9 Years

We are celebrating 9 years of marriage today. I still look at this man and can't believe that he picked me. A single mom with no clear path in life.

I would be dishonest to say that it has not been difficult. It has. But is there anything worth having that's easy?

He is my partner, my friend, my love. We have been through too many tough times to count. But I can always count on him walking right beside me, often times, in front shielding me from the dangers. He stepped into my life when there was nothing redeeming for me give back. And loved me anyway.

Sound familiar?

Sounds similiar to my relationship with Christ. And you know what ladies? That's how they should love us! As Christ loves His church.

I am so very blessed.

Girlfriends

Do you have some? If not, you need to friend up.

A good girlfriend is food for the soul.

She will make you laugh.

She will make you cry.

She will hold you accountable.

She will appreciate the acountability that you provide.

She will close down restaurants with you while your husbands and children sleep soundly at home.

She will care for you in times of need.

She may even break your heart.

I have had several of these girlfriends over the years. They have brought me great joy and great pain. And almost every women I talk to has a similiar experience. What I have seen, is that God brings certain women into our lives for seasons. We will not all be lifelong friends. And that's ok.

Know that God has a plan with every friend that He places in our lives. Don't close yourself off if you have had a girlfriend heartbreak. You could miss out on the great one that's on deck.  

Quiet

The blog has been quiet lately. There are a few reasons for this.

1. Busy-ness. I have been incredibly busy over the last month. We have 3 birthdays in Dec. Which means cupcakes to school, friend parties, family parties, shopping, etc. Add to that room mom duties, several Christmas parties, basketball games, karate and dance. I am ready for a little rest.

2. Mind numbness. Along with the business, come mind numbness. I have been really having a hard time focusing on a task with having so much on my mind.

3. Awareness. I have been more aware than ever of how quickly my children are growing, and I have been blown away. It's kind of made me a little numb as well just to look at this life and realize how quickly our time on this earth is.

4. A little bit of sadness. We were really hoping to have a baby or at least a prospect by now. We know that this is God's timing and not ours. But we also know there is a huge need in our world for orphans needing parents. That makes it hard to withstand the wait.

5. Meditation and Prayer. I have really been focusing on my relationship with the Lord and my family. What really is my role and how can I best journey this path.

I leave you with a picture of my loves in their matching christmas pjs......

Knowledge is Power-World Aids Day

I would like to share this video in honor of World Aids Day today. It's a very informative look into the lives of children around the world with HIV and Aids. Did you know that children born with HIV today, with the help of current treatment regimes, can have a normal lifespan?

A HUGE giveaway!!

Check out this HUGE giveaway and help my friends get closer to their son.

The giveaway includes Pampered Chef, Premier Jewelery, Tastefully Simple, Thirty One Designs, and more!!

Please check out their blog for all the details......Making room for Moore

Nov 20th-National Adoption Day!

Today in National Adoption Day.

How can you get involved in the lives of orphans?

Adoption Information

Adoption Blog Hop

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and in honor of that, adoptive moms in bloggy land are particpating in a blog hop. This is my first time participating and I am loving reading all the great stories of adoption.

A moment

I am having a moment tonight. A "I am ready for my baby to be here" moment. Vivian said today that what she wants for her birthday is a real life baby. I second that.

Stop laughing at me!!

This is what I heard from the hallway this morning. I thought it was a little odd considering Vivian and I were home alone. She came into the room shaking her head. I said, "What is it Vivian?" She said, "I can't believe it. I fell in the hallway and Isabella just started laughing at me and wagging her tail!" I wish I could have gotten it on video. The attitude was priceless.

Another funny tonight was when she told me that I need to "remember her" that she needs to take something with us tomorrow.

Giveaways!

Check out this awesome blog for 30 days of Giveaways!

