I took the afternoon off to get some things done like laundry, bills paid, cleaning out the fridge, and making a grocery list. Somewhere a long the way, I inherited two extra boys and as I sit here paying bills, I realize I don't want anymore children. I would love to adopt from Ethiopia again but I really think three is a good number. I will be obedient to whatever God asks us to do but right now, I'm happy with three and sponsoring two.
I'm looking forward to Sunday when my sweet boy is baptized. How cool to see new believers be obedient on Resurrection Sunday!
Be blessed!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A gift
My mind has a lot going through it today. I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness and love for a woman I will never meet, from a woman who gave us a beautiful gift, and from a woman who I love. This woman is Ella's birth mother. Thank you for giving our family a beautiful gift and for choosing life for our daughter. One year ago today you made the heartwrenching decision to take Ella to an orphanage with the hope of a new life for her. Thank you just doesn't seem like the right words but its all I have right now to express my appreciation for your selfless act of love. Thank you!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
10 Random Things
Here are ten random things I'm thankful for today -
1 - Thankful for my Savior and celebrating His resurrection!
2 - Over the top thankful for my babysitter, Joann Calderon. I love that I don't have to worry about my kids being taken care of while I work!!!
3 - My adoption family and the chance Ella and I had to visit some of them this past weekend.
4 - My husband and that he is my biggest supporter and encourager. It has been an awesome 14 years! I can't wait to see what is in store for us next.
5 - My oldest son Garrett. So excited to see him baptized on Easter Sunday. He has been such a sweet spirit since he was born. He is always giving and always concerned with others. It will be a fun ride to watch what our Savior does in his life.
6 - Ryan, my middle child. He has always had characteristics of being the middle child, even before we knew there would be a third child. How funny God gave him these characteristics even before we knew we would have a third. He is carefree and always wants to have fun - life is a party to him!
7 - Ella, my sweet baby who grew in my heart. I thank God that He brought you into our lives every single day. It has been an absolute joy to watch you be meshed into our home and our family. It has been a complete blast to watch you squeal with joy each time one of your brothers chases you. I absolutely love to hear you squeal with joy when they play with you.
8 - My job. Even though I complain about it and it makes me crazy dealing with some of my employees and my providers, I love what I do. I love that we are here in our community and able to offer health care services to those who wouldn't otherwise be able to access care.
9 - My home group. They are awesome and have been great supporters through our journey. They just get it and do life with us. I love them!
10 - The Word of God. I love how He speaks to us through it and guides us to do life.
1 - Thankful for my Savior and celebrating His resurrection!
2 - Over the top thankful for my babysitter, Joann Calderon. I love that I don't have to worry about my kids being taken care of while I work!!!
3 - My adoption family and the chance Ella and I had to visit some of them this past weekend.
4 - My husband and that he is my biggest supporter and encourager. It has been an awesome 14 years! I can't wait to see what is in store for us next.
5 - My oldest son Garrett. So excited to see him baptized on Easter Sunday. He has been such a sweet spirit since he was born. He is always giving and always concerned with others. It will be a fun ride to watch what our Savior does in his life.
6 - Ryan, my middle child. He has always had characteristics of being the middle child, even before we knew there would be a third child. How funny God gave him these characteristics even before we knew we would have a third. He is carefree and always wants to have fun - life is a party to him!
7 - Ella, my sweet baby who grew in my heart. I thank God that He brought you into our lives every single day. It has been an absolute joy to watch you be meshed into our home and our family. It has been a complete blast to watch you squeal with joy each time one of your brothers chases you. I absolutely love to hear you squeal with joy when they play with you.
8 - My job. Even though I complain about it and it makes me crazy dealing with some of my employees and my providers, I love what I do. I love that we are here in our community and able to offer health care services to those who wouldn't otherwise be able to access care.
9 - My home group. They are awesome and have been great supporters through our journey. They just get it and do life with us. I love them!
10 - The Word of God. I love how He speaks to us through it and guides us to do life.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Doing Well
Yes we are still here and well. We have been super busy with sports, school, and life. Ella is doing great. She gets a little more comfortable each day and her sweet, funny personality is blooming. She is so much fun! Since it has been warmer, we have learned she loves to be outside!
The judge has signed the order to officially change her name. We are just waiting on her birth certificate to come from the State of NM. Once we have that, we will almost be done with paperwork.
Ella is walking now and is on the go constantly. She also babbles constantly. She says mama, dada very clearly and says all done when she is done eating. She answers yeah after most questions. She has not learned to say no yet. We are waiting for that one.
Her and I are flying to Nashville in two weeks to see some friends we met through the adoption. I am so excited to see them!!!
That's it for now - here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Be blessed!
