The Gathering Place Ranch

The Richardson's do Wizard of Oz with the community theatre

2011-11-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

2011-11-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Joshua David Cit Father in Munchkin Land

The Richardson's do Wizard of Oz with the community theatre!

2011-11-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

2011-11-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

our wicked witch

2011-10-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

2011-07-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Katie, Sarah and Mom are the big Hayers. This is one of our favorite things to do on the ranch is bring in the hay. We bailed 155 round bales this summer and hope to do that many again this fall. Love it!!!

2011-07-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Visiting Royalty at our house.
Mary Jane, Jislene, Jenai', Julianna

Annie Laurie in Hospital

2011-04-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

My daughter Annie Laurie has just moved to Mountain Grove with her family.they live by us. Her first activity here was to get life flighted to Springfield which is an hour away. She stopped breathing and we had trauma. We honestly did not think that whe was going to make it this time. I was racing over 90 miles an hour in a van that was rocking back and forth like crazy. I got half way to Springfield and knew she was not going to make it so I called 911 and they sent an ambulance and then they called life flight to take her. She is now going to specialists. We still have no idea what is happening but we are working on it. She keeps having these episodes so say a prayer for the doctors.

2011-04-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

The opposite of joy--OPPOSITION

2010-10-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

I guess amoungst all the joy there has to be the old "opposition". Ours came in the form of ants. Several times a day we would sweep up pile after pile of ants. Thank goodness by the end of our stay we figured out how to kill the little devils. After waking up several times with them crawling in our hair, our clothes and in our food... we went to (you guessed it) Walmart and bought traps, sprays, duct tape and swatters. The last night there we slept ant free, YEA!!

The JOYS of "camping in Hawaii"

2010-10-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

As we stay in this beautiful place that is 30 feet from the beach there are a few things that become very special and important to us.

A bathroom

A View like nothing else

A mirror no matter how distorted or small

Stall doors on the toilets

Private Showers not to mention any kind of warmth at all

Waking up to a smile

Bad hair days that no one cares about

Flip Flops for our swollen tortured feet

Cell phones to connect you with the "real" world

Little creatures that join you for a scenic tour

Your one and only source of light

Does it get any better than that?
After spending nine days in our little tent these things are priceless.

Visiting Esther's family

2010-10-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

We wnet to visit Maria who is Esther's bio sister. It was great to visit and reconnect after so many years. They live on the big Island.

We arrive in Hawaii

2010-10-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

We thought this was the funniest sign. It was a house built right out on the lava that was for sale. A piece of lava that could be covered again at any time with a little house on it for sale. Any takers out there?

We went to see the volcano. We learned that all the clouds that were over everything were really "VOG" it is literally from the volcanoe which has been flowing lava down to the ocean for months now. The big pkume of smoke you see is the steam from the lava hitting the ocean.

We found a lovely place on the lava rocks where we could have some wonderful conversations and share our hearts. We also loved this spot because we could watch the sea turtles that were everywhere.

Katie and I left for Hawaii in order to meet up with Esther and go with her to the Marshall Islands. She want to go and visit her birth family for a few weeks and asked us to come with her as her support system. We haven't quite made it there but are having fun on the journey.
We flew first to the big Island and stayed in a fun house all to ourselves.

Endorsement for "The Gathering"

2010-09-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I just finished your book, and all I can say is Wow. Wow. Wow. You are amazing! I already knew that, but now I really can't even express how amazing you are. It was such a privilege to get to read your book about your adoption journey. I could just feel of the great love that your family has for one another, and the great faith that you have. It was such a wonderful story!
Thank you for sharing your story. It was the highlight of my week!

Melissa

Heart healthy meal for the patient

2010-09-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

What a meal for a patient in for heart attack symptoms.

