Sunday, October 26, 2014

Fall Family Fun

Even thought it is still 90 degrees outside we have been having a blast these first few weeks of fall!

James Henry went on his first kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch. He had a great time on the hayride..

Shooting the corn canyon

And completely surprised me when he did the zip-line!

James and Christopher saw Jack Hanna's adventure show last weekend and loved it!

Friday night James and I went to our Sunday School class' Halloween party themed "Puttin on the Ritz". It is always a fun party and this year did not disappoint!

Yesterday was "Fall Family Fun Day".

We started at the fun farm.

The boys played in the corn box.

The kids jumped on the giant trampoline.

The boys slid down the hay slides.

Christopher on the zip line..

James Henry on the zip line...

James on the zip line

The boys rode in the pumpkin car...

We had fun getting lost in the corn maze..

Then the boys shot the pumpkin blaster!

After the pumpkin farm, James' mom aka GG came over. Chili was in the crock pot and we started our pumpkin carving party!

We made caramel apples & watched The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Everyone's pumpkins turned out so great!

James did an amazing job on our big pumpkin! It's awesome!

The completed projects....

We have really been enjoying the start of fall!

Monday, October 20, 2014

I am so thrilled with my blog makeover by Tales From A Blog Designer! She came up with a design that was perfect for me. She used our new family pictures taken by Ashley Gladman at Portraits by Ashley G. These are my favorites....

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Buckner's Featured Family

Meet the Lis Family!

October 2, 2014 | cjbrister | Make A Comment | Foster Care, Foster To Adopt

This post is part of our Meet a Foster Family series. Each month we are featuring one of our Buckner foster families and asking them a series of questions. We hope our readers will get a glimpse into their lives and see them as real people who are simply following God’s call to care for children from hard places.

Let us introduce you to Allison & James Lis!

How long have you been with Buckner?

We started with Buckner in February 2013 as a Waiting Texas Children family, then became a licensed foster home in May 2014.

Why did you choose to foster?

We originally wanted to adopt only, but after reading the case files from the children and hearing the stories that brought them into CPS care, we decided that someone needed to be there to love these children and give them stability at the moment they come into care.

What has been the hardest part of fostering?

Allison: Having love and compassion for the biological family, and having a foster placement leave your home.

James: Expecting things to go the way everyone says they normally go, and understanding that every case is different.

What has been the best part of fostering?

Allison: Seeing how in just a short amount of time and with the correct amount of love and understanding, these children can excel in areas they were previously really struggling in.

James: Knowing that for the time you have these kids, however long or short that may be, you are making a huge difference in their lives.

What would you tell someone who is considering being a foster parent?

Allison: PRAY!!!! Seek out other foster families in your community and consider your current family dynamic when deciding on age and gender of potential foster placements.

James: You have to love these kids. The system is not perfect, but your job is not to change the system. Your job is to assure these kids that someone does love them.

Both: Before becoming a foster family, we never knew we could love someone so much who wasn’t biologically connected to us. Foster parenting is the hardest yet most rewarding thing we have ever had the privilege to be a part of.

Disney Jr. Live

A few weeks ago I was able to take James Henry and his best bud Matthew to see Disney Jr. Live! It was a pirate & princess show and featured Jake and The Neverland Pirates & Sophia the First.