarters in the school year.  I won't name names but this is one of those comments that we can laugh at her expense from time to time!

 The girls are growing up, cute as ever, and enjoying life.  Daraby continues to do well in preschool.  She is learning her letters and brings back lots of stories about her school experience.  She will miss her school friends in Miller next years as she will probably be starting kindergarten at SBA in the fall.  Dakota is content playing with her sister or playing alone while Daraby is at school.  She is a driver and goes after what she wants.  This keeps things exciting (in good and bad ways) around the house.  Dakota is now potty trained and we are enjoying not having to buy diapers for the time being! 

 Puppies...We have another batch of puppies.  However, as you can probably tell, they did not come out of Abby.  We bred Abby (our oldest springer spaniel dog) before Christmas and were looking forward to pups the first of February.  She went into labor on a Saturday and on Sunday still did not have the pups.  Darcy took her to the vet and they ended up doing an emergency c-section and discovered that the pups had died inside of her.  Abby was in rough condition and had to stay the night at the vet.  We brought her back home on Monday but she was an emotional wreck-actually crying.  Darcy got tired of this and decided to see if anyone had some orphan pups or kittens for Abby to raise.
Through facebook, Darcy found a rancher who had an "unplanned" batch of puppies out of a border collie mom and a lab dad.  The rancher gave us 3 female pups and Abby took to them right away and started nursing them. 
The pups were growing but Abby soon took a turn for the worse.  Her hair started falling off and she got huge infections on her back.  We took her back and forth to the vet and they had to do multiple surgeries to remove the infections.  They put her on antibiotics and tried putting bandages on her back.  The bandages wouldn't stay on and Abby wouldn't hold down the antibiotics.  The vet took a sample of the infection and sent it in to a lab, who said it was a staff infection, which can be very contagious.  Thankfully, none of us or the puppies have gotten the infection so far.
Needless to say, we are on a first name basis with everybody in the vet office!  Abby is now doing better although she will have sores on her back for a while.  The pups are set to go to their new homes this weekend! 

This experience has been hard as a family but has also sparked some really good conversations with Daraby about birth, death and adoption.  As Abby "adopted" pups that weren't her's biologically, so we hope to adopt a child into our family who isn't our's biologically. 
Daraby and Dakota have been a great help in raising the puppies.  They both have a heart for animals and it is amazing as a parent to sit back and watch them nurture and care for these pups  Daraby is gentle and kind whereas Dakota is more rough but not afraid to get down to business with them if they bite at her!
Onto other news.  We are on the tail end of our spring break.  Praise the Lord for a week of down time and family activities!  We have done a couple of day trips but have mostly been hanging out together at home. The next two weeks will be extremely busy at school as we host a retreat for youth groups next weekend.  Pray that students would come to know Christ and grow in their relationships with him!
I (Andrew) will be teaching an agriculture class next year at school and am working on the details of that this spring.  I have also been helping with junior high sunday school at church.  Darcy continues to lead the 3 yr old "Cubbies" group at Awana on Wednesday nights.  If you are ever in the Pierre area on a Wednesday night with some time on your hands, come on down to Community Bible Church to help with this group.  They are a lot of fun and a lot of work!  Darcy was able to go to a women's retreat in Rapid City last month which she really enjoyed. 
The highlight of January was spending the weekend at the stock show in Rapid City.  There were great rodeos and horse events to watch.  A student from our school won the saddle bronc riding competition in the high school rodeo!  We feel like the stock show keeps us connected with our ranching way of life we enjoyed down in Nebraska.
I think that sums up the highlights of the last couple months.  We will try to stay updated a little more frequently as we move into the spring and summer months.  Darcy does a lot of updates that you probably read through facebook.  My facebook is lucky to be opened twice a month-I guess I just stuff it all in and then write a couple months worth at one time in a blog!  Anyway, thanks for tuning in!

Over the river and through the woods...