Encouraged

I met an adoptive mom yesterday who is walking the road of domestic adoption. It was such an encouragement to me. It was all I could not to play 20 questions. I want to know everything! I am finding on this adoption journey that domestic adoptions are few and far between. And while a mom is a mom and a baby is a baby, I relish in the "been there done that" with domestic adoption. And it didn't hurt to get to hold such a precious little gift from God.  :)

The warfare of adoption and orphan care

We attended a fundraising dinner for our adoption agency Covenant Care Services this week. They are moving towards having an Atlanta branch and we are really excited about all that thay are doing to bring awareness to adoption. This is not just another adoption agency. They are truly a Christ-honoring, gospel-driven agency. It's really amazing to know the good that God is doing through this group of people.

The keynote speaker was Voddie Baucham who is a pastor out of Tx and also an adoptive father. His message was very encouraging and needed. Satan waged war with God long ago and the battle is still very much alive and well. Christians need to be aware and engaged in the battle.

We also were blessed to hear the testimony of Ryan Scott through song. This was really neat for me because I had stumbled upon his blog last week and was encouraged to see his beautifully colorful family. You must go to his website and listen to the song that he wrote for his birthmom that he has never met. Have your tissues ready.

One more meeting.....

that will happen tomorrow and then our profiles should be going out to birthmothers. We had some hiccups with our homestudy process so it ended up taking a little longer than we expected. Thank you D F A C S! 

And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. Acts 1:7

Good thing we know who is really in control.

Please pray that our meeting goes well tomorrow and that our profile can start being shown to birthmoms. Please continue to pray for our birthmom and her health and safety. But more than anything, please pray for her to see Jesus above all else as she journeys through this valley in her life.

Nov 7th, Orphan Sunday

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Join us on Sunday Nov, 7th and stand for orphans. Pray that God would show you how you can get involved in the lives of orphans to make a difference.

Why Love Orphans? from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Thanks for praying!

Thanks for the prayers. Madison is feeling better. I got real serious with the herbal stuff and things seem to be turning around. Tim is still hanging in there. He's still in pain and just waiting to see when this stone will pass.

Healthy prayers please

We have got a couple of prayer requests. Tim has been in pain for two weeks already suspecting a kidney stone. It gets better but then it gets much, much worse. He went to the urologist on Friday and apparently this is a really large stone that is taking it's sweet time passing by. It could take up to 4 more weeks to pass. We are very thankful that there's nothing more serious going on but this is definitely tough for him and for our family. Also, Madison is sick and has gotten progressively worse really quickly. There are several cases of pneumonia at school, and she is showing signs of that.

Adoption retreat

I am registered for this. Any of my adoption buddies want to room together?

Created to Care

Vacation

Yes, I know it's already cold and here I am just getting to the vacation pictures from a month ago. Don't judge. ;)

 My blond girlie

 Our sweet neighbor hooked us up with a goodie basket for the beach and this was Vivian's fav.

There's always food involved, even on the beach.





Mackenzie braving the waves.

Madison and Leah are just watching.

We always ended up at the pool after about an hour on the beach.

Playing on the playground.

Beautiful sunset.

Madison showing off her mad monkey bars skills.

Sweet girls.

Photoshoot time!

My babies aren't babies anymore.

Beach shot

Baytowne Wharf, one our favorite picture spots.

The annual fountain picture.

Another beautiful sunset

Very cool

The ladies in the big chair



What a weekend

My heart is so full after this past weekend.

On Friday and Saturday our sweet friends had a yard sale for us. Many families donated items to sell and even more worked at the sale. We were not even there on Friday because we had a seminar at our agency. We were so humbled by the love we experienced this weekend. And so in awe of God's hand in all of it. There were many opportunities to share the gospel. After all why would people who already have 4 children, want to adopt more? The only answer is the Gospel. :) We also heard adoption stories and were able to bless others with items not sold. It was an incredible display of God's love.

We have been somewhat hesitant in our openness towards the idea of a birth mom. Almost weekly, we hear stories about domestic adoption and how the parents came back and disrupted the family. Naturally, this has produced some fear.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

The seminar that we attended this weekend at our agency included testimonies from a birth mom and an adoptive family. It was really precious to hear the stories of these families and what they have gone through. The adoptive family was very similar to ours. They had two young boys and had adopted a baby girl. There's is an interracial adoption which brought up some of the same things that we will experience.