Andrew is back in the hospital

2010-09-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here I am again in a hospital. Andrew came to visit us last night from Denver and within 30 minutes we were on our way to Springfield to the hospital. You see that foot. That is the foot that got us here in record time. I put the medal to the pedal for the entire 60 miles.
(oops, wrong foot but you get the idea I hope)It was so fun! I know, how can you have fun while you are racing your son to the hospital. I believe in making every situation a time of fun and joy. So... But on a more serious note, (as you can tell he had a hard time being serious for the picture)we spent the night here and he is having a bunch of tests run to see if they can figure out why he keeps having the heart attack like symptoms and unable to breathe. I have peace about the situation but think he is going to have to make some changes in life and slow down just a bit. He is a driver and a pusher. We love him and know that he is in our Heavenly Father's care. Thank you every one for your continued prayers.

2010-09-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

Every time we turned around we were at Walmart buying more food. Who says girls are light eaters. I think we know every Walmart across the country.

2010-09-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Jislene said, "Mom, I weigh pounds so I won't float!"

Our trip just gets better.

2010-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our book was on the shelf in the Kirtland bookstore. One sold right while we were there. That was fun!!!!

2010-09-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

I love going to places with our children that have the potential to change them forever. But I realize as a parent we have a huge responsibility to help that happen. SO as we were at John Johnson's farm, I took them out back to a little sitting area and talked to them about what they had felt. I asked them what made the strongest memory in their heart and how would that memory change them forever. Their answers were wonderful and some shed a tear as they shared. It is so important for children to be comfortable in a sharing and testifying situation. So many times they can't share or they feel embarrassed in front of others especially in front of family. But... the more practice they get the easier and eaisier it will be. I do not let them off easy. The expectation is that they will share and they do. We were all edified. You would be amazed at how even an 8 and 6 year old can have life changing experiences if we will allow them the opportunity.

2010-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

When we were at John Johnson's farm years ago they let the children go to the orchard behind the cabin and pick the apples and eat them. This was one of their sweet memories. They asked and those sweet sisters let them eat them again. It was greata because after traveling all night we were all pretty hungry. There were no Walmarts in the area.

2010-09-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Kirtland Ohio after driving all night with a small rest at a gas station parking lot. Don't worry, we were safe, because we parked in the back corner under a light!! that soon turned off. We pulled up at the John Johnson Farm looking like we had been through a war. But we had a wonderful experience.

2010-09-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Some Bathing Beauties if ever I saw one!

2010-09-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Say "Hi To Daddy!"

Andrew is still with us!

2010-09-09T06:20:00.001-07:00

Andrew is home now and they say it is an absolute miracle that he lived. With all of the things happening to
him he never should have made it. They have determined that he had a
very severe case of alltitude sickness, plus that this also effected
his preexisting situation with his neck, and a severe asthma attack
which in itself should have killed him because of its severity, they
also said that anxiety was a deadly part of the whole situation. So,,,
we are so grateful that the Lord took care of him. For 1 1/2 hours he
struggled for every breath. He finally told Dan,, the partner who was
with him, that he could not hold on any longer and to take care of his
family. He felt himself receding and then Dan started yelling and
throwing him around. Telling him he had to live for his family. He
stood Andrew up and they walked for the next 5 hours because Andrew
knew if he sat down he would be gone. He had some wonderfuly sacred
experiences during those 24 hours on the side of the mountain that
will change him forever. I as his mother am so grateful for this gift
of an experience in his life. He will never be the same after having
gone through this and it will surely be one of those defining moments
that if we choose to, bring us all that much closer to becoming who
and all that we can become. thank you everyone for your prayers and
your support. Love to all.

2010-09-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to thank all of those who have been praying for our son, Andrew. Just to give you an update.

He was stuck on the mountain until this afternoon unable to move without going unconscious. The weather was so bad that the helicopter was not able to get him. The search and rexcue took over 10 hours and finally got there at the same time that the national Guard came in and air dropped some men into where he was and finally got him out. He is at the hospital in Vail Colorado now and they are trying to find out what is wrong.