To grandmother's house we go! Is Christmas really over already? It seems like we were just getting started! We had an enjoyable break from school which started off with a Beck party in Sioux Falls at Dave and Dixie's house. We had great food and then were able to play a game of phase 10 that was full of laughter and fun.
Then we headed off to Michigan for the rest of the time.  We arrived in time for all the family get-togethers and had a blast celebrating Christmas.  All of my (Andrew's) cousins were back on the Boersma side and we got together with them on Christmas Eve.  Then we attended a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Calvary Church that night.  The place was packed (around 3,000 people) and we ended the night with a candle-light singing of "Silent Night". 
Christmas Day we hung out with the Boersma clan at my parents house and had a laid back day of church, a big lunch (with all the fixings!), presents and (perhaps most importantly) the Boersma family Gingerbread House Contest!  The above picture is Daraby with her new cousin, Eli (Susan and Michael's).
Later that week we had a VanDuinen family Christmas and had fun with a $5 gift exchange which got pretty exciting.  There are lots of kids on that side of the family and the girls kept busy keeping up with all the activities-presents, baby dolls and playing with the other kids.

Every year, we step up the competition a little bit more in building the Ginger Bread Houses.  I'm proud to report that Daraby and Dakota jumped right in and decorated their own houses!  They spend lots of time with Darcy doing craft projects around the house and I think that is paying off!  I'm also a little nervous of the up and coming competition!

The above picture is our family's gingerbread houses from left to right-Dakota, Andrew, Darcy and Daraby.  I created a chapel this year and Darcy created a traditional house.  Dakota is proud of her work!

The day after Christmas we had a little snow and were able to go out sledding.  Both the girls and us adults had fun taking trips down the hill.  Rachael and Daron stayed with us through the end of the week of Christmas and Susan and Michael spent a couple of afternoons with us while we camped out at mom and dad's.

We were also able to catch up with some friends while back, although the flu bug hit Darcy and the girls a couple of days after Christmas.  Darcy didn't fully recover until we got back to SD.

It is a blessing for us to be able to make these trips and we praise God for the relationships that he has given us with family and friends all over the country!  We have a busy couple of months ahead of us with school and in keeping up on our adoption journey.  It's always interesting around here-never a dull moment!  Thanks for tuning in! 

December's blizzard of the month-not from Dairy Queen!

It's been a little while since we've been on the blogging warpath.  We had a "snow day" at our house as the wind and snow pretty much shut traffic down around our area today.  We got back late last night from an adoption class in Sioux Falls and were ready for a down day around the house.  The above picture may have to be our next vehicle if we end up adopting many more kids-too bad it's a Dodge! Actually we saw a Suburban like this and didn't get a picture of it. We happened to see this one at the gas station that is out in the boonies. It is for hunters.

 The girls are getting into the Christmas spirit and love reading stories about Jesus being born.  We've decorated 2 small Christmas trees at our house, went to the capitol (2x) to see the Christmas trees there, and spent last Thursday night in Miller for Christmas on the Prairie.  All the shops open up at night and they give hayrides around town as well as have a story reading time for the kids at the museum.

 We've enjoyed spending many Sunday afternoons with our friends the Sargent's in Pierre.  Doug and Trish have 3 kids and our girls love going over there to hang out.  We adults hang out and the kids rotate between dressing up in costumes and playing out in the backyard. 

 The following pictures highlight a trip I (Andrew) took in November with our junior class.  Each class goes on a trip to various areas. The juniors are in charge of getting firewood to a ministry on the Native American Reservation. First, we went down to Platte to cut, split and load firewood for Eagle's Nest Ministries in Wanblee.  The school has been connected with the ministry for 5 years now and we have enjoyed being able to come alongside them and help provide their heat for the winter.  Church groups in Platte do all the prep work cutting down trees and organizing equipment (tractors, and log splitters) for when we arrive.  Our job basically entails splitting the firewood and loading it into trailers and then stacking the firewood at the ministry center in Wanblee.  It is awesome to see God's faithfulness as well as the body of Christ working together in projects like this!

 We loaded a side dump semi-trailer (above) as well as an old dump truck and 2 other trailers full of firewood.  The students all worked hard and worked together as a team.  Some of the pieces of wood weighed as much as the students before we split them. They had to wrestle them up to the log splitter. 

 Here is a picture of the firewood stacks at the ministry center in Wanblee.  The students were pretty tired after we get done stacking all the firewood.  They get to handle every piece of firewood at least twice (loading and unloading).  Our goal in these trips is to teach students to serve with the love of Christ and bond together as a class. 
Gus and Terry Craven have lived at the Eagle's Nest Ministry Center for 5 years and they heat the buildings with an outdoor wood boiler.  Gus constantly gives praise to God for meeting needs in their ministry.  They are a joy to work with and they share the vision that God has given them with the students so they can see the bigger picture of the ministry.  Working on the reservation is challenging and they are honest about the discouragement as well as the opportunities that the Lord has given them.