But it was the birth mom's courage that really moved us. She was not a teenager. She was not on drugs. She was not uncaring. She was not "taking the easy way out." She was not uneducated. She is not on a mission to disrupt the adoptive parent's lives. She was not "giving her baby up." She loves her baby deeply. She has a son with special needs. She had a relationship that she thought would last and it didn't. She has family and a church who would've stepped in to help her if she had decided to parent. She made a very informed decision and it was the hardest one she's ever had to make. She had people that tried to talk her out of it. She lost friends as a result of her loving decision. Most inportantly, she saw God's love through her journey.

Every year, over half of the unplanned pregnancies in the US result in abortion. The current estimate is about 1.3 MILLION abortions in the United States every year.

Adoption is trauma. It's not easy. It's not all wrapped up in a pretty little box. The further we dive into the depths of this journey, the more we see that. And the more we see God's love shining through.

Remembering our babies

Oct 15th is pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day

Yard Sale for adoption

Our sweet friends are having a yard sale this weekend to help raise funds for our adoption. If you are in the area, come on out and see what treasures you can find. Many families donated items so the variety will be endless. The neighborhood is also having their sales this weekend as well.

Oh Happy Day!

We have been going to the beach on vacation for 5 years. Tim's aunt and uncle have a condo in Destin and graciously allow us to use it for free. It's a perfect location. It's on the beach and has two pools. This set up has been wonderful for us and we have been able to vacation even when we had tiny babies and toddlers.

We arrived yesterday for our annual trip. And we are quickly realizing that this year is different for us. First of all, we got here with only having to stop once and that was to eat lunch. Today was completely different experience for us. They got up early, so after we ate breakfast and got ready we headed out with our gear. Lots of gear but the fun kind. Not bottles, swim diapers, sun tents, etc. Just toys and fun stuff. We went out at 9 and stayed out for 3 hours until lunch. We came in and ate lunch and headed right back out. And we were out until 5. Since we got here yesterday, I have read an entire book and listened to my fav music on my ipod.

We are really cherishing this stage where the girls are very tansportable and easy. We really needed this vacation. We were all worn out from the day to day. And we are having a great time!

Wonderful timing

Mackenzie slept over for a party last night and this morning the mom of the birthday girl and I took all 8 girls to their neighborhood yard sales. This is a HUGE neighborhood so there were lots of good deals to be had. I got a travel system (car seat and stroller) for the little man for $25, a brand new dvd movie for .50 and some misc clothes and shoes. When we got back to her house, her neighbors were closing up their sale. They were loading all of the leftovers on to their truck to take to Goodwill. So I went over to take a look and asked if they had baby boy clothes. It turned out that was mostly what they had left. I told them that we were adopting and she told me I could have all 8 boxes of clothes! And these are nice clothes Gap, Hannah Anderson, etc plus a carseat that didn't sell.

God is so good!!

Blessings

Many blessings to report.....


Our homestudy is written. Which means that it is headed to our agency and we are officially in the waiting process of our adoption.

We had a yardsale last weeked to help fund our adoption and made almost $500!! Part of that came from a sweet mother and grandmother of an adopted child that live right down the street. They were the first ones at the sale on Friday and absolutely knocked my socks off with their gernerosity and concern for us.

Our sweet, sweet friends from church are organizing a church-wide sale at their house in a few weeks. They are an amazing couple and just went through a really heart-breaking time. Their only daughter just miscarried her first child a couple of weeks ago. So in honor of their little one, they want to donate all the $$ that they make in the sale to our adoption.

We are so grateful to have people in our lives who truly support and love this journey that we're on.

Time management

Seems to alude me these days. I do have more time these days than I have had in a long time to accomplish things. But I don't have huge chunks of time which is what I am used to. I have smaller little snippits of time, and I am having trouble figuring out how to best use. it.

