Best Christmas Present Ever

           If you know us well, then you know that the past few months have been kind of a challenge in some ways as we have had some adjustments to get used to in our lives.  After many years of Todd’s work schedule keeping him close to home, he now is traveling a lot and it is a major adjustment for our family.  Add to that the wait of an adoption and it can get crazy.  This past week seemed to be an especially crazy week.  Todd was once again traveling (this time to California) and was gone from Sunday morning to Saturday night.  Ashley was in the Living Christmas Tree performance at our church which is a wonderful ministry but a demanding schedule.  It meant long nights and boring nights for her brother who always seemed lost in the shuffle. (Thanks to good friends who carpooled most of the week to allow me to stay home with him.)

           Sunday came and we went to see both performances.  We went as a family to see one performance and the other so we could watch Ashley with friends and family.  It was amazing.  I laughed and cried through the whole thing.  I have been so proud that Ashley has felt so convicted to be a part of this ministry and has shown such dedication each day!  Even though she was tired she was determined to stick out the week! 

           She saw the fruits of her labor on Sunday…..when Travis asked Jesus into his heart at the 3:00 performance!  When Pastor Rhys said for those that said the prayer of salvation to raise their hands and I saw those big brown eyes look at me from Todd’s lap I just knew!  He was nervous but he had done it!  He raised his little arm as my tears started to flow!  He has talked about asking Jesus into his heart for awhile but we didn’t want to push and I guess Sunday was the perfect day! 

           For those that are so full of adult-wisdom in thinking that a 6 year old is too young to make a decision for Christ…..let’s leave that judgment up to God.  Because to tell him it wasn’t real is like telling him the sky isn’t blue.  He knows what he did and knows why he wanted to do it.  I believe we all need to have faith like a child and love like a child….with abandon!  May I always love that way! 

            So, this Christmas we will rejoice over our second child now being born into God’s family!  Praise the Lord!

           Thank you to all that served in the Living Christmas Tree! It certainly had an impact in our life.  

Family Update

          Where has the time gone?  I have all these stories I have wanted to blog about but days turn into weeks and they are still in my mind and not on the computer.  SO much has happened in our family since I last blogged. 

          The trip to Haiti that Todd and I took in October was wonderful and full of blessings.  It is amazing how we thought we were going to bless others and we were the ones blessed in the end  (more on that trip to come).

          November brought some high points and low points for our family.  Ever since sin entered the world it has brought with it poverty, heartache, illnesses and a host of other problems.  Sometimes it is just the reality that life ends too quickly and unexpectedly.  A dear friend has walked this road recently and it has been hard.  Yet, the joy of the Lord always prevails!  He carries us when we cannot walk ourselves!  His loves never fail!  We have experienced this anew and seen how He can carry us through a hard time.  God is So good.  November also brought illness to our home and with two sick children that can mean tired mamas, yucky everything and not so fun anything!  But it also brought a fun trip to Ohio to visit family and great memories to last a lifetime.  God sent snow to Ohio while we were there (almost 8 inches in one night even) and the children were thrilled!!  Who’s kidding…..we were all thrilled!  We spent one entire day sledding, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and sledding, sledding, sledding. We only came in long enough to warm our fingers and toes and we would go back out again.  Most of you know that Todd and I grew up in Ohio so snow and sledding are not new to us.  BUT, I did experience something new with sledding this time……it was my first time ever sledding with cows!  Yes, we were sledding on the pasture hill at Todd’s uncle’s farm and the cows were incredibly curious as to what we were doing.  In the morning they stayed at a good distance and just watched us.  But by the afternoon, we were zooming within a few feet of their legs.  They crossed the hillside numerous times and just watched us like we were crazy.  They came and sniffed our vehicles and walked all around.  It was hysterical. Todd’s uncle let us borrow a tractor so the kids had a ‘taxi’ to bring them back up the hill at the end of each sled-ride.  It was awesome.  Sled-ride down (miss the cows), call for a taxi, get a ride up, and repeat.  Families are amazing….we had grandparents on the hillside with us, uncles that came and pushed for hours, aunts that came to watch, cousins that came and played for hours and brought an inner tube (so cool!) and more aunts and uncles that let us use their farm (and giggled at us for hours from their front window I believe).   J 

           We are now home and continuing our thankful spirit as we begin to celebrate Christmas.  We have slowly started decorating and we are enjoying doing a little bit each day and spending time together.  

These past two months have been pretty hard (especially for me) on the adoption front.  Our trip to Haiti was amazing but I think it just put even more of a yearning in my heart for our child.  When the law passed I had such high hopes that things would move quickly and now 3 months later when nothing has happened it begins to wear me down some days. I know that God’s plan and timing is perfect and we would rather wait for His timing than demand our way, but it is hard.  A close friend must have been able to see it in my demeanor and had a pick-me-up this week by throwing us an adoption fundraiser.  It was a nice night to get together with close friends and visit and share.  This road often feels isolating but I am realizing we are not alone. There are many people with us they just may not know what to do or say.  Those of you reading this are those people, and we are grateful for you! These days when I am sad and even when I cannot put my feelings into words….thank you for understanding.  When we yearn for someone we do not yet know and you do not understand yet you listen…..Thank you.  For in my heart I know they are out there.  I know someone else is caring for them, putting them to bed, playing, rocking and celebrating Christmas with them.  I pray someone else is doing those things. 

           Thank you for loving us through this!  We couldn’t do it without your support!  Sometimes we wonder how much our children ‘get’ what is going on with the adoption since it is so hard for them to fully understand.  Well, on Thursday Ashley went to get the mail and started screaming at the mailbox and came running through the yard.  I went running in my slippers thinking something tragic happened.  She was jumping and thrust an envelope in my hand yelling “Open It!”  As I glanced at the envelope it all became clear and I started crying.  It was the quarterly newsletter from the orphanage we are adopting through.  She thought they were mailing our referral to us.  She (being 9) never knew it came via a phone call.  She went from a mountain to a valley in about 2 seconds.  Oh…. this journey is not for the faint of heart……for any members of a family.  SO thankful we have a loving God to carry us, love us and who will fulfill this journey with us!

           Many blessings to you all!

Nothing like sledding with the cows!

They thought we were crazy!