* i want to be a better mom, in 2012!

one of my biggest fears in life isn't that i’ll get cancer, die in a car crash, or that spike will leave me, but honestly one of my biggest fears in life's that i’ll get to the end of my life & not have been a good mom - it's seriously a thought that bombards my mind & heart every day - i'm embarrassed to say that on some days, i lay down & regret being a mom that day - i regret my harsh words, i regret my evil eye, i regret the lack of attention & the selfishness of my own heart - thankfully i also have days where i lay down at night & smile about the sweet one-on-one that i had with one of the kids, the sniggle in my lap for no reason, or the encouraging words that brought a smile to a kids face
`
i sooooooo desire to have my kids look back & know their mom loved them & loved them deeply - i want them to know how much i desired for them to know God in an intimate way - it’s as if the biggest accomplishment in life for me would be for my kids to look back & say that they'd a great mom & say it proudly! - i've been thinking about this a lot lately & can’t seem to figure out if i’m thinking about this in a healthy way or an unhealthy way - do i dwell on this & live life in fear of being a bad mom, or do i dwell on this & it spurs me on to be the best God's made me to be? - which one? - one's positive & one's negative - i want to be spurred on to be the best mom that i can be - i want a positive butt-kickin' to happen, that makes me realize that my time with these young people's so fleeting
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i've been a mom for 26 years now & although i’ll be a mom to them all forever, i've got to realize that 2 of our kids are already grown, on their own & starting families [one, is even living in another state] - thinking these thoughts makes my eyes swell up with tears & i get that funny feeling in my throat that makes me choke back the outpouring of tears - the next one coming up is almost 10, so i've just got another 8 years or so & she could be out on her own - just 8 years?? - on my, i can't even imagine only having so little time to mold them into what God wants them to be [gosh, we're still working on math facts!] - i think about how time slips by & you don’t even realize it - i know the older i get the more often i find myself saying, “gosh is it already november, where did 2011 go” & “oh my goodness, 1 week until christmas, what happened to december” - you know how it goes - time just keeps slipping by - i realize time's fleeting...all of it...every day's only lived once & every month comes & goes [most of the time, it's goes much faster than the last] - each year our kids are growing & i never get the last year back - i never get to 'redo' a year over...it's gone - it got me thinking that somehow 2012 has got to be different! - i want to look back on 2012 & see that we enjoyed it...all of us - we cherished it emensely & that in 2012, i was a great mom!
`
2008-2011 were hard years for the shepler's - they’ve been VERY hard - i've literally gone from strength to strength & God's been there all along & you know what, one day i'll make it to God & i'll smile & say that i made it there only by Him getting me from where i was, to Him in heaven by...'strength to strength' - 2012's the year of mom-hood for me - i want to dedicate this year to being a better mom - i want to rely on God to get me through - i want to change some of my selfish habits that have been hanging around for way to long - i want to cherish EVERY...SINGLE...DAY with my kids & not just saturdays! - i want to die to self & have Jesus carry me through the hard times...'STRENGTH TO STRENGTH' - in 2012, i'll focus on something new for each month & pray to God that i can make some of these, 'habits' & that they last longer than just 31 days - these are things that are personal to me, that i know i need to get better at & will help me be the best mom i can be...
`

1] SLOW DOWN!
2] smile more when talking to them, instead of always being in a hurry & rushing
3] spend more 'one on one' time with each child, each week
4] plan family nights each week, like we used to do
5] encourage them daily, speaking over them...so they can hear it!
6] read to them more often
7] pray specifically for them, for things they're going through
8] start devotions with them & memorize scripture with them each week
9] get up early every day, except on saturdays
10] do something each week as a family, for someone else & let them participate
11] serve others by 'paying it forward' & letting them participate
12] at the beginning of the month, have them write down what they'd like to see change for our family & then review that at the end of the month
`
i want to get to the end of my days & be able to say that i loved my God, my husband & my kids with all that was in me - that i gave it all & that i ran the race hard - this year i plan on focusing on some things that i think will help me be a better mom - what's your new years resolution? - what are you doing to be a better mom in 2012? - any hints?
`
this was taken from a friend, that put into words, what i've been thinking - the words she used, have been running around in my head, but like #1 says [slow down], i've been in a hurry with everything & never took the time to put it to paper - with her permission, i cut/pasted to make it more 'me', by taking some of her personal things & making them my own [thanks jamie @dreamingbigdreams!]

