Merry Christmas From the Roses 2009

Merry Christmas from Russ, Lisa, Jason and Steven
...may your 2010 be full of joy and peace as you go through life's adventures...

photos compliments of Alan Cross www.downshoredrift.com

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!

- Henry Ward Beecher

Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.- Galatians 6:9

Check Out God's Awesome Creation!!

www.hubblesite.org/gallery

(go and check out the beautiful pictures. you will be speechless!)

He's Everything To Me
In the stars His handiwork I see,
On the wind He speaks with majesty,
Though He ruleth over land and sea,
What is that to me?
I will celebrate Nativity,
For it has a place in history,
Sure, He came to set His people free,
What is that to me?

Till by faith I met Him face to face,
and I felt the wonder of His grace,
Then I knew that He was more than just a
God who didn't care,
That lived a way out there and

Now He walks beside me day by day,
Ever watching o'er me lest I stray,
Helping me to find that narrow way,
He's Everything to me.

1969 Ralph Carmichael

This and That!

The Roses are almost over the Swine flu.....Jason started acting hyper on Friday so I knew he was doing better. I am on the other hand, still a little sluggish with some sinus action going on...I am actually chalking that up to the rain today. By this evening, I was feeling much better as the rain passed out of Montgomery. Russ has some sinus action but no Swine! Steven only gets "sick" when he has to do something like wash the dishes or sweep the floor. Uh..huh... I pulled that one when I was his age!! Um hmm. Funny how he got better when I mentioned he would have to stay home and go to bed all day tomorrow.
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Russ and I are licensed foster parents so once in a while we get to do some interesting projects. Right now, for the next few weeks, we get to transport a baby back and forth(Sat 5pm and Sun 5pm)from his guardian's home to his birth parents car at a designated location. The birth parents were extremely neglectful of this beautiful baby and therefore got the baby taken from them. The guardians go to our church and it has been a trip. All in all takes about 45 minutes of our time twice on the weekends. What a great ministry to this beautiful baby and to both sets of parents. Pray that Russ and I get a chance to minister to both families as we help them out.

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Rose Reading Fun!

Anyway....we as some of you know, we have continued to struggle with getting Jason..not to love...but even LIKE reading. He apparently struggled for so long before we had him that he has decided it is something he would rather not do. We have worked with him for the last 5 years and he has made great strides but this summer he has decided to be totally uninterested in reading and has not read one book.

We know he is 15 and hormones take over but unfortunately, in the grown up world, he will need to read and so we have been brainstorming (Russ and I). We decided that Sunday nights, for about an hour or so, we would have a family reading night and we would all take turns reading out of a favorite book. We started tonight and guess what...it worked. Russ and I did the bulk of the reading(because as you all know, listening is a big part of learning to read better)...and J and S read a few pages each as we passed the book around. We were only going to read about 30 minutes but before we knew it, it had been an hour and a half and 10 chapters into the book.

We started with our family favorite, the Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler(the Fonz)and even though it is a little below their reading levels, it was a funny book to start with and Russ and I hammed up the characters and had the guys laughing and in stitches. Steven(though way ahead and loves reading but lacks confidence in reading out loud)even got into the characters and accents. Jason hesitantly started reading out loud and as he was cheered on, loosened up and had fun!(oops don't tell him he had fun!!)

So we will try this experiment and see if it helps. Pray for Jason to enjoy reading and more than that, feel confident that he can read.(He always tests on grade level but he does it because he has to!!).

This what has been going on for us this week! Hope all is well with you!
RussLisaJasonSteven

Delayed Again...........

Dear Friends and Family;

Please be in prayer. We found out on Friday that Steven's adoption has been delayed again. We are very disappointed as we had been told it would be finished by the end of the summer and now here it is and they haven't even started. Beaurocracy seems to be the reason. It is too complicated to go into but we need your prayers as we start making some noise! This delay continues to bring on a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for our son!!

this and that!

Russ' birthday dinner with friends...we had mini chocolate cream pies for dessert!

Blowing out the candle!


16 month old Cheyenne barking at Squirrels

Flowers from a friend in NJ!

Chocolate Cheese Cake from my coworkers!

Back to school on Monday the 10th...not happy! 8th grade here we come!

Stop the violence rally in Montgomery

rally-it was REALLY hot that day!

Cheyenne....

Foster Parent Back to School Party!

Jason and Stevens Wild Adventures: AKA Youth Conference in Birmingham

Our youth group went to Birmingham overnight and had a blast!! They learned a lot, there was a good band and the time together was awesome!

Jason and Stevens Wild Adventures: AKA Youth Conference in Birmingham

The Rabbit

This little girl keeps showing up in our yard. She comes..eats some weeds only and leaves...it is like she is just coming to say hello and then leave. She is definitely someones pet because she is very friendly. Wonder what we should do....

Happy 5th Anniversary Jason!

Special time for a special young man! July 3 2009

Five years ago, you joined this family. Five years ago you had so many challenges. Five years ago, you didn't know Christ. Five years later....you have evolved into a wonderfully, talented, Christ filled young man.

You have come so far......we are proud of you son!

Dad and Mom

Updates

June 12, 2009

We had a good weekend for Father's Day and Russ enjoyed lots of food and rest!! He is a good egg! (-; I think I will keep him..