 

This is a picture of most of the junior guys on our trip.  We stayed in an old bunkhouse with a wood stove.  We spent a couple of hours that night telling stories and cracking jokes around the fire.  There is something about fire that is captivating to men.  The other male leader and I concluded at the end of the night that not much has changed about boys since our high school days!

Darcy and I were able to getaway to Sioux Falls for a weekend in November and here is a real professional photo taken by me in our hotel room. Long arms are good for something!

We have a busy two weeks of school left before the Christmas Break and then we head to Michigan for the holidays.  Please let us know if you would like to get together with us back in MI-we will do our best to figure out something that works.  Happy trails to you wherever you go for the holidays and thanks for tuning in!

A little of this, that and the other thing.

 I sometimes think that time passes so quickly and yet slowly at the same time. Andrew and I marvel that we are parents to a four year old. Really is she 4? She is starting to look like a little lady and has these very mature moments when we can glimpse the character that she will have someday. Then she'll bounce back into her little kid mode of running through the house and making faces in the mirror.

Preschool has been good for her and she is learning to open up a little bit more to others. Daraby still needs me but has unfurled her wings just a little. Dakota is our independent little girl. She is going to be left handed and is writing and drawing all the time. She just started to paint too. It is fun to watch your children start to bud. By that I mean- it is neat to see glimpses of their passions and interests. For so long they are needy and dependent and then wham off they go with ideas and plans. "Mom we are going to do this---- today." I'm really enjoying the personalities of our children.



Here are the cousins together. These girls really like to spend time together. They plan out what they are going to do and then inform us parents. "We are going to the Y today?" hahah

After church the cousins like to get out the scooters, pillows and the "tug of war" rope. They take turns pulling each other around the gym and dirty up their dresses. There are lots of screams and laughter in the process. Meanwhile we as parents get some much needed adult conversation time so we let them have at it and soak the dresses later.

Andrew has been desperately trying to get our lawn to grow. We tore out 5 lilac bushes last spring and we have a large bare spot in our yard that Andrew has been babying to no avail. No sprout - no. nothing. green. but scraggly weeds. He has planted it at least twice. Andrew likes to involve the girls in his endeavors. In this photo they are raking the dirt yet again. The girls love the skid steer and tractor. I often drive the skid steer and Andrew has the tractor.

Dakota will be driving soon. No joke. She's almost figured out how to start the car and put it in gear. She just watches me and does what I do. I am amazed at her natural mechanical skills.  

Daraby loves being pretty. If you tell her that she is pretty it will make her day.

The girls only wear dresses. Seriously. I do declare some days to be pants and shirt days- usually Mondays. There are big tears on those mornings.  

On this Sunday we took a beautiful walk through the woods that are down by the river. There are not many trees in SD but this area made Andrew feel like he was in MI. That is very hard to do. To bad this area it is only about 20 acres or so. Last year this whole area was flooded so we are glad to enjoy it this year.

This is our fall foliage.

Since we don't have a lot of trees the grass does most of the color changing. I do love the fall colors here and the sound of dried grass sounds like the waves on Lake MI or the ocean. The sounds of the dried corn cobs has a very soothing sound too.

What an exciting few days we had with Little Bear. Daraby was able to bring him home from preschool. We did many fun things with him and wrote all about it in his diary. I am glad he came and I'm glad he went back for some other kid to love on. The girls were so worried about him. "Did we brush his teeth? Did he get enough to eat? Is he cold? He needs a nap Mom. You need to be quiet Mom." So long Little Bear! Travel on, Travel on!

I love and hate department stores. Let me explain: We had to run to the store for a few items the other day and as we walked in the double doors there were lots of Christmas trees and decor. "MOM! It is Christmas!" Try to explain that it isn't to a 4 year old. Adding to her excitement were the glimmering pink Christmas trees. The girls saw lots of pictures of baby Jesus through the Christmas section. If you need to see Jesus in Christmas you just need to borrow my kids for a day. It is like the Jesus version of "Where is Waldo?" Jesus may only be an inch big in some small snow globe and they are bound to find him and cause me to have some small heart attack as they wave the glass globes around.