* james leaves tomorrow for the service

james [our son in law], leaves for virginia tomorrow, to begin serving in the army - he leaves behind his wife brit [our daughter] & their 4 week old son, caelan - please pray for him as this will be so hard, not only for him, but for his family that he's got to leave behind [for a time] - he'll be back the beginning of november for 2 weeks, then they're all 3 moving, wherever the army moves them & that will happen on november 15 [then you can pray for me!!!] - until then, brit & caelan are living here with us & we're really enjoying that - here are some pictures that i took of their family today - enjoy!

* our little grandson...caelan

this little guy was born the easter day & is such a blessing - here are some pics i took of him yesterday, as it was his first photo session & he did great - i'm planning on using him a LOT over the next few months, since they're living with us, so i'll be able to get tons of good pictures - he's such a cutie & a great baby - BTW, did you know that he's already able to say, "i love mimi"? - he's very talented, to say the least! - pops & mimi [aka spike & i] are in love with him, can ya tell? - enjoy!!

* getting back to bloggin'

i've been so busy & have only blogged here/there over the past couple years & i truly miss it, so i'm going to work on blogging more often - to get me started, here's some recent pics for you all to enjoy!

ahniér in her crib

ahniér eating

ahniér thinking no one was noticing that she was going for candy

kacy, the newest member of our family

ruby [8], karleigh [7], kiara [8] & ahniér [2]

* haitian camp 2011

HAITIAN FAMILY CAMP 2011

This weekend is designed for families linked to Haiti through adoption [any agency], missions, etc., to keep us all connected with other families ‘like yours & mine’!

The date has been set for: Friday, February 4 & Saturday, February 5, 2011

The location will be located at Best Western, 4343 SR26 E., Lafayette, IN [same location as the past few years]
Directions: follow I-65 to SR26 E/exit 172. Go W on SR26 E, turn left onto Progress Drive & you will see the hotel on the SW corner of I-65 & SR26 E. You will see a large clock on top of the building & a water slide coming out of the side of the building]

The room rates will be $89/night

The amenities are as follows:
Buccaneer Bay Indoor Water Park [9a – 10p & not included in room rate]
o Friday: buy 1 at $7.50, get a second for free! [2 & under are free]
o Saturday: $10/person [2 & under are free]
o Non-swimmers: [parents watching their children] $5/person total for both days if you do not remove your wrist band
Check in Friday & Saturday [after 3pm]
Check out Sunday at noon, but you can swim until 3pm
Fitness room [9a – midnight]
Full service restaurant [w/10% off]
Game room [9a – midnight]
Hot tub [9a – midnight]
3’-6’ Main pool [7a – 10p]
Many restaurants in the area
Room service
Sauna [9a – midnight]
Wireless internet

Information: We’ve held rooms under the name, Haitian Family Camp 2011, so when calling to make your reservations, please ask for a room under that name. For reservations, phone Audrey @ 765.447.0575 ext. 149 & make reservations no later than January 20, 2011. We’re hoping for another great turnout this year as there’s several young people home since last year’s camp & hopefully even more between now & then!

Group Gathering: We’ll be going to Golden Corral again for dinner the evening of Saturday, February 5th, for all who wish to join. You’ll only be responsible for your family’s bill. I’ll be phoning in the EXACT head count on Saturday, February 5th by noon, so you must let me know prior to that time or you’ll not get to set with the group. They’ll be holding their back room for us, so we must all arrive by 4:45pm & I guaranteed them that we’d leave as soon as we were finished, so we weren’t holding up tables during their busiest time, which they said was at 6pm. If you know for sure that you’ll be attending this gathering, let me know ASAP, but if you’ll not know until you get to Haitian Camp, then please let me know prior to that Saturday @ noon. Prices are as follows:
Adult $10.29 [does not include drink]
$ 1.89 [drink]
Children [9-12] $ 4.99 [includes drink]
Children [4-8] $ 3.99 [includes drink]
Children [3 & under] $ FREE

Thank you for your interest & if you’ve any questions, please contact me.