We are so incredibly blessed that he did not have hypothermia. It was freezing up there with sleet and high winds.
Our Annie Laurie who had an emergency appendectomy 1 1/2 weeks ago and then went back in with huge blood clots in her lungs is also doing better. It has been a little trying the last couple of weeks. The same day our Annie Laurie had her surgery, our daughter in law Michelle had an emergency c-section and gave us our 25th grand baby. Yea! A couple days later my Dad had surgery on his shoulder and almost died in recovery. So.. we are about hospitaled out but are so grateful that the Lord is watching over us.
Thank you again for your prayers and for your caring hearts.
interesting side note is that we were in the "Sacred Grove" in New York, while alot of this was going on. What a wonderful place to pray for a miracle.

Pontoon Boat ride in Maine

2010-09-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for our mighty adventure.Oh my goodness, can we breathe in these things?

We were finally ready for the ride of a life time. We all piled into the pontoon boat the we had rented and excitedly took off. 300 yards into our adventure the engine quit. There we were stranded in the middle of the lake. We had one paddle and no expertise. We tried to look as helpless as we could. The girls jumped in the water and fumbled with the propeller. We were going nowhere. Off in the horizon we see a boat coming toward us. We looked even more helpless hoping they would stop. As they pulled up close we saw that they were really angels sent to save our lives. Anyway they felt like they were. We were towed back to shore where the owners quickly fixed the propeller and sent us on our way again. We had a wonderful afternoon cruising the lake, being pulled on a tube and fishing. What a wonderful experience to have shared together.

2010-09-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

We are sitting in Maine at a campground studying our scriptures getting ready for our own Sunday Meeting. We are in a beautiful place by Toddy Lake. The girls and I are having a wonderful time. We may stay here until it is time to go back to Eric and Fran’s in Virginnia. They are my brother and sister in law. We are tending for them for a while. The girls are all working on talks today to give to each other. I have told them they have to use the scriptures, a story from their own life with application and then somehow use nature because that is where we are and there is a reason for being here in nature. The Lord used nature and his surroundings to teach so much. They all respond so well when I ask them to do things. They are such good girls.

2010-09-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a big tickle fight in the back of the car where I was sleeping. I guess they figured that I had slept long enough. Actually I was having a sweet talk with my Clarissa. It was a wonderful teaching, sharing, and listening moment for both of us. I think that we miss so many opportunities to teach because we are in the thick of thin things. But it really started last night when I wanted to sleep alone in the car and have the rest of them sleep in the tent. Okay, Sometimes I snore and it is embarrassing, so I just wanted my privacy. Well, I tried to make that decision but I also kept having this niggling that I really should just stop being prideful and selfish and have her sleep with me. She had been begging. How often does a 16 year old beg to sleep with her mother. So, I listened to the small voice. Then this morning as I was waking up I just wanted to read and doze and then this question came to my mind with the thought to ask Clarissa. I did, a bit reluctantly but I did and then Wham! The spirit came and we were able to have a very open conversation about some things that have been hanging out there in need of being discussed, for quite some time and it was lovely. A sharing moment that I would have missed because of my own selfishness.
Towards the end of our conversation little faces started to appear at the windows. They circled several times before they finally got the courage to storm the castle. We had a lovely snuggle with all 11 of us in the back of the van and then of course it had to turn into this big tickle fight. Oh the joys of being a mother of such lovely daughters.

The journey continues

2010-08-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Our little venture up the east coast continues. We were able to visit family and loved it. It was so wonderful to reconnect with cousins.

We actually even got to use a regular table and chairs with a "Tablecloth" no less. We had to have a quick review on our table manners.

And we really felt like queens when we actually were able to sleep in real beds. The floor of a tent is exciting but... there is nothing like a soft bed to feel spoiled for a sweet moment.