The judge has signed the order to officially change her name. We are just waiting on her birth certificate to come from the State of NM. Once we have that, we will almost be done with paperwork.
Ella is walking now and is on the go constantly. She also babbles constantly. She says mama, dada very clearly and says all done when she is done eating. She answers yeah after most questions. She has not learned to say no yet. We are waiting for that one.
Her and I are flying to Nashville in two weeks to see some friends we met through the adoption. I am so excited to see them!!!
That's it for now - here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Be blessed!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Five months.....
We've been a forever family for five months today. Somedays it seems like she was just placed in our arms and somedays it seems like she has been here since birth.
Our sweet Ella has come so far. When she came home, she didn't sit up really well by herself, didn't babble a whole lot, and was very clingy. Wouldn't you be the same way if you had been left at four months old? When I think of that thought, my heart breaks for what my sweet girl went through for the first nine months of her life. Today marks our five months home, it also marks her being in one home, our home, for longer than she's been anywhere else. She was with her birthmother for four months, the orphanage in her village and the orphanage in Addis Ababa for six weeks, and our agency transition home for three months. She has now been with us for five months. While my heart swells with joy for that milestone, it also mourns. It mourns a birthmother we will never know. A birthmother we will never be able to thank for her selfless sacrifice. A birthmother that we pray for but long for a face to go with her. I wonder if Ella looks like her, acts like her. I wonder and worry about what we will tell our sweet girl when the time comes for her to ask where she came from. Sure, we can tell her about Ethiopia, the love we have for the country and her people, how our hearts will never be the same because of what we saw and witnessed there but we won't be able to answer the really hard questions because we.don't.know. That is the really hard, messy part of adoption.
During sweet Ella's time home, she has learned to crawl, sit up, feed herself, walk, say "mama" (my absolute favorite), "dada", has learned to love her family, she loves her brothers, and she has gotten two teeth. But more than anything, she has learned we are here for her, that we will never leave her, that when I drop her off at the sitter, I will be back. She has learned to trust us. We are blessed beyond measure that our Heavenly Father chose her for our family. When I think of His plan for our lives and hers, it blows.my.mind! How he loves us!
I do want you do know that while our story seems easy, there were really, really hard days. There were days where I held Ella all day because she would panic if I put her down. I couldn't shower without her outside the shower door and even then, there were days when she would just cry until I picked her up. There were days when I didn't know if we could go on. There were days when my bio kids asked, why we brought her sister home. That hurts to type, but I'm being honest. There were days when my boys would cry and tell me I only loved Ella. They didn't understand what had happened to her because they had never been left. It was hard but looking back, I wouldn't change it.
We are changed because of her, we are changed because of Him. We are changed because we answered the call. We are changed because we obeyed. We are blessed! I once heard someone say, "when you answer the call and adopt, you flaunt the face of God to others." It's true. When I see Ella, I see God and my heart swells with joy because I love her so and I love Him so.
Until next time, be blessed.
Our sweet Ella has come so far. When she came home, she didn't sit up really well by herself, didn't babble a whole lot, and was very clingy. Wouldn't you be the same way if you had been left at four months old? When I think of that thought, my heart breaks for what my sweet girl went through for the first nine months of her life. Today marks our five months home, it also marks her being in one home, our home, for longer than she's been anywhere else. She was with her birthmother for four months, the orphanage in her village and the orphanage in Addis Ababa for six weeks, and our agency transition home for three months. She has now been with us for five months. While my heart swells with joy for that milestone, it also mourns. It mourns a birthmother we will never know. A birthmother we will never be able to thank for her selfless sacrifice. A birthmother that we pray for but long for a face to go with her. I wonder if Ella looks like her, acts like her. I wonder and worry about what we will tell our sweet girl when the time comes for her to ask where she came from. Sure, we can tell her about Ethiopia, the love we have for the country and her people, how our hearts will never be the same because of what we saw and witnessed there but we won't be able to answer the really hard questions because we.don't.know. That is the really hard, messy part of adoption.
During sweet Ella's time home, she has learned to crawl, sit up, feed herself, walk, say "mama" (my absolute favorite), "dada", has learned to love her family, she loves her brothers, and she has gotten two teeth. But more than anything, she has learned we are here for her, that we will never leave her, that when I drop her off at the sitter, I will be back. She has learned to trust us. We are blessed beyond measure that our Heavenly Father chose her for our family. When I think of His plan for our lives and hers, it blows.my.mind! How he loves us!
I do want you do know that while our story seems easy, there were really, really hard days. There were days where I held Ella all day because she would panic if I put her down. I couldn't shower without her outside the shower door and even then, there were days when she would just cry until I picked her up. There were days when I didn't know if we could go on. There were days when my bio kids asked, why we brought her sister home. That hurts to type, but I'm being honest. There were days when my boys would cry and tell me I only loved Ella. They didn't understand what had happened to her because they had never been left. It was hard but looking back, I wouldn't change it.