Spike & Lori Shepler
H / 317.674.8512
C / 317.432.3103
ChatterboxLS@aol.com

* ruby's hearing??

we adopted ruby when she was 3½ years old, from haiti & she's now 7 - we knew she was deaf & upon her arriving home, we had her checked & found that she was profoundly deaf in both ears

`

she was fitted for a CI [cochlear implant] at age 4 & liked it in the beginning, but acting out on the bus one day, she chucked it out the window! - insurance paid for her to get another one [PTL], so we did, but the older she was getting, the more she didn't want to wear it...she wanted to sign - she attends a deaf school, so all her friends are deaf & she wanted to sign only, like them

`

about a year or so ago, the 'new CI' started malfunctioning [she did nothing to it] & so we were going to go along with her wishes & not make her wear it [$ was an issue here as we've no insurance, so the replacement cost or the cost for repair, would come out of our pocket & she was so vocal about only wanting to sign only, we used this opportunity & let her]

`

she's not wore her CI for almost a year now & has been doing remarkably well [in attitude, actions, etc.] - we began noticing right off, that she'd answer things not only when she was able to read our lips, but if we were across the room, etc. - i spoke to the doctor about this & shared that she was wearing it for 2+ years, but for the past year, she hadn't [& she was loving it] - he said that even though she was profoundly deaf, having & wearing a CI, it taught her to 'listen for sounds' - it made her work extremely hard to pick up voices, as it was a hearing device that was there to help her...not do it for her

`

he said that there's a slim chance she does have some hearing in her ear & wearing the CI, taught her to listen better - he said that over time, if we'd not make her wear her CI, she might learn to 'listen better' on her own, without the CI's help - he also said that by having her wear the CI, she might get 'lazy' & learn to rely on it for her hearing & not listen as well

`

we've prayed for her for years to get her hearing back & have been noticing great improvements in that area - today i was talking normal at the dinner table & she frowned at me - i signed, "what" & she said, "quiet down, you're so loud!" - LOL - i'm believing she's not even going to need her CI from here on out & will improve over time with her hearing - she's thrilled that she's "getting better" [her words] & that she's hearing things more & more daily

`

what started out to be her not wanting to wear her CI, then it messing up & she couldn't wear it, then to us not having the $ to have it repaired, in the end, i feel has been a blessing in disquise - right now, unless things change for the worse, we're not going to plan on having the CI fixed, but instead, we'll continue with our signing on a regular basis, still plan on sending her to the deaf school, still continue praying over her for healing & will wait & let god move as he's already begun

`

i feel now, that by getting her a CI in the beginning, it gave her the 'umpf' that she needed to learn to listen [she could've never been taught, that], but then by it messing up, it gave us the 'umpf' we needed to take it off of her & let her be the way she wants to be

`

as she gets older, she can always use it if she chooses, but for now, we're gonna put it up & help her listen better & learn more sign language [PTL!] - we'll continue with her at the deaf school as that's where she's gone for a few years now, she's very comfortable there, has friends, etc. & will forever use sign & they do such a good job teaching it to her

* want to book a session

i still have a couple dates open next week - anyone care to book one of them for a photo session? - give me a call 317.674.8512 or 317.432.3103 - can't wait to hear from ya!

Kathy Troccoli: He Will Make A Way

* haitian family camp

Haitian Camp will be 7/30- 8/1 at Indian Creek Baptist Camp, Bedford, IN. The camp director this year's Jordan Morris, who most of you remember as the young counselor with blonde dreads. The speaker for Sunday service will be Paul Scott. He & his wife Joyce were camp directors years ago & they were missionaries in Haiti. Please pass on this info to others & registration packets will be out soon.

* wedding bells?...seriously?

well, as of last night [wee hours of the morning actually], james & brit officially announced their engagement - yep, you read it right - as of august 21 [2010], they'll be mr. & mrs. james carter - they're both soooo happy - we knew it was coming, but didn't know it'd be in just 15 weeks!!! EKKK

* why ADHDers have difficulties answering questions

by Frank Barnhill, M.D.

`

Since many of us don’t really understand the emotions of an ADHD child, we often try to make them explain why they do something or say a particular word or phrase. I know most parents say when their teens respond to questions with the word “duh!”, it really gets under their skin. They think their child's just avoiding answering the question or is automatically guilty of something. It’s important to remember in communicating with an ADHDer, his or her executive thought & reasoning processes are sometimes not capable of effective verbal or social communication. Often, the ADHDer believes you should know what he's thinking & shouldn’t have to ask. If your ADHDer seems lost for words, uses inappropriate words such as 'I hate you' when under pressure, or expresses physical anger, it’s often a sign of communication processing block in the brain. For some reason at that moment his or her brain just isn’t correctly processing what goes in & can’t formulate a response without getting frustrated & angry. You should defuse the situation & allow them to calm down or cool off for a while before asking for answers again. Sometimes the response 'I don’t know' is not a manipulation. Later, you may find rephrasing your question in simpler, non-threatening terms allows your ADHDer to answer without all the fuss & emotional stress. After all, most of us do tend to have confused thoughts when under a lot of pressure to perform immediately.

