Peace, Love, and BFF's

The title of this blog post was inspired by this sweet little girl and her shirt. This weekend, I drove to Charlottesville, VA to be a part of an annual girls' weekend with my three dearest friends from middle school/high school. Christine, who has been one of my best friends since sixth grade, moved with her family to Charlottesville a year ago to start a church. We enjoyed seeing her home, her new city, and her sweet family. We spent a lot of time talking, eating, walking, and talking some more. It was a great weekend, a great get-away, and a great reminder of the blessing of friends.

These girls have known me for almost twenty years. We've been through a lot together: youth group camps and mission trips, marching band practices in the summer heat, seeing boyfriends come and go, college days, lots of emails back and forth, engagements, being a part of each other's weddings, pregnancies, births of our babies, new jobs, moves, more emails back and forth, struggles, and many joys. These are the friends I tell my deepest struggles to and my greatest joys. They share it all and most importantly they pray for me, encourage me, and offer godly counsel. I'm so thankful for them.

I heard this song shortly after returning from my trip and thought it described my friends perfectly.

More Than You'll Ever Know

by Watermark

...I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh,

and yet I feel like it's ok to cry with you.

Something about just bein' with you

When I leave I feel like I've been near God

And that's the way it ought to be...

'Cause you've been more than a friend to me

You fight off my enemies

'Cause you have spoken truth over my life.

And you'll never know what it means to me

Just to know you've been on your knees for me

Oh, you have blessed my life

More than you'll ever know.

A Birthday Gift

Although the packaging was a simple box with wrapping paper, what lay inside the box was no ordinary gift. This year for my 33rd birthday, my mom gave me a special gift, a gift that took a lot of letting-go on her part. The gift was a ring-a ring that has been in our family for ninety years. My mom's grandfather had given the ring to my grandmother when she was a girl. My grandmother gave the ring to my mom when she was a girl, and I've grown up seeing the ring on my mother's hand. Now, the ring is on my hand.


The ring holds a simple design-a beautiful red stone in a delicate gold setting. The beauty of the ring does not exist in its stone or setting. What makes it precious is the memories it carries.


I cannot think of my mom's hands without thinking of the ring. It was always there. So, when I look at my hand now with the ring on my finger, I feel like I'm looking at my mom's hand. It's a rather strange feeling, and I guess over time, I'll get used to seeing it on my hand. But for now, when I see the ring, I remember my mom's hands.


My mom's hands were always strong for the task set before her. Her hands were covered in dry erase marker in the evenings after a full day of teaching. Her hands were busy in the kitchen making cookies or preparing dinner. Her hands were soft, inviting, and always finding ways to help others.


Now, I am a mom and my hands are busy each day changing diapers, wiping tears, holding the hand of a little child. How will my children remember my hands?

My mom is an inspiration to me in so many ways. I hope that my children will one day remember my hands as I remember my mother's hands. More important than passing down a beautiful ring that I will always cherish, she passed down a legacy of love, faith, and truth.

Today, August 18, is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! As I look at my hand today and see the ring, I will say a prayer of thanksgiving for your life and the gifts you gave me. I could not have asked for a better mom.

One Step Closer

Saturday night, Tim and I had the privilege of attending a dinner hosted by our adoption agency to support the cause of orphans . It was a good time for us to be reaffirmed by God of what He's calling us to do. I go through times of feeling excited and times of feeling fearful. The past few weeks had been a fearful time for me. Every time one of my boys acted out or was especially clingy, a voice inside of me would whisper doubts into my soul. But God is faithful to remind me that He is the one in charge and He is leading us.

A good friend reminded me that often times in the Bible God answers a question that someone asks with a statement about Himself. Think of when Moses asked God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God answered not with a comment about Moses' ability but with the statement about Himself, "I will be with you."

Another example is the story of the woman at the well. When the Samaritan woman asks Jesus how he could ask her for a drink, he responds by telling her about the gift of God in the living water.

I need to hear that it's not up to me.

The guest artist for Saturday's dinner was Britt Nicole. I loved the song she sang "Set the World on Fire." Thus, it is on my play list now. In it she says, "I am small but You are big enough. I am weak but You are strong enough to take my dreams and give them wings." She ended the evening sharing these verses from 1 Chronicles 28:20...

...Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you...