We are changed because of her, we are changed because of Him. We are changed because we answered the call. We are changed because we obeyed. We are blessed! I once heard someone say, "when you answer the call and adopt, you flaunt the face of God to others." It's true. When I see Ella, I see God and my heart swells with joy because I love her so and I love Him so.
Until next time, be blessed.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
He really hears us when we pray!
During our adoption journey, we strongly felt God calling us to start an Orphan Care/Adoption Ministry in our church. Several of us prayed for many months that our adoption of Ella would be a catalyst for God's call to care for orphans in our church. My husband and I prayed for many months with other church members and our pastors about this and it was a go. We wanted to focus on foster care because there is a huge need in our city for foster families. We also wanted to give people information about adoption. We had a kick off Sunday where our sermon was about orphans followed by a lunch for anyone who wanted more information on foster care and adoption. The lunch was packed and we were in awe of God.
Fast forward several months and with my earthy eyes, I wasn't seeing any action. I prayed to my Father wondering why. I knew we had been called to this but I was frustrated because nothing was happening. Well my Father who has much better eyes than me was working in people's hearts but I just couldn't see. All within a matter of a few days of feeling like nothing was happening, I found out that one couple was looking into foster care and another had sent for the information packet from AWAA. Isn't He amazing? He really does hear and answer prayers! He really does call you to do things for Him! I'm telling you that He doesn't call you to do comfortable things, He calls you to do things that only He can do through you! I love my God!
I can't wait to see what He does next! And I am so thankful that He is willing to show me over and over again that He is faithful to those who call His name!
Fast forward several months and with my earthy eyes, I wasn't seeing any action. I prayed to my Father wondering why. I knew we had been called to this but I was frustrated because nothing was happening. Well my Father who has much better eyes than me was working in people's hearts but I just couldn't see. All within a matter of a few days of feeling like nothing was happening, I found out that one couple was looking into foster care and another had sent for the information packet from AWAA. Isn't He amazing? He really does hear and answer prayers! He really does call you to do things for Him! I'm telling you that He doesn't call you to do comfortable things, He calls you to do things that only He can do through you! I love my God!
I can't wait to see what He does next! And I am so thankful that He is willing to show me over and over again that He is faithful to those who call His name!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Children by John Piper
Please read the following poem written by John Piper. What will you do?
Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
Somewhere safe from all the dangers,
Somewhere safe from Crack and AIDS,
Safe from lust and lurking strangers,
Safe from war and bombing raids.
Somewhere safe from Crack and AIDS,
Safe from lust and lurking strangers,
Safe from war and bombing raids.
Somewhere safe from malnutrition,
Safe from daddy's damning voice,
Safe from mommy's cool ambition,
Safe from deadly goddess, Choice.
Safe from daddy's damning voice,
Safe from mommy's cool ambition,
Safe from deadly goddess, Choice.
Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
* * * *
Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
Why the milk no longer nourished,
Why the water made them sick,
Why the crops no longer flourished,
Why the belly got so thick.
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
Why the milk no longer nourished,
Why the water made them sick,
Why the crops no longer flourished,
Why the belly got so thick.
Why they never knew the reason
Friends had vanished out of sight,
Why some suffered for a season,
Others never saw the light.
Friends had vanished out of sight,
Why some suffered for a season,
Others never saw the light.
Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, seating, eating, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
* * * *
Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
Glory for the gift of living,
Glory for the end of pain,
Glory for the gift of giving,
Glory for eternal gain.
Glory for the end of pain,
Glory for the gift of giving,
Glory for eternal gain.
Glory from the ones forsaken,
Glory from the lost and lone,
Glory when the infants waken,
Orphans on the Father's throne
Glory from the lost and lone,
Glory when the infants waken,
Orphans on the Father's throne
Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
* * * *
Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.
Songs with lots of happy clapping,
Songs that set the heart on fire,
Songs that make your foot start tapping,
Songs that make a merry choir.
Songs that set the heart on fire,
Songs that make your foot start tapping,
Songs that make a merry choir.
Songs so loud the mountains tremble,
Songs so pure the canyons ring,
When the children all assemble
Millions, millions, round the King.
Songs so pure the canyons ring,
When the children all assemble
Millions, millions, round the King.
Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven's happy crowds.
* * * *
Do you see the children waiting?
I can see them all aglow
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting,
Who of us will rise and go?
I can see them all aglow
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting,
Who of us will rise and go?
Will we turn and fly to meet them
In the light of candle two?
I intend to rise and greet them.
Come and go with me, would you?
In the light of candle two?
I intend to rise and greet them.
Come and go with me, would you?
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