`

* real mothers

Real mothers don't eat quiche
they don't have time to make it.
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Real mothers know their kitchen utensils
are probably in the sandbox.
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Real mothers often have sticky floors
filthy ovens & happy kids.
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Real mothers know that dried play dough
doesn't come out of carpets.
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Real mothers don't even want to know
what the vacuum just sucked up
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Real mothers sometimes ask "Why me?"
& get their answer when a little voice says, "Because I love you best."
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Real mothers know that a child's growth isn't measured by height, years or grades
it's marked by the progression from 'mommy' to 'mom' to 'mother'
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The Images of a mother

4 years old
My mommy can do anything!
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8 years old
My mom knows a lot...a whole lot!
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12 years old
My mom doesn’t know everything!
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14 years old
My mom?...she wouldn’t have a clue
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16 years old
Mom? She's sooooooo five minutes ago.
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18 years old
That old woman? She's waaaaay out of date!
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25 years old
Well, she might know a little bit about it!
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35 years old
Before we decide, let's get mom's opinion.
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45 years old
Wonder what mom would've thought about it?
`
65 years old
Wish I could talk it over with mom.
`

The beauty of a woman's not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that's the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman's not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman's reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

`

Please send this to five moms today. If you don't, nothing bad will happen, but if you do, something good will. You'll boost a mother's spirits, that's for sure!

`

* new sessions & more coming YEAH!

did 2 photo sessions today & had a great time with hayleigh & david - hayleigh was giving ideas she had & david was a great sport & went along with them all - i've got 3-4 more sessions coming up in the next couple weeks, so that's exciting & will be giving me lots more experience - anyone wanting to book a session, please call!! 317.674.8512

* a great read!

this' a post taken from a parent with Deaf & HOH [hard of hearing] children - very good read & confirmation as to what we've thought all along

`

I want to highly recommend a book that may help shed even more light on this issue. It's called "Alone in the Mainstream" & is written by Dr. Gina Oliva.

`

Gina grew up orally [she, being Deaf & her parents & siblings were all hearing]. She received her CI [cochlear implant] at an early age & also went to public schools. Due to her CI & having been made to wear it when she was young, she never learned ASL [sign language] fluently until she went to Gallaudet College.

`

This book's part Gina's biography & part research. She interviewed several other oral Deaf & HOH students with CI's regarding their experience growing up oral in a public school. They were "lost' when it came to socializing with other hearing kids just because they couldn't keep up with the conversations. Gina presents a clear balance & it's quite obvious how much she loves ASL. I believe this book's a MUST read for all parents of Deaf children with CI's.

`

By the way, I too was born into an oral Deaf family, grew up oral & attended public schools all my life. My self esteem was practically non-existent & I lacked all confidence. It wasn't until I went to Gallaudet, where my ASL improved & I met confident, happy Deaf people that my self esteem took off for the skies. I gained more confidence & ASL's my primary language. Our entire family uses ASL at all times now & that makes me feel so special that they'd learn 'my' language, so we could communicate better."

`
wife to a hearing man & adoptive mom of four
14 g, deaf
14 g, hearing
13 b, hearing
12 b, deaf

* ROTH fundraiser this weekend!

Dear Friends,
`
We've great news! God's been SO good to us! Reach out to Haiti's received a wonderful offer of assistance. “India Fest” is an event that raises money for various charities. This year they've chosen Reach Out to Haiti! It'll take place this weekend in Melbourne, Florida. In conjunction with the event & the disaster, a medical doctor's so generously offered to match any funds raised at the event for Reach out to Haiti, up to $100, 000!
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You can be a part of this. Any contribution we receive before Saturday will be presented on Saturday & matched. If you could send anything [even $5], to Reach out to Haiti c/o Air Mobile Ministries we'd be most grateful. The contribution needs to be sent through Pay Pal on the www.airmobile.org website, with notation it's for Barbara Walker’s Reach Out to Haiti. Please contact me with any questions! We'll be glad to assist in any way we can to maximize our funds!

`

THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE BECAUSE WE'VE TO HAVE

ALL THE DONATIONS IN BY SATURDAY!
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We thank you in advance for any help you may be able to send. We're pretty excited about this!

