All Pinked Out

At the halfway point of my pregnancy, things are running smoothly. With frequent check-ups and the most up-to-date treatments, my doctors are ever-vigilant in doing everything possible to ensure our baby GIRL stays cozy inside for as long as possible. That's right, more ribbons and curls! I have to admit, this news stunned the little ones a bit. In fact, my heart ached to see Jacob's deep sobbing and his pitiful plea that "I have been waiting for a brother for 8 years!!" When we found out we were expecting, Mark and I talked about if it was a girl, would we still choose to adopt a girl over a boy. The answer at that time was yes. However, now that the possibility of a houseful of 4 girls exists, I find my heart stirring again. Wondering if Jacob's loneliness and this little baby's triumphant presence is God's hand gently leading us toward a little boy that waits for a family. I just don't know, but it is constantly in the back of my thoughts. All to do for now is to pray...and seek...and wait. In the meantime, we are readying our hearts and our home to welcome our newest daughter to the family.

Seeing Double!

So there seems to be a little confusion about the tiny people we are adding to our family... it is true, in addition to the little child growing in our hearts as we pursue adoption, my belly is also growing as we are pregnant as well! God never ceases to amaze us by changing our plans when we think we have everything under control:) Mark and I are ever so grateful for the extra space we are blessed with in our new home. We are praying for good health and protection as we expand in size and in love.

Although our newest addition will push our adoption timeline a bit, we will continue to work on our paper trail and have some time to relax and enjoy the new arrival while we wait on a referral.

God is so good and we feel so blessed to be the parents he chose for our little ones.

HOPE

What is HOPE?

“Confident Expectation”

“If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Romans 8:25

Christopher Reeve once said, “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” I believe in that so strongly, I have it engraved around my wrist. Our HOPE…our confident expectation that God will provide all we need to bring our sweet little one home.

"I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

His Word holds true.  9+ years so far, God has faithfully been shaping, molding, and refining Mark and I together. Trials we thought would tear us apart, fears we thought would never allow healing. Perhaps people can't change, but God can change people. He can and He has. Clearly there were plans for Mark and I set long ago, plans for our relationship to change and heal and survive... and hopefully be testimony to others in our shoes. We are a couple of cracked pots, praying the blessings poured into us will spill through our cracks and reach many lives beyond us. We are so thankful God chose US.

"A Father to the fatherless,
a defender of widows,
is God in His holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families."

Psalm 68:5

Our Journey Of Love

After getting married and agreeing on having TWO children, we suddenly have a houseful. We wouldn't go back . Each of our little blessings have brought us more joy than we could have imagined. So is this where we stop? Well, not exactly. We were happily minding our own business, comfortable with the way things were going, when we were shocked out of our comfort zone. A small tug, a gentle whisper, and a pair of shoes. A tiny pair of shoes that belonged to a little girl no older than eight, on the other side of the world.  What was so gripping about the sight of those shoes was that the young girl they belonged to was constrained to give herself as a prostitute to survive. That is when our hearts broke. To imagine a tiny daughter, no bigger than our own, having to sacrifice her childhood as a prisoner to the sickening child trafficking that is common overseas... this was more than we could bear to think about. We decided we had to do something. This is where our journey begins; we are busy researching, praying, fundraising, and putting together our dossier...all in hopes of providing a loving environment and a hopeful future for one of these precious little children.

This is a new adventure for sure, a leap of faith, and a chance to rely on the Grace of God to guide our footsteps. We covet your prayers, your support, and your creative ideas as we come up with ways to raise the funding for this mission.

A small space in our hearts sits empty....waiting to welcome them home.

" And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me".

Matthew 18:5

Changing Course

Life was pretty predictable. Mark worked. I worked. The kids were in school and daycare. We saw each other for a few minutes in passing. Suddenly one day, this was not okay. I had very little left to give my family and felt like my babies were growing up and I was missing it. So came the rearranging. I quit the jobs that were sucking the life out of me, and adjusted my schedule to not only be home more with the kids, but also to embark on the adventure of homeschooling. It seemed Jacob was getting overwhelmed by all the activity of being in school, and needed help to refocus on moving forward in his studies. The only answer that seemed to make sense was to work with him ourselves. It has been a learning experience for ALL of us! I am learning patience daily... and finding creative ways to keep things interesting and engaging for everyone. We are settling into these new routines, and although some days find me cranky from trying to teach phonics and math after having been awake all night at work, it is evident the time we are having together is reaping rich blessings for the whole family.

Starting Fresh

So after years of finding "newsletters" a bit pretentious and overbearing, here I am essentially doing the same thing in the form of a blog. Well they say change is good, right? My goal is to filter and "pen" an account of the days and moments that are changing and molding me as I seem to have entered a new and dynamic period in my life... a peek inside the workings of a few servants that God has so clearly made plans for and laid hands on. The main characters include my loving and devoted husband of 9 years, my son and two young daughters, the little miracle on the way, and the adopted one that God has so clearly nudged us to welcome into our lives. Please walk alongside us, laugh and cry with us, pray with us, and see in us the miracles our Heavenly Father has and will perform.