Throughout the evening on Saturday, the faces of sweet children that have been adopted would fill a screen that was set up close to our table. A few of the speakers were adoptive fathers that had traveled to orphanages in different countries and had been moved by the children living there. They spoke of the children's great longings to have a daddy and to be a part of a family. They would cry out to the men visiting the orphanage, "Papa," hoping one of them was there to take them home. As the evening went on, my heart longed for our daughter and for the children who so desperately want to have a home. The number of orphans in the world is astounding, but the statistics say if just 7% of those who call themselves Christians adopted one child each, there would be no more orphans in the world. Amazing! I'm not saying all Christians have an obligation to adopt just as not all Christians should be foreign missionaries. I do hope that those who feel God tugging their hearts toward adoption will listen.

Today was our last visit with our social worker for the home study. She hopes to have our home study complete by the end of this month. It's a good feeling to have this part of the journey almost complete. We are one step closer to seeing our little girl...

just a little closer to bringing her home. When she cries, "Papa", may she be embraced by her daddy in our home.

Our County Fair

Going to the county fair is something we look forward to every year. The fair in our county is fairly small, but it has some great activities for the kids. The boys enjoyed the hands-on farm activity for kids. They also had fun looking at all of the farm animals, watching a dog/frisbee show, BMX bike stunt show, juggler and seeing the fireworks at the end of the night. It was a late night for us, but it was well worth it.

enjoying the snacks at the farm area for kids

Graham got to ride one ride. He chose the motorcycle ride and had a blast.

Can you tell we are excited to have a new camera!!

Where we are in the Adoption Process

Several of you have been asking us where we are in the process. We are currently gathering paperwork and completing requirements for our home study and dossier, a collection of documents to submit to Ethiopia. It is a rather tedious process, but I'm sure it will be well worth it in the end. We met with our social worker for the first time last week and will meet with her two more times before completing the home study. Next week, Tim and I will meet with her individually to reveal our deepest, darkest secrets. Not really, but it does feel like we have to share our life stories. I keep reminding myself that it is a good thing the adoption process must be so thorough to ensure precious children are placed in good homes.

We just submitted a document that will take 6-8 weeks to be approved and returned to our agency. We've had our fingerprints made and our background checks are being run. I'm taking the boys tomorrow to their doctor to have TB skin tests done as a part of their physical exams. (Pray for us if you think about it. I'm dreading that for the boys.) We've requested birth certificates and our marriage license and are collecting documents that will need to be notarized. We are completing an adoption course on line and have begun reading the books on the required reading list.

We are hoping to complete the dossier and home study over the next 2 to 3 months. After our home study is complete and the dossier has been sent to Ethiopia, the waiting begins. We are told we will wait about 9 to 12 months to receive a referral. The referral is a picture and information about the child that has been matched to our family. It sounds rather random, but we believe there's nothing random about it. God has picked out the child for our family and will orchestrate the details to bring us together.

We've heard that some families look back on the paperwork time with fondness because they felt like they were accomplishing something rather than just waiting. Right now, I look forward to having completed this paperwork, but I'm sure the wait will get long and difficult.

Once we have the referral, we hope to travel to Ethiopia in a month or two and bring our daughter home. Tim and I will travel together and the boys will stay at home. We will be gone for about a week.

First of all, I'm sorry I have not posted any new pictures recently. Our camera is dead because it fell in a creek. Well, actually I feel in the creek and the camera was in my bag. After I picked myself and my bag up, I realized the bag was completely saturated. Needless to say, our camera no longer works. Bummer!

I do want to tell you about the amazing VBS that is going on this week at my church. It is like no other VBS I've been a part of. The setting for the entire week is Rome several years after Jesus' crucifixion. The adults and children all wear costumes reflecting that time period, and all of the activities from the dramas, music, crafts and games go along with the theme.

We are learning about Paul and the persecuted church. Today, we talked about how Paul remained hopeful and full of joy despite his hardships. He had a gift which could not be taken from him. A gift of everlasting life and God's love.

A very meaningful time for me was when my family group participated in the "underground church". We entered the dimly lite, intimate setting with hushed voices. A simple melody played on a guitar filled the air. As we began to worship together, I thought about how Christians all over the world worship in this way today. They meet in secret and in fear that their time together might be interrupted by a hostile visitor seeking to break up their peaceful meeting. I realized how often I take for granted the privilege we have to worship in the way we desire. The freedom to meet with fellow believers is one we should not take lightly.