The rest of the miracle story

2010-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

We are back to the story of our miraculously fixed radiator. Well, it was fixed but they still did not have a hose that we needed. Paul, our new friend said not to worry about it that he would get it for us the next day and to just come by his house and he would put it on for us. We did just that! We showed up at his house the next afternoon all packed ready to head to Virginia. I asked him if he would just look at the axle grease in the trailer tires to see if I needed to go get some put in. I had no clue how to tell but had burned up an axle once because I did not have enough.
He took a look at those tires and would you believe it, Not only did they need grease but they were more than bald. The tread was completely off most of them and the webbing showed through. I was shocked! "He just said, "Don't worry I'll get some tires for you and get you on the road." He called a friend and asked him to please pick up some tires on his way home from work and the next thing I knew he came and told us we were ready to hit the road. AMidst thanking him profusely, I pulled out my wallet to pay him and he simply said, "It's taken care of. Get on your way."
There are such good people out there in the world.We weem to hear about all the bad things and the turmoil that is going on, but I am here to tell you that there are people who love God. They are not of a paticular faith, they just love God and want to be apart of serving in His Kingdom.
We are God's children and I pray we will "wear out our lives" in just simply "being there" for one another.

2010-08-31T12:54:00.001-07:00

It was time to leave Williamsburg but we were having car trouble. That silly radiator was giving us fits again. We decided to go to the beach one last time before we left the area. We all piled in dressed for the beach and were on our way.
We headed down the highway and about 15 min after hitting the road, we had a problem with that crazy radiator. We opened the hood of the van and smoke billowed everywhere. All our radiator fluids were boiling out and our tempurature gage had gone berserk.

We luckily had 3 gallons of water on hand, so we set out to find an Auto parts store that would and could help us. We found a NAPA and new it was the place we needed to go. The guys at NAPA were super helpful, but they didn't have the hose that we were looking for. We thought for sure that was the only problem. They kindly suggested we talk to an Auto shop next door and see if they could diagnose the problem. We told them we didn't have any money to fix the car and they called the auto shop for us and they kindly said they would at least figure out the problem for us for free.

right as we were leaving a man pulled up and asked us if he could help. All the children were sitting under a tree sweating like crazy and in their swimsuits. I think we looked pathetic. This wonderful samaritan told us his name was Paul and he offered to fix the radiator and anything else we needed.

In the mean time the spirit kept saying "give them a book". I of course was busy arguing because I didn't know these people but, how do you argue with the spirit. I walked up to his wife Faith and told I her I would love to have them read our story and "gave them a book".

We exchanged numbers and headed over to the Auto Shop. We hauled all 16 children, (in their swimsuits) into the reception office as Mark cleared the schedule and had them take a look at the van. Now what are the odds that in Williamsburg, VA, on recommendations of the NAPA crew, we would find an honest and caring mechanic. 100% if the Lord is on your side!

We had only been waiting for around 20 minutes when he came in to notify us of the, "Bad News"

The radiator had a huge crack in it. Parts alone should cost at least $300 and labor for 2-3 hours estimated at $75.00 per hour.

I needed to make a decision. I told them to go for it but thast we would have to find a place for the kids first.

We went from hotel to hotel asking them if they would please allow our children to swim while we fixed our car. When they found out how many children there were they would very quickly say "Oh no!!!!"
We finally in desperation, phoned Paul and Faith and let them know what we were trying to do. They had in the mean time been perusing our book that I had given them. They offered immediately to help us find a place for the kids to play while we waited.

they met us at the Food Lion, and then led the way to a beautiful park called Quarter Park, where the John Smith trail, passed through and where an original plantation settlement was in 1757.

Paul then proceeded to shuttle me back and forth to the shop. Now it was already 3 and the shop closed at 5. Would they get it finished in time? I called at 4:50 and asked if the van was done. Mark said it wasn't but that he had told all his men that noone went home until it was finished or they would have 16 kids at their house for supper. They finished it at 6:00 sharp.

When Paul took me back to pick up the van at 6 p.m. we were amazed to find that the total bill was only $200.00. Mark looked at me and said "I don't know who you are or how you did it but I have never sseen this happen before. You must be some really special people".

No, no more special than anyone else, the Lord just was there when we needed him with another of His sweet miracles. But that was not the end of it.

2010-08-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

There was at least one of us who got into the spirit of it all. That is our Rebekah who always loves to feel, breathe and live the situation.