Third Day's Mac Powell Adoption Testimony

This testimony pretty much sums up our motivation to adopt. It's worth the ten minutes to watch it. :)

Mortified

Two days in a row now, my girls have had to walk into school late. I get up at 5:45am, so it's not like we're rushing around crazy. I get up that early so that I can have my time with God, have my coffee, hang with Mackenzie for a few min (She leaves earlier than we do) and then the younger girls get up and have about an hour before we have to leaver. We live a long way from the school, so we leave in plenty of time to get to school early. It's has been going great. But for the 2nd day in a row now, traffic has been horrible. And it doesn't get that way until we get within 15 min of the school. As soon as Madison saw the brake lights today she knew it was bad like yesterday. :( She is so structured that being late could ruin her whole day. I truly hope and pray that it didn't. And tomorrow, we will start leaving even earlier.

School days

Everyone on the first day

Our kindergarten girl!!




It's going really well. We are almost a week in now. The work load is setting in. And we have some amazing, Godly teachers who we are so thankful for. We have spent a good bit of time talking about how fortunate they are to be going to school with teachers who love the Lord and proclaim it daily!

Last day

Today is our last day of summer. :(

Tomorrow we will begin a whole new chapter. 8th grade, 1st grade and kindergarten.

I will be at home crying if anyone needs me.

Say yes

Please watch this...

Please put yourself in their shoes...

And please pray, then listen to what God is asking YOU to do.
 
 

Bye bye summer!

We only had 9 full weeks of summer this year. I know the teachers love the breaks during the year, but as a mom, I feel like it makes for a short summer. We packed in as much as we possibly could though.

Library magic show
Dance camp
Swimming lessons
Karate
Gymnastics
Nike volleyball camp
Ga Tech volleyball camp
Recreation volleyball
Volleyball tryouts for school
A "giving party" where the girls made lunches for underprivileged children in our town
Playdates for the littles
Sleepovers for the oldest
Many swim dates with friends
Lots of adoption paperwork
Lots of kisses and hugs
Lots of great conversations ie. Mommy, am I a Christian?

I am proud of the girls as they move on to their next year of school, new friends and new teachers. But my heart aches a little too.

Let the new year begin!

How did we get here?

In two short weeks 3 of my 4 children will be in school. Those days of the triple stroller are long gone and have been replaced by young ladies who all have their own ideas, friends and activities. I pray that I am doing enough but I always feel like I am not. Enough time, enough discussions, enough hugs, enough yes answers coupled with enough no's. It all goes by in a flash and I am just trying to hang on and enjoy every minute.

Moving furniture really stinks

We moved 6 rooms of furniture this past weekend.

So. not. fun.

We still have 7 closets to clean out and move.

I am sore and a little irritable, but I am able to see that this will be great once it's done. Tim and now live in the playroom, so we are having to adjust to having a line of traffic flowing through our room and a smaller bathroom. But the pay off is that all three little girls have all of their stuff in one place and I think Leah may not like the long walk to our room, so she's staying in her bed and Mackenzie now has her own room. And now we have a room for the baby. It's unconventional but I am finding that you have to be flexible when having all these folks living under one roof.

Zumba

Today I had to weigh out the pros and cons.

Pros- I love it! It's a great workout and it's super fun.

Cons- Heavy on the booty shaking, so not very appropriate for the girls to do with me.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. One time wont hurt them right?

A car wash

Seems simple enough, right?

Husband says, "Hey when you're out today can you get the truck washed?" Sure, no problem. After all we have driven it 1000 miles in the 10 days that we have owned it and it is quite dirty. I have this fast pass that I pay monthly for. I literally don't even have to stop moving at all if I am not in the mood to clean out the inside.

I drove up and the fast pass wouldn't work. I realized that the card that I have it charged to expired in June and I will need to get out of line and go inside to give them my new card info. That was far too much effort for me today. So I just decide to use another card and pay for a wash.

As I drive into the car wash it is blue skies..... and as I drive out,  it is pouring down rain.

"Colorful" thoughts

I am having lots of them these days. I have been praying and reading to prepare for what our son and our family will experience in relation to becoming a more "colorful" family. I would be quick to say that this is our adoption and we shouldn't worry with others will feel or say. But the truth is, I do think about how he will be accepted by others. And in what ways we need to educate ourselves, our children, our family, etc. I think there should be a balance between teaching all of our children that we are all part of God's human race while still recognizing and celebrating the differences we will bring together.