The words of a song we sang today continue to echo through my mind tonight. "They will know we are Christians by our love..."

Is it evident to others that I am a believer in Christ because of the way I love them? Do others see the way I love my children and feel certain I am a Christian? Do they look at the way Tim and I interact and know we follow Someone much greater than ourselves?

Happy Birthday, Wesley!

Our sweet boy is two!

We love you, Wesley. It is a joy to watch you grow and learn. We are blessed to have you in our lives.

The Pink Journal

On my bedside table sits a notebook covered in pink fabric. I made it a few years ago at a Mops meeting, stuffed it on a shelf somewhere,and forgot out it. In March, I fumbled across it again and knew it would be perfect for what I needed. You see, God has been working in my heart, in Tim's heart-in the heart of our family, and I needed a place to record these words and thoughts that have been knocking on my heart's door ever since I started praying about a certain idea.



The idea of adoption.


Long before our sons were born, Tim and I had talked about the possiblity of adopting one day. After Wesley came, we started talking about what was next for our family. We both felt our growing brood was not complete. Our hearts longed for another child, but we sensed this child would be brought to us in a different manner than they way Wesley and Graham arrived in our arms.


Tim was the first to conclude that God was leading us to adopt. He told me his thoughts. I wasn't so sure; I needed more time. So this past January I got serious about praying about adoption. Let me tell you, God wasted no time. I couldn't get it out of my mind. Everywhere I went I would be reminded of adoption. I was thinking about it constantly.


In February, we heard about an adoption conference to be held the following week at a local church, and we scrambled to make arrangements to go. The conference laid out all of the risks and scary things about adoption. No sugar coating anything. At the end of the day, a panel was brought together to give us different perspectives on adoption. As I sat there listening to their amazing stories, I noticed Tim wiping tears from his eyes. A lump emerged in my throat, and I knew the answer to the questions I had been asking God. Adoption was to be part of our story.


Somewhere across the world in the country of Ethiopia, a little girl will be born or has been born, and through God's grace and providence she will make it into our arms someday soon. We ask you to pray with us for her, and for our journey to her. I know the road ahead is long and will not be easy. But I also know God will lead us and provide everything we need to bring our daughter home.

Happy Father's Day (a little late)

About a month ago, when I was making my list of why I love Tim for our anniversary, I asked Graham to tell me some reasons why he loves his daddy. This is what he said:

1. He's sweet.
2. He let's me help him wash cars.
3. He plays with me.
4. He takes me to the pool and dries me off.
5. He takes me camping.
6. He makes me special treats and popcorn.
7. He tickles and wrestles with me. I like it.
8. He lets me wake him up when he's in bed.
9. He covers me up with my blanket every night after I'm asleep.
10. He tells me he loves me every night.
"I love him very, very in the whole wide world."

We all love Tim around this house. I'm so thankful for the kind of daddy he is. He models Christ to our children.

My Little Niece

My brother and his family along with my mom came for dinner tonight, so I got to spend some time with sweet baby Grace. She is doing very well and already has adorable chubby cheeks. With four little boys and one baby girl, things are going to be interesting when we get together. I am so thankful Tim and I live in the same city and our children can grow up together. I love being an aunt, and I am grateful Graham and Wesley have an aunt and uncle close by to love on them.

My Trip to Texas

Graham and his buddy, Caden

Caden and his mom, Kimba, and his little brother made the drive from Dallas to Tyler to visit us while we were in town. Kimba and I were good friends in Nashville, and I've missed her greatly since she moved to Dallas. It was a special treat to see her.

I drove with the boys last week to Texas to visit family. The drive went amazingly well, and we had a great time with grandparents. While we were there, we stayed busy doing lots of summer activites in Tyler.

I got to visit a sweet friend from high school, Misty.


We visited the wonderful zoo in Tyler and enjoyed the perfect weather.

the boys at the zoo

We rode bikes on a beautiful new trail and ate ice cream afterwards.

The boys got to experience fishing for the first time. My mom caught a fish but neither she nor I wanted to touch it. We had to ask a man who was fishing nearby if he would take it off of our hook. It was rather funny.