Jason
He is now 15 and all of the sudden is so grown up in some ways. WOW! He asked if he could get a job so we are going to start small and he will advertise his pet care "company". When people go away, he will be available to feed and water "whatever" they have.

He has started athletic training and is going to try out for football. He goes every day in the hot sun and learns a lot. He is coming home and already tan and sore!!(-; Overall, with the exception of his15 year old moodiness(which can be big sometimes), he is doing well.



Steven
Steven is at the Y this summer and doing very well. Good med combos make a world of difference. He has been on several field trips and swims almost every day. He is a cool guy!
He too is doing very well. We are hoping to add him "officially" by September into our family. He will be a beautiful addition to our family!


We are back in the routine after vacation and camp and are looking forward to a mostly uneventful summer. God is good all the time!
Lisa

Happy Fathers Day to My Wonderful Husband!

Yeah..yeah...it is still "officially" a few days from now..but why not start now. He is in the kitchen cooking dinner for me while the boys are at camp. He does a lot for us and we really appreciate him.
For the next few days...we will show some fun pictures of Russ and the boys...starting with this one! It is great!

Love you Russ!
lisa

Only 3 more sleeps

Nuff said!!

We are in VBS this week and Russ and I are teaching the 5th/6th graders!!WOW! Do they have motor mouths!! I thought our boys could talk a lot!
(-;
Lisa

Only 4 more sleeps to NYC!

Well, school is finished. Both boys came out unscathed(not so much for mom and dad). They both did very well and got honors certificates in serveral areas. We are very proud of them!

In 4 short days(if we can make it), we will be heading to our favorite place in the whole world..NYC!!! YEA! Will blog from there if we get some time at a computer.

YEA for vacations!

Lisa

Horror film "Orphan" to be Released in July!

I am disgusted that film makers have decided to depict older child adoption this way. And in all things...a horror movie! I am just speechless. There are 500,000 children in Foster Care in the USA and this will be a step back for finding them permanent homes. This also affects kids from orphanages as well! This is a very sad day. My children will never be allowed to see this!

Please pray and if you are moved to do something about it..please do so.
Russ and Lisa Rose

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From Adoptive Families Magazine

Dear Readers,
There is a horror film being released on July 24, called Orphan, about a family who adopts an older girl who "is not what she appears to be." The film is currently being promoted, and the trailer is available at http://orphan-movie.warnerbros.com . The adoption message is extremely negative, and plays into the stereotypes of adopted children, particularly older children, as damaged.
Though we have not been able to preview the entire movie, the trailer leads us to believe the movie will send a horrific message about adoption. The adoption community is protesting the release of the film. We urge you to contact the makers of the film, as well as your local movie theater chains, with your concerns. Feel free to copy or adapt the sample letter below.
To whom it may concern:
I want to express my outrage about the release of the movie Orphan. The film plays into the stereotype of adopted children as damaged and dangerous. It discourages families from pursuing adoption, particularly adoption of older children, who are especially in need of loving homes. As an adoptive parent, I am horrified by the line in the trailer that "it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own." Adoption has often been misrepresented in the media, but the previews for this film are unbelievably offensive. I urge you to change the promotional materials, and to consider holding the release of the film altogether.
Contact information:
Warner Bros.
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000
Silver Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd. 90
Burbank, CA 91522-0001
818-954-4490
Time Warner Inc.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019-8016
212-484-8000
Thank you for your support.
The editors of Adoptive Families

8 More Sleeps To NYC....

YEA!

Only 9 More Sleeps!

Only 9 more sleeps till we get to go and be with friends in NYC....Graffiti is celebrating the "note burning" on the building and we get to go!

theRoses

Happy Mother's Day to All the Mothers in My Life!

Happy Mothers Day to all my "mom peeps".

I am blessed to have these two to care for and help grow and heal.....

Enjoy the new video from Amy Grant about moms!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8e2644b3755728bad33c

Rain Rain Go Away!!

This picture is from Pelzer Avenue...just down the street from our house. We havent been home but thank God we are on a hill! This was from the Montgomery Advertiser.

This is outside our office looking onto Perry Hill Rd. The land between where I am taking pictures and the road is so flooded you can't see anything.... The back parking lot
The front parking lot....it was 2 feet deep and flooded the inside of my boss' car (the black SUV in the background)

This Morning

This morning as of 9 am....

Jason has lost my car keys(we have to use this car to go see Steven who is in the hospital)
I stepped on a piece of glass the other day that was lurking on the floor and hurt my heel pretty badly so I can't walk today because it is so sore!
I have a rash on my neck from sunburn and it is itching like crazy
I stepped in an ant bed by mistake this a.m. looking for the key
The cat has an ear infection and she hates the meds I give her
The dog is getting snipped today

AND

no matter what.....
God is still in control!

Spring Time

Jason and Steven on Easter Sunday...it was been pretty rough weekend so we didn't even think to get a family picture!

Jason and his first official babysitting "training" time! This is Parker...he is 5 months old!

Jason and Steven have saved $110.00 total (mostly change and some dollars)....to give to a local ministry who works to alleviate hunger..at our food bank, you can buy food for .18 a pound. This will help a lot! There was some cash involved too.

Jason and Steven presenting the $110 to Community of Hope director, Lou Ann Raughton!


We are very proud of our boys for thinking of others in need especially during these difficult economic times.
russ and lisa

"Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God's love is not living in that person".
1 John 3:17 (NCV)