Uh Oh...

... look who's almost walking!

Since this video, she's officially taken 6 steps! She's SO funny and so different from the boys. When they learned to walk, they would let go of something and literally "run" as many steps as they could before falling. Sarah is very intentional with EVERY step and fights for her balance inbetween( she looks a bit like Frankenstein...shh, don't tell her). I love how you can get to know her personality even in learning to walk : )

On a different note, Dave got home yesterday from his weekend retreat with the youth. I've been patiently waiting for Sarah to attach herself to someone OTHER than me 24/7. And it finally happened!! Last night she reached out for Dave WHILE I was still holding her and just laid her head on his shoulder... AND didn't want me back. She had missed him!! Oh my goodness, it was about the sweetest thing I've ever seen!

Special Friends

This friendship just needed a post : ) Karie was the answer to my prayer almost a decade ago when Dave and I moved to Indiana. I had prayed for a friend... but He gave me more. He gave me a sister. Karie and I have so many things in common, we just laugh. Our birthdays are 3 days apart, we were married the same year, our oldest boys are 2 weeks apart, our second oldest boys are 2 days apart, our "third" babies are friends in Heaven, our third children on earth are both adopted, and now with Karie's pregnancy our fourths are little miracles from God!

Karie finally got to meet Sarah this weekend!

Our two beautiful "daughters of promise"!!

To think when we first met, we were just careless newlywed couples : ) Look at this little troop just 8 years later(minus the littlest due in just a couple more months)!

We love you guys... thanks for coming!!

Treasures in Heaven

Ever since starting this blog I have wanted to do a "thank you" post to all those who invested in Sarah's adoption. Through family, friends and the body of Christ, the Lord provided every penny for the journey of a lifetime to one precious child of God.

There were all kinds of ways people gave.... selling possessions, garage sales, providing garages to sell in, financial donations. Each and EVERY gift knocked me off my feet in praises and glory to God!

I am confident that God will reward each one who invested in Sarah's life. I was reminded again this morning in reading Matthew 6 that the Father delights in giving to the things of eternal value...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. " Matt. 6 :19-21

So thank you... thank you for investing in things that have eternal value, thank you for giving when you could have used something new for yourself, thank you for listening to God's voice and obeying.... thank you for seeing this special, black- haired, almond -eyed, 19lb. treasure from Heaven as an eternal investment! May the Lord bless you all for choosing the eternal over treasures on earth!!


This past weekend 3 people(and their kids) came to meet Sarah for the 1st time... the first 3 people( besides my mom and dad ) to jump on board with our leap of faith in adoption through sacrificial giving. Diane(my aunt), Carrie(my cousin), and Heather(my cousin-in-law), you will never know what your support meant to me in those first few weeks of stepping out in faith! Thanks for supporting us then and for supporting us now with your fun visit to meet Sarah! I love you!!

Finally got the girls' pictures taken...

Sadly, the best one we got in their special Guatemala dresses : )

These toys are WAY cooler than all those annoying sounds you crazy adults are making!!

Another goofy face by Sarah : )

Sweet little Sarah

Woo hoo... I'm ONE!

I LOVE this girl's expressions!

Miss Emily....

trying to chase Sarah down in who will walk first

(feel free to pray for me!)

I've never seen either of my girls so sober as the day we took them for their pictures... but I definitely was NOT going to reschedule after trying like a mad woman to get two baby girls looking pretty( meaning no spit-up, no blow-outs, no pulling out hair things, no taking off shoes... and still the perfect time in their schedules when neither of them is hungry or sleepy!)

LOVE this lil' sweetheart...

you can get a little glimpse of the red tint to her hair in this one : )

Touched by Innocent Faith

This is the eldest of all my blessings... CALEB. We finally fulfilled our birthday promise to him by taking him to a Cardinals game. I think this picture forever captures how I will always "see" my son, whether standing at the front of a church waiting for his bride, or holding his first born child or even if I'm blessed long enough to see him hold his first grandchild. Just that huge grin on his face, cap on his head and ball and glove in his hands. I'm sure every mother has a single snapshot of each of their children that embraces the essence of that child.

Caleb has reached an age of having a special ability to humble me by his innocent faith. It makes me smile to think that God purposely gives us children just to remind us how GREAT is He!

Recently we were talking about adoption with Caleb and explaining the difference between adoption from another country and from here. Which led to trying to explain foster care.

We told him how mommy and daddy actually have a foster care license from going through the process of adoption.

Caleb's face lit up and he said, "Can we go get one(a child) right now??"

Of course I laughed and immediately said, "Honey, don't you think mommy and daddy are crazy enough right now with the 2 babies and you two guys?!" To which he shook his head emphatically no : ) My heart was so blessed by his selflessness because the girls have definitely taken away from the attention we give him. Innocent faith.

Then, last night at a Life Action service at our church, the kids came in to join their parents for praise and worship. Caleb stood on a chair behind me with his arms wrapped around my neck as he bellowed out in a very off-tune voice precious words to the Father in Heaven with singing.

I was nearly a heap on the floor right there, completely humbled. Simply amazed that God can work in this 7 yr. old's life in SPITE of this weak, flawed and sinful woman God gave him as a mother. Innocent Faith.

Thank you Lord for being sovereign, for being the ONE in control, the ONE that covers a multitude of wrongs with love!

A first Cardinal picture with all 6 of us!

The BOYS!

And the Girls!(oops, where's MY Cardinal shirt?)

Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the girls so we could spend some special time with our little men at the game!