Here's a post that I found very interesting in my quest for knowledge....

 

A vision test?

Paper pregnant

I found this shirt online today. It's catchy and I "get it." I can see how you can relate waiting for a baby to being like a pregnancy. Our pregnancies have all been surprises. We never sat down and decided when we felt it would be the right time to have a baby. So in that way, I do feel like I am experiencing an aspect of being a mom that I never have before. I am able to plan a little better. Although I am quite aware that this is all in God's timing and not mine. I do get the joy of thinking about our baby without the heartburn, weight gain and swollen ankles. This is definitely an exciting time for our family.

On  the other hand, there's a momma out there who is (or perhaps will be, depending on God's plan) experiencing all of those things and more. Not only is she experiencing all the discomforts, she knows in her heart that she will not be able to provide for this life that she is carrying. She probably feels alone and scared. Her family may not be supportive of her. And I know it will not be easy for her to give her baby away. As God prepares us for this joyful addition, we are not naive to think that there wont be heartache for one family while ours celebrates. Adoption is trauma. At the heart of every adoption is a mother who couldn't or wouldn't take care of her child. I am praying for this momma and the family that our baby will come from. I pray that she will take care of herself and of her baby as best as she can.  I pray that God will comfort her and show Himself to her through this time.

Thank you Nikki!

I love my blog. Check our Blogs for a Cause.

http://www.madebynikki.blogspot.com/

Feeling ready for a change....

to the look of my blog. Stay tuned.....

Reflection

I met a mom yesterday who also has four kids. We talked and she watched for 2 hours while I entertained and tended to the girls while Tim was working with a used car deal. Her kids range in age from 25-18. Her oldest is married with a child, 2nd is getting married next spring, 3rd is in college and 4th is going off to college in the fall. She was just beaming with love as she told me all about them. She is a christian and she and her husband raised their children to love the Lord. It was a very encouraging time for me as a mom. She talked about how their house used to feel crowded and now it feels empty. She talked about how her time used to be filled with little ones and activities, and now she's trying to find opportunities to be needed by them. Her desk was filled with pictures of the kids and her grandchild. She told me how her and her husband still don't go on vacations alone because it's boring. So they always find one of their kids or more to go with them. She talked about how she remembers the struggles but the quiet outweighs those memories now. She really could relate to the tiredness in my eyes, but encouraged me to really slow down and enjoy all that we are doing in the lives of our children.

When I got home last night, after the business of bath and bedtimes, I sat down at the computer. I began to look at videos of the girls. I had a good cry as I watched my babies grow through the years. I realized that there is a chunk of time that I truly don't remember. It was around the time that Vivian was born until she was about a year old. I have pictures and video of that time that help jog my memory but I think I was just in a hormonal haze. 4 babies in a row will do crazy things to your body and mind. It was probably the hardest time on record for our family. We started a business, tried to expand it and got involved in a really bad business deal, had all our our equipment stolen off of a jobsite, had a baby, had extreme supply issues with nursing her, were trying to homeschool, had two in diapers (for a month there, it was three!) were unhappy at our church and I lost my entire group of close friends due to something that I had absolutely no control over. It was a deep, deep valley in our life. I am so thankful that God gave me the piece of mind to document that time through pictures and video. I am able to look back those and see that throughout all of those terrible things that were happening, God was blessing our lives.

God's word promises trials for believers. They are for our good and His Glory. They test us, produce fruit in us, provide strength for us, perfect us, and above all show us God's love for us.

James 1:2-5

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

This is the verse for today on Bible Gateway. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”- Matthew 16:25

So as I reflect on the advice of a seasoned mom who has walked this road before me, I am once more humbled by God's love for me. He loves us enough to entrust these wonderful gifts to Tim and I. And He is walking through those peaks and the valleys with us.

So you know you are a momma when....

You begin your day with someone vomiting in the van! Yuck.