* The beat of a different drummer

[written by someone else, but i truly feel what they're feeling]

`

I look at other people's kids who're compliant, excel in school & are sailing through childhood. I really like those kids, I do. At one point, I wanted a child like that & wished I'd an easy kid at home. But now? I wrote the following one night after peeking in at my daughter sleeping. I encourage you to do the same. I hope you'll discover some common feelings toward your child.

`
The Beat of a Different Drummer

I peek in at her late at night lying in bed, fast asleep, my no-longer-little girl sprawled out across her bed, long unruly mess of hair covering her face & I smile. I smile because she's full of personality. She's so different than me in many ways, different than my expectations, different than the little girl I'd always imagined & for that I'm grateful. She's her own person, knows what she likes & doesn't like. I look in at her, peaceful & innocent while she sleeps. The fight's gone & her little mind's resting. She's gone full force for the last sixteen hours, she needs a break. I like it that she pushes the limits, like it that she questions everything, because one day she's going to do something spectacular. Along the way, she's going to make some big mistakes, but she's going to live large & dream big. Underneath the spunk & mouth's a heart not only lined with gold, but filled with it. It's large & feeling & it wants to do good even when her impulses lead her astray at times. I think God must look down & confuse her with a little tornado, but I also think God looks down & likes what He's created, likes the little tornado who's growing into a little lady. I think He sees Himself in my little girl, funny as that sounds. The part of God who's the Creator, who by the sheer force of His energy & being created life & all that's in the world. The part of God who was willing to step into humanity & persevere on a rugged cross because it'd help people. The part of God who walked among men, largely misunderstood, often reviled because He was different & didn't do things the way the rulers of His era thought they should be done, but He kept going. Because He, too, had a mission. He didn't care what others thought. His vision was larger than a mere thirty-three years on earth. I think God must see Himself in the part that sometimes misses out on earthly things because he's in tune with something deep inside another person. The part who remains an idealist even when the world around him's less than ideal. The part that isn't afraid to look into eternity & see better things in all of us. That's my daughter sleeping there. We fought each other until we couldn't fight anymore. Until I realized that I was the one who needed to change, because I wasn't going to change her nature. Perhaps she's been given to me so that I'd change. That's my girl. Sometimes she inspires anger, sometimes frustration. Then she makes me laugh, even smile in resignation & as I look at her, she makes me cry. She's a wonderful creation. Through all the struggles, I can see the imprints of the Creator. She's my daughter. She marches to the beat of a different drummer. Thank God!

`

This for me's multiplied by 3 of our children [Dustin 24/slight ADHD, Kiara 7/severe ADHD & severe Sensory Integration & Ruby 7/slight ADD & Sensory Integration] & although they've all been diagnosed, Kiara's the one that struggles the most at this time, gets the most angry, looses control more easily/more often, etc., as a mother, it's so hard for me to see them go through this & know what's the right thing to do, to help them through it

* earthquake & barbara's village

just heard the needs for barbara are: food depot collapsed in the night, so they've no food, no diesel fuel, their surrounding wall [for protection] has completely collapsed, masonry work needed, etc.

mailing $ to me so i can deposit it into barbara's bank account, so she can draw from it in haiti - mail to:

lori shepler
11188 giddings place
noblesville, IN 46060

or, if you can paypal $ to cherieshropshire@gmail.com - cherie's going to haiti friday to help barbara, so you'd have to do this today, so she can draw it out of the bank tomorrow, before leaving for haiti on friday

* my website's up!

please visit my new website at sessionswithlori.com - call me anytime, to set up a session for yourself!

* making sure this' working

just checking to see if this' working

* what name would you choose?

alright, i'm taking a poll - i've been messing around/playing around with photography for many years [& many cameras!], but am 'stepping it up a bit' & am wanting to come up with a name - here's what we've come up with [listed below] - please comment & give me your thought on which one would be best

`
1] Sessions
2] Expressive Images
3] Lifetime Images
4] Creatvie Images
5] Lasting Images

* karleigh's conversation

karleigh: "mommy, you sleep in tomorrow & i'll make a healthy breakfast!"

`

me: "what will you fix?"

`

karleigh: "there's leftover candy from the parade & we'll eat the yellow coz it's like eggs, the white coz it's like milk, the green coz it's like veggies & brown candy too!"

`

me: "what would the brown be for?"

`

karleigh: "it'd be like chocolate, but since that's not healthy, we'll call it meat!"

* photo shoot #2 for senior pics

i've taken brit out twice so far & have a few more places i want to take her to, before she chooses the 'final cuts' for her senior pictures, but wanted to post a few tonight - she loved them all [yeah!]