"Girls, that is pretty and I'm glad you found Jesus but no touching. Put it back it is $20 a piece and I don't have 40 bucks for baby Jesus. You already got Him in your heart." I think I'm becoming cheap because I hear my kids say things like, "Hey Mom, is this cereal on sale? Can we buy this when it is on sale? Don't worry Kota, when it goes on sale Mom will buy it for us." Bahhahahhahah!

Anyway since we saw "Christmas" at the department store our home has become Christmas central. Don't you know Christmas is coming tomorrow? In Daraby's mind it is. We've built barns, stables, caves and towns with Jesus and all the animals etc... I admit it is really cute.

Daraby is so proud of her manger scene.

The little black birds are traveling in mass hoards lately and frequently darken the sky. I think it is beautiful. With all the driving I do, I am constantly seeing them cluster up and fly in these amazing swoops and dives. They'll settle in the corn cobs where I can't see them and then all of a sudden they fly straight up and glide over us. It is spectacular!

From far away they look like smoke.

Dakota is very mechanical and likes to build and build and build. This is her town -with baby Jesus. Dakota is always busy doing something like: coloring the leather seating in our car, scribbling all over the things in my purse, coloring books which are not actual coloring books, tearing apart pop-up books, sticking stickers to the floor in the kitchen or to any other hard surface, along with cutting or gluing anything that might be valuable. At least she is busy and keeps herself occupied. She is never in want of things to do since she has a "to do" list that I can't keep up with. Although it drives me nuts, I know that her mind is sharp and I want to grow that. She is a do-er. She is a get it done girl.

So life has been busy but very good! By taking a minute to look back at photos I am able to connect and relive those precious moments. It is going so fast and yet so slow. We are anxious for another child to come into our family through adoption. We did have a birth family seriously consider us last week and in the end they chose another family instead. What a roller coaster! I'm so glad for them to choose adoption but I wish it was with us. This waiting is so incredibly hard and I naively thought I/we would be fine with waiting. Pray that we wouldn't doubt God's goodness and perfect will. We are so hoping for another one in time for Christmas. Time will tell! Until then we will be praying for the life that will join our family and we'll be listening to Christmas music! "Away in a manger...." xoxo

Mid-Term Update

Hello friends and family!  It has been a while since we have had the gumption to produce a blog post.  We just started the second quarter of school, so I guess it's time to report some happenings!  Darcy is traveling back from Pierre tonight with the girl's from AWANA.  They happen to have the camera with them so there is not many new pictures to show.  The girls love dressing up and they are showing their true colors in the above photo!

Daraby is growing into a fine young lady.  She is holding a bunny at the state fair in the above picture.  It astounds us at how articulate she can be in her thoughts and feelings.  Preschool has been a challenging, yet rewarding experience for her.  She is making some friends and was able to bring Abby to school for show and tell for the letter "d".  I don't think it will work to bring our horses in for the letter "h" this week-maybe a picture of her riding will do.
Dakota has joined Daraby in going to AWANA this year and both girls have been growing in their knowledge of the Bible.  Darcy has been helping with the 3 year old class of which Dakota is a part of.  Deuteronomy 6 talks about the importance of impressing scripture in all areas of life to our children.  Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and they are able express their love for God in a variety of ways.
I was recently challenged by Wes Stafford, the president of Compassion International, at a conference that I attended.  His testimony is gripping, convicting and inspiring.  He makes the case in his latest book (I think the title is the Power of a Minute or something to that affect) of the impact an encounter with a child can have either positively or negatively in their life.  This has been a challenge to me both in our family life and in my professional life.  I would encourage you to get his book and learn more about Compassion International.
Darcy is busy with a variety of projects including some fundraising things for our upcoming school auction.  She has also been making custom purses/bags.  I got my CDL a couple weeks ago and so Darcy and I took a group of juniors and seniors on the bus to Pierre for a college fair.  She is a huge help in these endeavors and ended up having to take a student who got serverly ill to the doctor and dealing with seniors who were flying paper airplanes out the bus window.  Yep, she's a trooper!
I had better wrap up so I can help put the girls down to bed when Darcy gets here.  Thanks for tuning in!