I thought I would really give the girls a treat and take them to Williamsburg, VA. It is one of Brian and I's very favorite places. I don't think they got it because they just wanted to play... SO...we played.

Hoorah For Woman!

2010-08-31T02:00:00.000-07:00

As I have been with Fran and SandraLee, 2 of my sister in laws who live on the east coast, the last week I have been observing some things. I have been percolating them in my mind and heart. And then SandraLee and I had a talk today about our lives and what they look like. They each are doing such wonderful things in their homes and in their lives. Fran is nursing and blessing so many and working with her children as Eric is gone so much of the time. Their family is so strong on education and being involved in their talents. She also teaches the Laurels and I imagine they love her intensely.
SandraLee gets up every morning at 5 to teach seminary and is doing such a magnificent job at that and touching lives. She has her children involved in music, swimming and other things. Her home is organized to the tiniest detail and she, too, is carrying such a heavy load as she parents with Chris gone so much. She is homeschooling Rebekah and they are both, she and Fran, in the process of getting their master's degrees.

I have been looking at all that and it has caused me to wonder about my role as a woman in the kingdom. So today SandraLee and I were talking about being eccentric. Now to me that is not a bad word. It is kind of a fun word. I said I thought that she was eccentric in being organized and that I was eccentric in being fluid or easily changeable.

Two very different gifts as I look at it but both hopefully suited to our very different calls as women in our Heavenly Fathers Kingdom. Then she said something very interesting "You have to have goals and in order for me to accomplish my goals, I have to be organized".

This was kind of in reference to my seemingly carefree existence right now as I am traveling with 10 of my girls and don't really know what my schedule is from day to day. I then said in essence and of course, say it hopefully more clearly now as I have had time to formulate what I am feeling, that for me I have so many goals that I dream of and set but, in order to get those goals my goal today is to have the courage to not have to be somewhere, do something, look like the world says a woman should look in her everyday life and to listen with everything I have to the next direction, place I should go, life I should touch and do it cheerfully.
Also to have the courage to put my own desires aside to bless the lives that I have stewardship over. (What I said to her really was that my goal was to be able to do today what Heavenly Father wants me to do no matter what it looks like but this is what I was trying to say)

I guess what I am trying to say now, is that we are all women who are on the Lord's side and we are doing and trying so hard to be in the world and not of the world. We are trying to create our little piece of heaven through obedience and sacrifice and yet we are all so different. I rejoice in those differences, I honor them and say "Hoorah for the Sisters in Zion", my sisters, my mother and my daughters, and all those out there who are doing the same thing. Facing everyday with courage born of knowing that we are in Heavenly Father's hand and love it!

2010-08-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Or a "WAS"

2010-08-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Are you an "IS"

IS and Was -- Awake or asleep

2010-08-23T06:53:00.001-07:00

Are You an "IS" or a "Was"

2010-08-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2010
Are we an “is” or a “was”?
In D&C 39 it talks about James Covill. It is so beautiful in verse 7 where the Lord says to Him - I have looked upon thy works and I know thee. What a beautiful statement to have said by the Lord. It is so definitive of where James is at this time of his life. Then in Verse 8 The Lord continues His declaration of where James is by saying - And verily I say unto thee, thine heart is now right before me at this time; and, behold, I have bestowed great blessings upon thy head;
The Lord also declares in Verse 9 that He is aware of the struggles that He has gone through to get to this point and then in Verse 10 that the hour of his deliverance is here. And then He lists in the next 4 verses all the blessings that await him because he is faithful and ready to do all the Lord comands. It is wonderful. Any of us would love to have these gifts and promises given to us.
But then…
You turn to Section 40 and the Lord teaches a beautiful lesson on continuing in faithfulness to the end and not succumbing to the world’s temptations and tribulations In verse 1the Lord makes a statement that would be absolutely crushing to me if it were said of me - BEHOLD, verily I say unto you, that the heart of my servant James Covill was right before me, for he covenanted with me that he would obey my word.
Notice the difference in the statement before. He is and now He was.
Then comes this clear statement of what happened to a man and to many of us who declare that we will give all to the Lord, just tell me and I will do it. It makes me question… ”Where am I really?”
2 And he received the word with gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject the word.
3 Wherefore he broke my covenant, and it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good.