Nana and Graham on a walking trail

Nana and Graham at a sprinkler park

my granddad and I on my birthday

My family helped to make my birthday special. Graham and my mom made a yummy cake and we took it to the sprinkler park to celebrate. (That was Graham's idea.)

my mom and I

Tyler has a beautiful park built in memory of children that have passed away. These pictures were taken at that park.

Just the Two of Us

Tim planned a special evening away for us to celebrate our anniversary. We went out to a fabulous dinner at a unique restaurant in downtown Nashville. We stayed overnight at Union Station Hotel, an historic hotel also in the downtown area. It was a wonderful way to celebrate!

the beautiful hotel

enjoying a quiet dinner

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3-6

My cousins

Our family loves having my cousin, Andrew, close by so that we can experience life together. He comes over every week for dinner. Graham and Wesley love Andrew, and so do I. He's my baby cousin and we've always had a special bond. I laugh so much when I'm with him.

His brother, Chris, (another great cousin of mine) came in town and we got to see him while he was here. He's great, too, and my boys just adored him. These two men are going to make amazing husbands and daddies some day. Will and Graham helped Chris and Andrew make milkshakes after dinner.

my brother and his family, Andrew, Chris, and my family

Graham and Will thought Chris was a human jungle gym.

Wesley and his cousin, Drew, played so well together. They share toys and have fun together. We are hoping it continues.

Graham and Chris

10 Years

Tomorrow, Tim and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. As I have been thinking about the incredible blessing it is to be married to Tim, I thought I would record 10 things I love about my husband.

1. I love what a great daddy Tim is to our boys.
2. He can fix just about anything around our house and with our cars.
3. He is always looking for ways to help others.
4. He has a tender heart and is compassionate.
5. He makes me laugh.
6. He works very hard and strives to do his best and whatever he does.
7. He's loyal and faithful.
8. He makes me feel special.
9. He loves God and seeks to glorify and honor Him.
10. He shares the same dreams and goals for our family and our future.

The pool is open

Yes!!! Can you tell we love to go swimming?

Proud Aunt

My brother and his wife welcomed their new daughter into the world yesterday. Grace Madeline was born on May 26 and weighs almost 8 pounds. She's so beautiful and her name describes her perfectly. Her big brothers, Will and Drew, are happy to have her here.

I'll send pictures soon.

Blessings

Katie and Perry are some good friends of ours that we met while Tim was in grad school. After seven years of hoping and praying for a baby, they are expecting a baby boy in July. We celebrated with them last week and spent time praising and thanking God for His gift of a baby in their lives. We went in with some other friends to give them this backpack. (This picture is for you, Amy and Jeff. They loved it.)

On Saturday, we met Katie and Perry at a park for a picnic lunch and bicycle ride. The boys and our friends' dogs loved getting in the water. Wesley is becoming more adventuresome and outgoing. Each day, he adds more words to his vocabulary and wants to try new things. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow.

Preschool

Graham just had his last day of three-year-old preschool. Ms. Trish was his teacher, and she was very special to him. We are very thankful for the good year he had and look forward to him going to the same preschool next year. Several of his little buddies from this year's class will be in his class next year. When I asked him how he felt on the last day of school, he said, "I feel kind of happy and kind of sad." My sentiments exactly.

Happy Birthday, Graham!

Our little guy is four years old!!We were going to have a group of friends meet us at the zoo for a party on Saturday. Because of the rain, the party was moved to our house. Despite the last minute scrambling and the crocodile cake that looked more like a lizard, it all came together and Graham had a great time.

We love you, Graham! We are so proud of you and thankful to have you in our lives. You are a treasure to us.

Camping Trip

Tim and some of the other men from our church planned a camping trip with the kids. We were a little bummed that it rained, but the trip still took place. They just changed the location from a state park to someone's backyard. Our tent is the gigantic one that towers above the others. They pitched the tents under the deck. It was a good thing they were close to the house because a big storm came upon them at 5am. Fortunately, one of the dads woke up and got everyone inside. Amazingly, everyone settled back into their sleeping bags in one big room and went back to sleep until around 8am.

setting up the tents under the deck

kiddos enjoying a break from playing

Graham's favorite part of the weekend was getting to ride his friend's motorized jeep. They had a big backyard so it was a perfect place to ride one.

Mommy wants to know when the next daddy/kid camping trip is. :)