We were on our way to dance camp, when Vivian got sick in the van. It wasn't too bad, so I pulled over on the highway, cleaned it up and went on my merry way. About 10 min later, it happened again. Only this time, it went EVERYWHERE! Thankfully we were near Nana's by that point and she saved the day by getting Vivian cleaned up while I borrowed her van to take Madi and Leah to dance and the dogs to the groomer. Then I went back to her house and cleaned my van out. Did I mention it was already 91 degrees at 10:30 so talk about disgusting. Of course Vivian was fine after that and loved spending the day in her pjs at Nana's house. Never a dull moment.

No moving in the near future

We have decided not to sell our house. We are really happy with where we live and the market is down, so we are going to make the best of the drive by trying to get a vehicle with better gas mileage and try to grin and bear it.

Now to begin room-swap 2010. The playroom will become the master. The master will become the little girls' room. The office will become a small playroom. Kenz will have her own room. Baby Brown will have his own room and the downstairs sewing(Ha!) turned junk room will become the office.

Anyone want to help move furniture? :)

Cleaning out the van

We have a 15 passenger van. We have taken the back row out for more room in the back. It doesn't have many luxuries like pockets on the back of seats or other storage things like that. The floor is open all the way back, so it's not uncommon for me to brake quickly and things come flying to the front. During the school year, I had a great plan of cleaning it out. Every day Tuesday, during my 3 hours of alone time, I went to the carwash. I was motivated by the fact that at carpool things wouldn't fall out and hit the poor soul who was bringing the kids to the van. I actually got a couple of compliments throughout the year about clean it was. hahahahaha

Now that school is out, I am not on that schedule, and it's 900 degrees, so it hasn't been cleaned out in about three weeks. I decided to add it to the chore list for Madi and Leah this summer so that I could get some assistance. So Mon was the day. Armed with 27 Target bags, we got out all of the things that need not be in the van. Shoes, purses, books, papers, coloring books, markers, stickers, etc. Then there was the trash. Oh the trash. Quick trip cups, church bulletins, wrappers from water bottles, whole granola bars that had one bite missing, wadded up gum, gum wrappers that were not used for used gum, etc. And one for the record books...

***************21 WATER BOTTLES ****************

Punch buggy

...is one of the ways that the girls deal with being in the car so much. I am not quite sure who came up with the idea to punch someone else when you see a car, but I am know it's been around for a very long time. It's hilarious to hear what is said in the course of the game....

Punch buggy Blue!!
Nuh uh, I didn't see it!!!
Well, I did and that's 5 punches.
No, it's 1 punch!!
No, when you saw one last time you said it was 5 punches!!!
That's not fair!!
Yes, it is!
No it's not!
Mama!!! She said it's too many punches.
Never mind, I just punched myself.

Punch buggy red!!
No Vivian, that's not a punch buggy.
Yes it is a punch buggy!!
No, it's not!!!
WHAAHHHHHH!!!
(Mama)It's ok Vivian. Here, punch mommy.

Punch buggy yellow!
That's 2 punches.
(Mom) Wait, a min, why do different colors have different number of punches?
I don't like the color yellow, don't punch me.
Ok, I'll punch Vivian.
Wahhhhh, I don't want to get punched!!

Punch buggy convertible!!
That's 5 punches.
Punch me!!
No, I punched you last time.
Wahhhhh, mama!!! I wanted her to punch me!!

An overdue update on life

Lots of happenings at our house.

In March our business was so slow that we questioned if we should continue or not. We prayed that God would make it clear to us and show us what we needed to do. In the weeks that followed, we got back on Dave Ramsey's plan of using cash only and have been watching every dime. We are tying to be better stewards of what God has provided. God has answered our prayer quickly by bringing more extra work in the last few weeks than we had all last year!! It is clear that this business is where we should be for now.

We have also decided to try to sell our house. We love where we live and we LOVE our neighbors but the reality is that the driving is affecting our joy as a family. We don't want our kids to miss out on things or feel like they are burdening us because everything is so far away. We also want to be more involved in our church. So the house is going on the market!

