An update and prayer request

Ok....so the kids. This Thanksgiving weekend was good, but also hard. It is emotionally draining to have that many kids in the house, trying to make sure they all get along, trying to keep some sort of balance. The girls all did great. The 2 oldest are wonderful, sweet ladies. They need some help in the hygiene dept., but that is something they can learn. The youngest, Bria, was terrified of Dale and I the first day or so. I truly do not think she has been around many white people! She wanted me to pat her back, and sing to her, but only if she could not see my face! Really! It was funny! But, by Sunday, she was following me everywhere, calling me momma. She is a chunky little gal, and needs a better diet, but again, things we can work on.
The boys were more of a challenge. We were told that Brian, the 10 year old has some mild cerebral palsy. Well, that wasn't quite right. Brian has some pretty significant cognitive delays. He is truly about at a 5 year old level. He talks to himself (and answers), in an eery voice, makes funny noises constantly, and has trouble understand things, and coordinating his motor skills. But worst of all, he was quite violent. Many times he punched Rory, and tried choking the younger kids. He made me very nervous. I truly do not think he has any idea he is doing anything other than playing. I do not know if this is something that he just needs disciplined for, and would then understand, or it this has been an on-going issue, that will continue.
Brandon. He was fantastic all weekend. Very polite, very helpful. Almost a too good to be real kind of thing. Our only issue with Brandon is the language he uses, and the things he has been exposed to. He has also had a lot of freedom, to basically go where he pleases and do what he wants. Not sure how easy it would be to bring some fairly strict structure into his life! LOL
So what do we do from here!?!?
UGH! I sure wish God would just whisper in my ear what is good, and which path we should follow! It would sure be easier!
I am just SO confused! I want to do everything I can for these kids, even if that means becoming their momma! But, do I do that at the cost of my own children's safety and security?!?!
Please Lord, show me your plan! Give me your peace!

Now that's a LOT of kids!

Hello! Well, do you remember the sibling group of FIVE I mentioned in my last post?!?! Well, they are here for a home visit, for the Thanksgiving weekend. It has been: Fun, Crazy, Hectic, Busy, but all in all a good time. We have been getting the know the kids, and they have had the chance to see how our family functions, to see if they would be happy in our home. They are: Brandon- the oldest, a very polite, helpful young man. Brittany- a Very pretty, but shy one. She seems most troubled by her family situation. Brianna- The spirited one! Always has a smile, always ready for a new adventure. Brian - The mystery. He has some issues, but I just cannot figure out what they are! He seems delayed cognitively, and seems to have some slight CP issues with his hands and sometimes his speech. He was TERRIFIED when we met him, literally scared to death. Now he is happy and content. He has food, which he loves, and friends. And Bria- The 2 year old, who outweighs my 6 year old, and wears the same size clothes! She has gone from being terrified of me, to calling me momma, in just a few short days.
Where do we go from here?!?!? I have no idea. I question whether I can stretch this far. But, I know God can stretch me beyond what I can imagine. We have applied for a family size exemption from the State of Illinois. Our caseworker says this is NO problem, she is sure we will get the exemption. Out atty is not as convinced. We should know sometime next week. God is in CONTROL. I keep telling myself that! LOL
IF we get a YES, from Illinois, then we have to decided whether to move forward with additional home visits, with the ultimate goal of adoption, or whether to advocate for them in a smaller family, or whether to help momma and grandma, to the point where these kids can stay home. I am not sure if the last is even an option.
Would you pray for us?! We need some wisdom and guidance!
Much love!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oops, this one wouldn't load!

Brogan and Zachary, soon to be parents for the first time! <3 <3 <3

Some new photos of my lovies!

1) My darling Daley Faith!!!

2) Rory and MengYan at Heather P's wedding! What a fun day!

3) Bronwyn and Toby with a new friend from Uganda!

4) Dale, my love, with Keagan at the JFL banquet!

Updates on the McKinney Fam!

Hello! Sorry for the long stretch between posts. Busy as usual in my crazy household! I love my life, but finding extra breathing room is sometimes a challenge!!! LOL
Well, I have some catching up to do! Hmmm, let's start with BROGAN. Brogan is expecting my first GRANDCHILD!!!!! Landon Nelson New is due on Brogan's birthday, March 19!!! I am totally completely excited! But also feeling a wee bit old! I had the amazing privilege of visiting Brogan and Zach this summer in Germany, and it was amazing! Love it! Wonderful company, wonderful food, and awesome castles! Brogan and Zachary have made such a nice life for themselves. I am very proud of them. They are hoping to be back in the states by the time Landon is born, but we all know the army moves s-l-o-w-l-y. So please pray!!!
PATRICK! He began his first year at Olivet University this fall, and has made me quite proud! I miss him very much, but he has been able to make it home monthly. He is my guinea pig.....meaning the first of my homeschool students to go to college! It is not only a test of him, but me as well!!! So far, he is doing GREAT! Whew!!! :)
KEAGAN! Ah, my Keagan is really growing up! He is almost taller than me, and surely stronger! He just finished his first JFL season, and he loved it!!! He is improving in his school, and has been a great help on the farm, since Patrick is gone!!!
BRONWYN continues to be my diva! :) She had the opportunity of a lifetime this summer, and she got to spend it with big sissy in Germany! She loved it, and came home much more grown up than when she left.
TOBY - This is the year of the Toby! He has struggled with school since day one, and I have struggled to help him. This year......it clicked! He is reading so well, blazing through school, and even works his homework days ahead, just for fun! His new passion is word searches! He's also a fanatic about cleaning. A good skill to have!
RORY & MENG are READING!!! I am so proud of them!!! We are already halfway through our kindergarten book, and will be in first grade by early spring. After having a few struggling learners in the past few years, it is a breath of fresh air to have these little peanuts blowing through their phonics! They spend most of every day playing with their puppy, Pipa, or their kittens, Mr. Mittens, Mr. Littens, Mr. Shockey, and Mr. Scaredy.
DALEY FAITH - Miss Deeny continues to thrive! She is so pretty, so sweet, and her laugh makes me smile even in the worst of moods! Her health is stable, and her fussiness is much improved. We have a nurse that helps with her, Tracy, and she is one of the best moves we have made! Tracy is an awesome lady, and we are so blessed to have found her! Daley LOVES her, and so do we!
And that leaves just Dale and I. God has been taking us through some stuff these past few months!!! We have read some AMAZING books lately, that have motivated us to do more and more for our Lord! We really, truly, felt the Lord calling us to the inner city. So.....we put our farm and home up for sale, to the utter disbelief of our friends and family, and we waited. We showed the house SOOOOO many times, and nothing. We were wrong about what we thought God was calling us to?!?! We reduced the price of our house, and still nothing. And then......we got a call. An call from our caseworker, Susan. She asked if we were interested in adopting again. We said "maybe". She said it was a sibling group. We said "maybe". She said a sibling group of 5. We said, "oh my". And then we started praying, and advocating for these kids. We still are. And we are going to meet them next week. And we are seriously thinking of bringing these family-less children home with us. Really! We are! And....we are excited about it! Maybe.....the Lord is bringing the inner city to us! There are lots of things to think about, lots of details that overwhelm me (like have 11 children in my home!), but we stil have this little peace in our hearts, that this could be JUST exactly what God is doing with us! We'll see!!!!
When I was younger, a friend teased me about being a Christian. "Your life is SO boring, with all those stupid rules. You cannot do anything fun". This life I lead as a Christian, has been the most absolute amazing adventure I could ever imagine! I have been more blessed, and had more privileges than I could ever imagine! Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me this great adventure!
Blessings! :)