Doesn’t that just shiver your timbers. It brought me to a place of re-evaluation. It seems that the scriptures do that to me so often. I am – not afraid really – but maybe careful - in my daily and especially weekly (during the Sacrament) assessment of where I am, to see if the cares of the world have gotten me off track. I usually find some area that needs a correction and a little or sometimes big change or repentance session. I want to always stay in the “IS” place with the Lord, Not the “WAS” place.

2010-08-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

We left a wonderful time in Nauvoo behind us. Wow, we are still in shock with how many wonderful people we met in such a short time. But, now we are off on another adventure. The boys left with their Father and headed back to the ranch to get started building our home. We girls decided we would have a wonderful girl's trip as well as do a book tour and work on putting together our new business of Parenting and educational retreats. so, good bye everyone and here we go!!

While in Nauvoo we met a family as crazy as ours who was also taking off in their beautifully renovated bus(now a wonderful RV)on a tour America trip. Starting on the East coast. She had a lot of knowledge in computers and in Non Profits Orginizations that I needed, so, after much prayer we decided to join them.

We packed up our van and our trusty trailer and off we went, headed towards the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

It was an exhausting trip and we seemed to pick up a few extras along the way. Maybe that is why we have 25 children, I just keep gathering.

There were 11 of us in our van and it was great. We do have a few who struggle with car sickness but that just meant we had to make more stops at Walmart so we had plenty of extra bags.

The beaches were wonderful. The kids were shocked that the water was so salty. We had many casualties as the waves were brutal on some beaches. But after experiencing this calm beach they all wanted to go back to the "Big Wave" beaches.

We had a hard time finding camping spots for as soon as people would hear that we were 2 ladies with 16 children they would stare and then say, Sorry we just can't service that many children. We tried for hours one night until we were finally allowed to stay someplace. The next morning everyone was commenting on how they had never seen children who were so well behaved. So,neener neener, to those who did not want us.

We loved the Outer banks. I had never been there and loved watching my bathing beauties fall in love with the ocean. But now we are off to Williamsburg, VA for our next exciting adventure.

I had to add this as thedesign of the homes on the Outer Banks was so fun.

Nauvoo July 6th-31st 2010

2010-07-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Remember the creative ideas to find money? Well, we got this incredible idea of going to Nauvoo and setting up a booth where we could sale our book. So I piled 17 children into 2 cars, 1 trailer, 4 tents, 25,000 bins and took off in the van that a good friend had just given to us that morning.

There was just one slight problem, the van had over 230,000 miles on it and what should have been a 5 hour drive became a 10 hour drive as the radiator hose exploded. As usual, the Lord provided a miracle and a man stopped and said " I see you have a lot of kids, is there some way that I can help?" He ended up diagnosing, purchasing parts and fixing our car for absolutely nothing. The Lord comes through again.

We arrive in Nauvoo at midnight and set up camp.

We soon found that the place we camped was "inappropriate" (that is one of my favorite words with the children so I might as well use it on myself). It rained and soon we had 6 inches of water going through our tents. Needless to say we moved soon after that.

We set our booth up on the main street going through town and that is where we lived for the next month. We were either at our booth, at the pageant(which we absolutely fell in love with) or trying to get a few hours of sleep inbetween temperatures over 100, thunderstorms that never seemed to cease, a 65 mile an hour windstorm that flattened the tents on top of us and acquiring new and old friendships that were amazing. What an adventure.

The children learned so many things about how to share who they are and what they believe. they spent hours walking the streets talking to people and sharing with them their own personal stories. At the end of each day at the booth they would excitedly ask how much we had made. They counted the money over and over and then would ask, "how much more do we have to have to get a home?" They are wonderful children and it has been wonderful to work together on this incredible effort of raising money for a home.