We are wrapping up the school year in the next two weeks. This is such a bittersweet time for me. This year has been such a change and next year will continue to be as well. Our girls all have their own interests and we are being pulled in different directions for activities and fun. Mackenzie has done phenomenal in school this year as well as really enjoying chorus and volleyball. Madison is finishing up Kindergarten and learning karate. Leah will be coninuing in dance and heading to school for the first time. In the fall, Vivian will be at home with mommy alone for the first time in her life. Where did the time go?

As I am reflecting on this school year, I am humbled by what God has done for us. He made it possible for us to send our children to a wonderful school whose focus is our Lord. This is the first year that I have looked back and been truly happy with what we have accomplished as a family in regards to schooling. We are blessed beyond measure.

Which leads into my next update. We have decided to actively pursue adoption. We have been praying through this for years and have never seen exactly how we could begin. Our heart has always been to adopt internationally from a hispanic country. But God has another plan for now. We have recently been made aware of a great need right here in our own country. Due to many factors, we have decided to pursue domestic African American adoption. Our paperwork is in the mail, so we are expecting to have a baby boy in about 6 months or so! God has placed a desire in us to open our family to a child who doesn't have one and may never hear the Gospel. We know that this will not be easy. But few things that are eternally rewarding are easy. There will be things that we must learn in adopting interracially and we are praparing for that. We are coveting your prayers through this journey.

Just doing a little shaving.....

I was getting ready to leave the other day for a busy afternoon of a birthday party, soccer practice, dinner with friends, a lock-in for Mackenzie, etc and I had told Leah and Vivian to brush their teeth.

Here's where a clone of myself might actually be a nice idea. Will that be covered under the new plan? haha

I had laid clothes out for them to put on after they brushed their teeth. Meanwhile, I am making 27 trips out to the van trying to pack up anything and everything we might need for an 8 hour excursion with kids and the dog. So I call up to the girls to find out the status, and Vivian says, "I am bleeding." I am stricken with how calm she sounds since usually any sight of blood will immediately present the need to scream so loudly that they neighbors down the road can hear. I run up the steps and sure enough, her face is bleeding. So I ask, "What happened to your face?" "We were cutting." Ummmm, Ok. With what and where is the other part of the "we?" As she showed me the cutting instrument, the other half of "we" appears and is also CALMLY bleeding from the face.

BUSTED

Leah had decided it seemed like a good idea to shave her face with her teenage sisters razor that shouldn't have been accessible in the first place. And if that wasn't bad enough, then handed it to Vivian so she could have a turn. WHAT?!?!?!??!?!?

At this point, I have gone from mildly irritated to irate, in a matter of seconds. Mad at myself for leaving them in the bathroom unattended for 2.5 min, mad at Leah for not protecting her sister from this pain, mad at the oldest for not obeying by leaving the razor out and mad at Tim for raising such people.

Wait a min, how did he get into this? He wasn't even home.

Exactly. Isn't it amazing how quickly that flesh rises up and creates havoc in our hearts?

A very humbling day in the life of this mama.

And a couple of pics of the job. It's been a few days now so the wounds have healed some.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jacob

2/17/03-2/18/03

To our sweet baby boy:

Mommy and daddy love and miss you so much. We will never forget you. Our hearts ache without you but we are comforted by our all powerful and gracious Father.

A sweet giveaway

Check out a new ~~BLOG~~ that I stumbled across tonight.

I am so thankful...

for the sweet teacher that Madison has at school. This has been an amazing year of growth for Madison. This is the note I received today...

Madison is doing great. She is such a hard worker and puts forth her best effort in all she does. She is kind to everyone. I have yet to hear her utter a harsh word to anyone. She is a great help to me in the afternoon.

Thank you Lord for such a wonderful school. It's so awesome to know that the teachers put such love into our children's hearts.

2010 is off to a germy start

Well, we are starting 2010 off with a bang. Just about our whole family has had some sort of flu-like virus. It took us a week to recuperate and a couple of us are still feeling tired from it.

We just watched Food Inc. the other night and if you haven't watched it, I suggest you RUN to blockbuster and get it. It was very eye-opening. The sad part is that we knew most of the info already but still have gotten so slack around here. It was just the push we needed to get us back on the healthy living track.