Thursday, December 11, 2008

Our Adoption Video

We celebrated Orphan Care Sunday a couple weeks ago at our church and a friend of mine created this video to help us share our testimony. THANK YOU JULIE!!! What a precious gift to our family! (Don't forget to scroll down on the right to click pause on our playlist songs so you can hear the video : )

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The girls first SNOW!! and some family fun

The past couple weeks have given me a lot of blogging material... so look out for an above average amount of posts : )Caleb and Emily
Think I need to take this pic to photoshop and adjust the lighting...
but here's my two funny kids, Sarah and Zachary

Caleb and Zach were more excited about Sarah and Emily's first experience with snow than they were to go play in it.... the way they love these girls never ceases to amaze me. We've had lots of fun.... building forts, snowball fights, eating icicles and somehow the boys convinced me to freeze a few of our snowballs in the fridge ... what was I thinking : )

Last night we had a special night going to the "kids eat free night" at IHOP and then a road trip to see the Festival of Lights. Our kids were cracking us up!!

Caleb wanted to take pictures of EVERY light display... we talked him into taking pics of ONLY our favorites(the batmobile was of course Zach's fave). Zachary in only his unique and hilarious way kept repeating, "I'm so happy... I think I'm going to cry"(I'm STILL laughing over that one.. Grandpa Chip would be so proud). And not to be outdone, Sarah sat on my lap in the front hitting the window and pointing, saying "WHOA!" every 5 seconds. Little Emily just stared out the window sucking her thumb with her precious laid back spirit.

Thank you Lord for family, for fun, for laughter, for loving us!

This was our photogragher Caleb's favorite of the night

Hope everyone is enjoying all the festivities of the Christmas season!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Visiting orphans AND widows

At 5 am the morning of Sunday, November 18, 2007, I was lying awake on my bathroom floor curled in a ball talking on the phone to the O.B. who was on call for the weekend. I was having contractions... and in much pain. In denial of the situation, I pleaded with him to order more terbutaline. No, he said in his foreign accent... you need to go to the hospital right now.

I was right around the beginning of my 22nd week of pregnancy. I'd already been to the hospital a couple times earlier that week, but this time was different. They wheeled me right past the triage and admitted me into labor and delivery. We had already been told that a baby born before 25 weeks would not be airlifted to a neonatal unit. When I entered my room, horror filled my heart, seeing the baby warming unit seemed like I might as well have been staring at my unborn daughter's coffin.

By God's mercy and will, we left the hospital 3 days later with my contractions stabilized. They never actually went away, thus remaining on bedrest until 36 wks. but I was able to carry Emily full term to praises of God's glory.

So what does this have to do with widows and orphans?

Those early weeks after the hospital between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year were truly frightening for me. I had very strong feelings of isolation, fear, anxiety, and a deep loneliness. One particular day, the boys were at grandma's, I was in my recliner all alone. A thought that I know was from the Lord( in the midst of my emotions) came to my mind.

"This must be how it feels to be a widow."
In that moment I prayed that the Lord would allow me to embrace these feelings and never let me forget how the widow/elderly must feel. My circumstances and emotions were only temporary but theirs..... it's their life! I promised the Lord that I would be faithful to remember the widow along with the orphan. My prayer is that each of you passionate James 1:27 friends would take time to consider the widow this season too!

The above picture is of our family visiting Dave's grandfather(who is a widower) over Thanksgiving : )

I encourage you to listen to the words of this song. I prefer the Sandi Patty version but couldn't get it. If you've never heard this song before... it's a tear jerker!
My grandma (Grandma-mom) came and spent a week with us earlier this year .... a little vacation from her assisted living home. My kids ADORE her : )... and so do I!


My d-group girls from church making cards for the residents at a nursing home we visited recently. I was so proud of them for their smiles, touches, conversations and prayers they shared with elderly that night!

Elizabeth, Anna and Hannah making new friends!

Ashley visiting with a sweet little lady

Casey taking a moment to pray with this elderly gentleman