Then they would go to the pageant and make new friends and tell their stories some more. They have just blossomed in this situation. It has blessed all of us so much. I love it when our children and our family as a whole are stretched beyond what we think that we can handle.

Brian was able to come and join us for the last few days in Nauvoo. It was wonderful to have him there with us.

Unfortunately, we had a rash of mishaps about that time. Our little car that we had brought with us broke down and is still there because it needs a new computer. Then the car Brian drove up to see us in, broke down and it needed a new serpentine belt and the Air Conditioner fixed. At home the same week our bus broke down with a malfunctioning fuel line. I have a feeling that the little automotive devils were working over time on our family. But as usual so were the automotive angels and all breakdowns were in safe places and 2 of the 3 cars are now fixed.

But all is well that ends well. We are all alive and well. Loved our Nauvoo experience with all of our hearts and are better people because we shared, cried, and served and were served in so many wonderful ways.

How do you do it?

2010-06-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

So many have asked, How do we do it? How can we afford to adopt over & over? We are just like you, we have scrimped and saved, made sacrifices and gotten rather creative, in the end, adoptions take time, effort and sacrifice, but ooh its so worth it!

Ideas on How you can make it happen!

Beans & Rice, Rice & Beans

Fundraisers

Home Equity Loans

Tax refunds

Borrow, Beg and don't steal ;)

And of course, Prayer works....

When you read the book, you will see how many trips, expenses and surprises can befall the path of adoption, just remember

"Long walk part of Gift"

Heroes of Haiti

2010-05-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Sisters from around the World.

2010-04-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

2010-03-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

I slept in really late, it was wonderful. I am usually up at 4:40 am, but this morning was a planned sleep in for Annie Laurie and I. We were quickly and unmercifully awakened but with a good reason. The loud knock on the door was followed with a quick and forceful opening of the bedroom door. The announcement was "get the tractor down to the field, one of the cows is dying." Sarah had instructed one of the children to interrupt us no matter what was going on." I thought that was an interesting interpretation of Sarah's request. Even though Annie Laurie and I enjoy a very affectionate relationship after 31 years of marriage the only thing going on was our attempts to wake up while holding each other's hands.

I was up and dressed withing minutes. But I was not the first down to where Sarah and the cows were. When I arrived one of our cows was lying down with her head downhill. After delivering twins just three days ago, she is weak and just could not get up from that position. She must have been laboring to get up for quite a while, because she was exhausted. We could not get the tractor in next to her because of the trees. Someone had enough insight to bring a couple of ropes.

With two ropes, each around both legs three or four of us pulled her lower half to the downhill position. We only moved her about two feet and up she came. She trotted up in to the pasture and began head butting another cow. We then took all of the cows along with the ten new calves up to the feed lot in order to seperate her, (Number 17), and her bull calf Wesley, from the rest of the herd in order to watch her for a few days.

After discussing it later, our daughter Sarah said something that was quite inspirational and actually quite chatacteristic of our family. She had called the house desperate to find me to come and help and within moments she looked up and saw almost all of the children racing towards her. She shared that it was really a wonderful thing to see so many people come rushing down to help her. It may seem a small thing to some but to us it was a wonderful. Not only did Annie Laurie and I come to help but 2 six year olds, 2 seven year olds, 2 eight, 2 ten, 3 elevens, 2 twelves, a fifteen year old, a sixteen year old, and also our 22 year old. It was quite the rescue party. All responded cheerfully and quickly to a call for help. What a gift it is to be a part of this great family.

2010-03-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

It's gone completely crazy. All we did is read Green Eggs and Ham and suddenly they were there and ummmm it was goooo..ood!!!

2010-03-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day at the Richardson's

2010-03-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Saint Patrick's Day! Yea! This is one of our favorite holidays. Green is such an incredible color. I remember when we lived in New Mexico, everyday I would kneel down and remind Heavenly Father how much I needed green in my life. The brown of New Mexico seemed to draw the life blood right out of me. I think he must of heard my prayers.
We went green!!!!!!

2010-03-17T11:35:00.001-07:00